Too many UK retailers not re-engaging customers after checkout – Scurri study

We all know that re-engaging customers after checkout is key to driving repeat purchase but a new study claims that the majority (63%) of UK retailers lack the capabilities to do so.

That’s despite more than three-quarters (78%) identifying post-sale engagement as the beginning of the next purchasing cycle.  

At the same time, as many as 49% of consumers say receiving personalised offers in post-purchase tracking communications makes them more likely to repeat purchase. 

The research comes from Scurri, a delivery management and post-purchase experience software provider. It commissioned Savanta to do the research and it spoke to 123 UK retailers (including large and mid-market businesses), as well as 1,000 UK adults.

This post-purchase engagement gap “risks retailers losing out on revenue opportunities during a crucial – and lucrative – stage of the sales loop,” Scurri believes.

The company discovered that year-on-year, consumer sentiment towards receiving offers post-purchase is become more positive, with 50% saying personalised offers give them confidence in the brand they’re buying from. That’s a rise of 6% compared to 2024.

Another 45% agree personalised offers in updates would make them more likely to try new products or ranges from the retailer – an increase of 5%.

But only 33% of mid-market retailers and 41% of much bigger businesses deploy solutions to retarget consumers between checkout and final mile delivery, when customers are at the highest level of engagement. This is despite over three-quarters of the retailers agreeing post-purchase is becoming a revenue generating channel for business.

Interestingly, while 47% of all retail businesses surveyed can provide visibility of and customer updates on the whole delivery journey, only 26% identify the ability to retarget customers with new marketing messaging as one of the benefits of post-purchase comms.

Of course, while consumers are open to such comms, we know that they can feel overwhelmed (and often annoyed) if it all gets too much. The study showed that 57% of shoppers are happy to receive personalised offers in updates, but only if they can opt out of ongoing brand communication once their item is delivered. A further 57% agree they’re happy to receive offers if they’re not sent to them too often.