After the occasion: what to do with gift buyers
Photo: Avila Ops Tecnologia
Someone buying a Mother’s Day gift from your store has not yet decided whether to return. They bought for an occasion, not because of you. During the following 30 days, four short contacts determine that: thank them, ask whether their mother liked it, leave your contact details for referrals, and only at the end offer something relevant. Without these contacts, they tend to disappear until Christmas. With them, you start June with a new customer base.
Begin the following week, not in June when customers have forgotten where they bought.
Why do occasion-driven customers disappear?
Because the reason for buying ended. They needed a gift, solved it, and moved on. They have nothing against you, just no reason to remember. Their customer lifecycle is at first purchase, and the transition to repurchase depends on the seller, as what the customer lifecycle is explains.
Each sale also hides a second customer: the mother receiving it. If she liked it, she is among the easiest people to win over that year, but you lack her contact details. The route is through the buyer.
Four messages for the following 30 days
| When | Message | What not to do |
|---|---|---|
| Delivery day | “Delivered. Mrs. Helena received it at 10:40 a.m. Thank you for trusting us.” Include a gift photo if available. | Ask for a review or offer another product. |
| 2 to 3 days later | “Hi, Pedro. Did your mother like the flowers? If anything was not right, let me know and I’ll fix it.” | Send a coupon or generic mass message. |
| Immediately after the reply to “did she like it?” | Only for positive replies, in the same conversation: “I’m glad. If anyone asks where it came from, just share this number.” | Ask for referrals from people who did not reply or complained. |
| 25 to 30 days later | Something useful and related: “The orchids you gave can bloom again with proper care. I can show you how if you like.” Or a preview: “Father’s Day is in August. I can notify you when orders open.” | Context-free promotions. “We miss you.” |
The rule: the first three messages sell nothing. The fourth offers something related to the purchase. Jumping to the fourth on day two feels like door-to-door selling. For when to request referrals, see ask for referrals at delivery, not during collection.
If the second message receives a complaint, stop the sequence and resolve it. Customers whose complaints are handled well often return with more confidence than before.
What should you record so you do not lose them in June?
Every May customer needs five facts in their record:
- Buyer’s name and WhatsApp.
- What they bought and paid.
- Who it was for (mother’s name), if known, for next year’s card.
- How they found you (advertising, Instagram, referral, existing customer).
- Response to the message two days later: liked it, complained, did not reply.
With this, next April you send “Last year you gave Mrs. Helena orchids. Would you like to do that again?” to people who opted in, without searching old conversations. Spreadsheets work for about 50 customers; beyond that, history needs CRM (a system storing each customer’s history), or the four messages go out at the wrong time or never.
A cosmetics store selling 90 Mother’s Day sets, recording everyone, and sending the four messages discovers which mothers used and liked them. In July, when products run out, some buyers return and some mothers become direct customers. None of that would exist without the second message.
What to do now
The week after your next major occasion, open buyers’ conversations and send “did they like the gift?” to anyone not yet asked. Then transfer each person’s five details to their record. Know how many of these messages become sales by Father’s Day: avilaops.com/crm-para-pequenas-empresas or contact us on WhatsApp: wa.me/5517997811471.
Frequently asked questions
Can I send the same message to everyone at once?
Delivery-day and two-days-later messages can be sent in batches if they contain the correct name and product. Automated batch sending requires the official WhatsApp API and an approved template. Referral and offer messages go only to positive responders. Nameless mass messages get ignored.
What if customers reply to no messages?
Stop after the second. Record “did not reply” and, if they opted in to updates, include them in July’s Father’s Day notification list. Insisting in May burns the contact.
How do I get the mother’s contact details?
Do not ask the buyer. Put your contact details on the back of the gift card. If the mother contacts you, record her as a referral from the buyer.
Turn what you learned into your next step.
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