🧠 Here's exactly what to do right after a customer buys

Today’s Edition of Captivated: Here’s exactly what to do right after a customer buys

So after all that hard work, someone just bought your product, app, or service. Nice.

But what happens next?

If you… don’t do anything…

or your first post-purchase email is something like:"Thanks for your order! Here’s a special offer for your next purchase"…

… you might be pushing people away before they’ve even used what they just bought.

Here’s why, and what to do instead right after someone buys your product.

(continues below).

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⏩️ Too Busy to Read the Whole Thing?

• Read the tl; dr at the bottom

• 🎧️ Listen: scroll all the way to the top and click: Listen Online

🧭 INSIDE THIS EDITION

• Making the sale

• Smart Tool You Can Use #1

• Did You Know?

• What's the Big Deal?

• The Psychology Behind It

• Steal this Strategy for Yourself

• tl;dr - plus, a FREE GIFT

• Smart Tool You Can Use #2

📈 DID YOU KNOW?

75% of consumers experience buyer’s remorse after making a purchase, especially for high-ticket items.

🤔

 .. What’s the Big Deal? ..

Picture this:

• Someone spends weeks deciding whether to buy.

• They finally make the purchase.

• They’re excited to try it.

• And then… they get an email that makes them feel like they could have gotten a better deal.

That’s like going out to dinner, ordering a great meal, and before you even take a bite, the restaurant hands you a coupon for 20% off your next visit. But, I’m here now…?

Instead of reinforcing their choice, you make them wonder:"Wait… did I just overpay?"

And once doubt creeps in, it’s hard to undo…

You don’t want to make customers second-guess buying.

🧠

 .. The Psychology Behind It ..

A customer’s mindset doesn’t reset after they check out. Their brain is still processing whether they made the right choice.

And if you don’t guide that feeling, regret takes over.

1. Post-Purchase Rationalization: The Brain Wants to Feel Right

Your buyer just spent money, and their brain wants to confirm it was the right choice (a.k.a. a cognitive bias called confirmation bias).

Bad move: Immediately offering another deal → this makes them feel like they didn’t get the best price.

Better move: Send an email that reinforces why this was a great purchase right now, highlighting the value of their purchase.

🧠 Brain Science: Once someone commits to a decision, their brain actively searches for information to support it. That’s why people defend their purchases, even if they’re unsure. The key is to give them proof they made the right call.

2. The Endowment Effect: Ownership Starts Before They Even Open the Box

People value things more when they feel ownership, even before they physically own them.

Bad move: No communication between checkout and delivery → customer has no attachment.

Better move: Make them feel like it’s already theirs before it arrives, with an email on ‘How to get the most out of [product]’ to build anticipation and connection.

🧠 Brain Science: Studies show that simply imagining using a product increases emotional attachment. That’s why car dealerships encourage test drives, it makes you feel like you already own the car.

3. Emotional Anchoring: The First Email Sets the Tone

People value things more when they feel ownership, even before they physically own them. That first post-purchase email is at the start of the relationship.

Bad move: Talking about their next purchase before they’ve even tried the first one.

Better move: Build anticipation so they’re excited to receive and use what they just bought.

🧠 Brain Science: The peak-end rule says people remember experiences based on their most intense moment and how they ended. If the first post-purchase interaction feels… meh, it impacts their perception of the whole experience - many times before they even get, or use, your product.

🥷

 .. Steal this Strategy for Yourself ..

Instead of sending a discount immediately, here’s how to make customers feel great about their purchase (so they actually want to come back):

1. Reinforce Their Choice (So They Don’t Second-Guess It)

• Use a reinforcing Subject Line: You made a great choice! / Get ready for your [product]!

• What to Send: A breakdown of why this product is so great, how it’s helped others, and what they can expect.

2. Make Them Feel Ownership Before It Even Arrives

• Share “how to get the most out of it”.

• Send a personal story about why this product was created.

• Show off other customers using and loving it.

🧠 In Action: Duolingo sends onboarding emails that make new users feel like they’re already “language learners” before they even complete a lesson. The moment they sign up, they believe they’re committed, and it makes a huge difference in engagement.

3. Make Their First Experience Feel Premium

• Position it as an exclusive experience, not just another purchase.

• Send a “First Look” email to make them feel like an insider.

• Help them start using it faster, so they immediately feel the value.

🧠 In Action: When someone signs up for Canva Pro, instead of just saying “Welcome,” Canva gives them templates to use immediately, so they feel the benefits right away.

4. Offer the Next Deal … at the Right Time

• Wait until they’ve actually used the product.

• Offer an exclusive deal after their first positive interaction, not before.

• Frame it as a reward, not a correction.

🧠 In Action: Nike doesn’t push discounts right away. Instead, in their running app, they send a reward offer after you hit a personal best. 

✌️ 

 .. tl;dr & captivated wrap-up ..

Your first post-purchase email is a pivotal moment that shapes how customers feel about their purchase.

Bad move: Making them feel like they overpaid the second they check out.

Better move: Reinforce their decision, build anticipation, and make them excited to use what they just bought.

Because when someone loves their first purchase, the second sale takes care of itself.

If you want to keep customers coming back, start by making their first post-purchase moment feel like the best decision they’ve made.

🎁🎁 FREE GIFT ALERT 🎁🎁:

Want to know EXACTLY what to say to your customers in the first post-purchase email?

[FOR THE FIRST 20 PEOPLE ONLY]: Be one of the first 20 people to click the 🎁  below, and on Monday I’ll send you the EXACT email to copy, paste and send:

*to be eligible, must click gift by 11:59pm ET on Sunday, March 23, 2025, and be in the first 20.

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