Email Automation • Retention Engine

Most ecommerce brands sink their entire marketing effort into acquisition. They treat the sale like the finish line. The profitable ones treat it as day one of the relationship — and build a post-purchase engine that multiplies LTV, review volume, and repeat purchases automatically.

Why Post-Purchase Is The Highest-ROI Flow In Ecommerce

You already paid to acquire the customer. The cost is sunk. Every incremental conversion now compounds margin — pure efficiency gain.

• Acquisition CAC has risen 3–5× in the last 2 years
• ~65% of profits come from repeat buyers
• UGC + reviews lift conversion on every future prospect
• Email is still the most profitable owned channel — ~$32 per $1

Yet most brands send: ✔️ shipping confirmation • ❌ silence • ❌ hope.

The AURA 4-Stage Post-Purchase System

This isn’t “send a thank-you email.” It’s a lifecycle automation system engineered to stabilize ROAS and compound LTV.

📦 Stage 1 — Immediate Order Confidence (0–24h)

Objective: eliminate buyer’s remorse + reduce support tickets.

Emails:

• Order received — clear expectations & timeline
• Brand philosophy — why they made the right choice
• If high-ticket: founder video

Automation logic:

trigger: order placed
if order value > £150 → include founder video
if first-time customer → brand intro sequence

🚚 Stage 2 — Shipping + Anticipation (Day 1–Delivery)

We turn waiting into warming.

• Shipping updates
• Unboxing prep & excitement
• What to expect / how to prep
• Social proof countdown

trigger: order fulfilled
if ETA available:
  send excitement builder
  queue care guide

🎓 Stage 3 — Product Mastery & Education (Delivery +1–3)

Prevent returns. Maximise product success. Reduce “how do I…?” messages.

• Care guide
• Usage best practices
• Top FAQs answered
• Common mistakes to avoid

⭐ Stage 4 — UGC & Second-Order Engine (Day 5–30)

• One-tap review link (frictionless)
• “Reply with a pic” prompt (AI filters/cleans)
• VIP & referrals trigger
• Second order — curated by compatibility

if delivered +5d and no support ticket → request quick rating
if rating ≥ 4 → ask for photo review
if rating ≤ 3 → route to support + apology macro
if D+10 → product pairing recommendation + subtle loyalty CTA

Example Timeline

AI-Enhanced Flow Logic

Swap static blocks for triggered AI templates:

if first order:
  tone = "welcoming"
  include: brand story + unboxing checklist

if returning customer:
  tone = "VIP"
  include: loyalty benefits + early access tease

if order value > £250:
  include: founder note + concierge support touchpoint

Subject Lines That Win

• “Your order is in safe hands 🧊”
• “Before it arrives — a quick tip”
• “You’re going to love this.”
• “Quick favour? (30 seconds)”
• “Complete the set (before we run out)”

Real Results From This System

Implementation Checklist

• Map top 10 post-purchase FAQs → convert to snippets
• Tag products with materials/fit/compatibility in Shopify
• Delivered-triggered flow with ticket guardrails & VIP splits
• Draft blocks with AI → human approval → lock v1
• Dashboard: repeat rate, reviews, returns, deflection

Build these automations with AURA →