Pick, Pack, PROMOTE and Ship!
All too often merchants simply pick, pack and ship without considering that an open package is a touch point with a customer and hence, a potential marketing opportunity! Specifically, it’s an opportunity to get the package recipient to shop again soon! This especially holds true when the package is a gift. If Sam buys a gift for Jane, the merchant probably has Sam’s email address and can continue to market to him, but there is a good chance that Jane herself is not yet a customer. The goal should be to get Jane to also become a customer!
A simple way to do this is to preprint some literature with coupon codes that entice the opener to order again. A coupon for 10% off their next order is a great way to achieve that goal. A coupon code for free shipping on the next order has also proven to be effective time and time again. 
You might even setup a partnership with a company that targets the same demographic as you. You could put your partner’s marketing material in your package and they could return the favor when they ship their own items allowing you to cross market to each other’s customer bases.
Before you tape that box closed, make sure you have a little something extra in the box to fuel your customers spending habits!
After receiving a degree in Industrial Engineering from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Alex began his career as a technology consultant with Accenture. In 1999 he left Accenture and founded Nexternal – a cloud-based eCommerce Platform company. Alex is passionate about eCommerce and online marketing. He is now a Senior Vice President of HighJump, managing the Nexternal business unit.
