Thank you Email Series
Learn how to send thank you emails with next order coupon to drive repeat purchase
What is a Thank You Email Series
A Thank You Email Series is more than just a “thank you” message. It’s a strategic post-purchase communication designed to:
Show appreciation for the customer’s purchase.
Strengthen the relationship by making them feel valued.
Encourage loyalty by offering an exclusive incentive for their next purchase.
Including a coupon for their next order in your Thank You Email makes it even more impactful. It gives customers a reason to return and shop with your brand again.
Thank you emails are more than a polite gesture—they can be a powerful way to strengthen a customer relationship.
Here's why they matter:
Show Appreciation When you send a thank you email, you’re acknowledging your customer’s choice to trust your brand. It’s a simple yet effective way to make them feel valued. A heartfelt “thank you” can leave a lasting positive impression, making them more likely to remember you in the future.
Encourage Repeat Purchases Thank you emails are a great opportunity to encourage customers to shop again. You can include personalized offers, like discounts on their next purchase or a coupon code, to give them a little nudge. It’s a win-win – they get a good deal, and you get a repeat customer!
Build Loyalty Showing gratitude helps create a connection with your customers. When they feel appreciated and recognized, they’re more likely to stick with your brand over time. A thoughtful thank you email can turn a one-time buyer into a loyal customer.
Boost Customer Lifetime Value Happy customers are more likely to come back and make additional purchases, which increases their overall value to your business. A thank you email is a small investment that can have a big impact on building a long-term relationship and boosting revenue. In short, thank you emails are a simple yet effective way to show customers that you care while driving more sales and loyalty for your brand. It’s all about making them feel special – and who doesn’t love that?
What Does a Typical Thank You Email Series Look Like?
A Thank You Email Series usually consists of 2-3 emails spaced over a few days. Each email aims to engage the customer, build loyalty, and encourage their next purchase.
Example Workflow
Email 3: Final Coupon Reminder and Popular Products
Timing: Sent 14 days after Email 2.
What to Include:
Highlight your best-selling or new arrivals to spark interest.
Reiterate the benefits of their personalized coupon code and its expiration date to create urgency.
Include a CTA, such as “Use Your Coupon Before It Expires.”
How to Set Up Thank You Email Automation in Retainful
Ready to create your first welcome email series? Let’s walk through it step by step:
Go to the Retainful dashboard -> Automation and create a new workflow. Retainful comes with a pre-built workflow template for the thank you email series—Thank new customers with unique coupons.
Go to Retainful Dashboard -> Automation -> Create New Workflow.
Select Pre-built Workflow -> Choose Abandoned Cart Recovery Template.
Name your workflow: Abandoned Cart Recovery.
Edit the content to include a Thank You note in the emails.
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1. Setup the workflow - Trigger and Rules
To customize when your Thank email series is sent, set the trigger option based on your preferences.
Choose a Trigger Block
Limit entry to orders made within the last X days: After choosing the trigger event, enable this option to allow orders made in the previous days to enter the workflow,
2. Setup Time Delay for the First Email
Wait blocks help control the timing between emails, ensuring that customers receive communications at just the right moments, keeping them engaged without overwhelming them.
Wait Block #1: Set a delay of 2 days after the first thank-you email. This gives customers time to explore your products and use the coupon code before they receive the next reminder or follow-up email.
3. Generating Unique Coupon Code
Set up coupon generation within your welcome email series to offer new customers a personalized discount. Choose the type of coupon you want to generate, such as:
Percentage discount (e.g., 10% off).
Fixed amount discount (e.g., $5 off).
Free shipping or other special offers
You can also set specific conditions for coupon usage, according to your preferences.
This ensures that each new subscriber receives a unique and tailored offer through your welcome email series.
4. Customize The First Thank You Email Template and Send
Email 1: Thank You and Gratitude Timing: Send immediately after the purchase is completed. What to Say: Thank the customer for their recent purchase and express your gratitude for choosing your brand. Let them know how much you value their support. Include a personalized coupon code as a token of appreciation for their business. CTA: Encourage them to explore more products on your website, share their feedback, or take advantage of the personalized discount you've provided for their next purchase.
PRO TIP Add an order summary and shipping details to keep the email informative and useful.
Shortcodes - Inserting in Email Template
{{billing_address.first_name}} - The First name of the customer.
{billing_address.last_name}} - The last name of the customer.
{{customer_name}} - The full name of the customer (the first and the last name)
5. Setting Time Delay for a Second Thank you email
Wait blocks help manage the timing between emails, ensuring a smooth and engaging journey for your customers.
Wait Block #2: Set a delay of 14 days after the second thank-you email. This gives customers some time to engage with the email, explore your website, and use the personalized coupon before they receive the next communication in the sequence.
6. Conditional Check for Coupon Use:
Create different paths based on subscriber actions.
NOTE Place this conditional check block before the email block. This way, the system can evaluate whether the coupon has been used, ensuring the customer receives a relevant and non-redundant email.
Select the Rule: Choose a rule like “Coupon is not used” to target subscribers who haven’t redeemed their coupon yet. This way, you can send a follow-up email to encourage them to complete their purchase.
7. Send the Second Thank You Email
Email 2: Thank You and Brand Story Timing: Send 2 days after the first thank-you email. What to Say: Remind the customer how much you appreciate their purchase. Share the story behind your brand—why you started, what you stand for, and what makes you unique. This helps create a deeper emotional connection and reinforces the values that set you apart. CTA: Encourage them to explore your product range, learn more about your brand story, or use their personalized coupon code before it expires.
8. Setting Time Delay for a Second Thank You Email
Wait blocks help manage the timing between emails, ensuring a smooth and engaging journey for your customers.
Wait Block #2: Set a delay of 14 days after the second thank-you email. This gives customers some time to engage with the email, explore your website, and use the personalized coupon before they receive the next communication in the sequence.
9. Conditional check for Coupon Use:
Create different paths based on subscriber actions.
Select the Rule: Choose a rule like “Coupon is not used” to target subscribers who haven’t redeemed their coupon yet. This way, you can send a follow-up email to encourage them to complete their purchase.
NOTE Place this conditional check block before the email block. This way, the system can evaluate whether the coupon has been used, ensuring the customer receives a relevant and non-redundant email.
10. Send the Final Thank you Email
NOTE In the second email, include a friendly reminder about the special offer, such as, "Hey, don’t miss out on your exclusive offer—grab it now before it’s gone!" and save the changes.
Email 3: Final Thank You and Best-Selling Products
Timing: Send 3-4 days after Email 2 (or after the previous reminder). What to Say: This is your final thank you email. Reinforce your appreciation for their purchase and loyalty. Thank them for being a part of your community and remind them of the value your brand offers. Highlight your best-selling products or top-rated items as a way to introduce them to more of your collection. CTA: Encourage them to explore your best-sellers, use their personalized coupon code if they haven’t already, and share their feedback or experience with your products.
NOTE In addition to current orders. Specify how many days back from today's date you'd like to include. For example, you can set it to include orders placed up to 10 days ago.
11. Test Your Workflow
Send yourself a test email to ensure everything looks perfect on both desktop and mobile.
Double-check your timing and triggers.
12. Go Live
Once everything looks good, hit Start Workflow and watch your emails work magic.
That’s it. You’ve successfully set live your Next Order Coupon Workflow in Retainful.
Best Practices for a Successful Thank You Email Series
Personalization: Use customer names and purchase details to make the emails feel tailored.
Clear Call to Action (CTA): Encourage the customer to take specific actions, such as redeeming the coupon or browsing your store.
Add Value: Offer practical tips, exclusive offers, or product recommendations to keep the customer engaged.
Create Urgency: Use phrases like “Limited-Time Offer” to prompt customers to act quickly.
Test and Optimize: Monitor email performance and refine content based on open rates, click-through rates, and conversions.
FAQs
Can I include the referral link in the next order coupon emails?
Yes, you can. Add the shortcode
{{referral_link}}to the email template. Note: Make sure the referral program is enabled in your Retainful dashboard.
Is it possible to send the next order coupon emails only if certain products are purchased?
Yes, you can send the next order coupon emails only when certain products are purchased. Use the 'Product Name' or 'Product ID' trigger rule to specify the products for which the next order coupon workflow will trigger.
How can I check the performance of the next order coupon workflow?
Go to your Retainful dashboard -> Automations -> Find the Next Order Coupon Workflow and click the Analytics icon next to the Edit Flow button to view workflow performance.
Where can I check the next order coupon conversions?
Go to your Retainful dashboard -> Metrics -> Conversions, and select ‘Post Purchase’ in the filter on the right side to view conversions made by the next order coupon (post-purchase) workflow.
Can I use the next order coupon emails to upsell/cross-sell products?
Yes, you can use the next order coupon emails to upsell/cross-sell products by adding static product blocks manually to the email templates.
How can I restrict customers from entering the next order coupon workflow more than once?
Edit the next order coupon workflow, click on the “Trigger” block, then select ‘Customer Rules’ on the right. From the dropdown, choose ‘Number of re-entries per customer’ to set the re-entry rule.
When will a customer exit from the next order coupon workflow?
By default, customers exit the workflow if they match any of the following criteria:
They unsubscribe from emails
They complete their path in the workflow
They match a custom ‘Exit Rule’ set for the workflow
How can I make customers exit the workflow as soon as they use the next order coupon?
In the workflow editor, click on the ‘+’ between the 2nd wait block and the 2nd email block, and add ‘Conditional Split Rules.’ In the split rule settings, click “Add Rules,” select ‘Flow behavior,’ and set ‘Coupon -> not used.’ Now, customers will receive the 2nd email only if they haven’t used the coupon. If a customer uses the coupon after the first email, they will be diverted to the ‘No’ path and can exit the workflow.
Where can I find the next order coupon emails?
Go to your Retainful dashboard -> Metrics -> Outbox, and select the next order coupon workflow name from the dropdown to view sent emails.
Can I restrict customers to use the next order coupon on specific products?
Currently, it’s not possible to set product-based usage restrictions for next order coupons.
Can I generate the next order coupons based on the previous order value?
At the moment, generating next order coupons based on previous order value is not supported.
Need More Help?
We’re here to make things easier for you!
Email Us: Reach out anytime at support@retainful.com.
Schedule a Call: Still stuck or need a hands-on walkthrough? Book a quick session with our support team, and we’ll guide you step-by-step.
The next automation is Win-Back emails, which re-engage inactive customers and motivate them to return and make a purchase.
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