Handwritten Cards for Ecommerce
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Handwritten Cards for Ecommerce
Complete Guide to using Handwritten Notes for Ecommerce
The eCommerce industry is growing by leaps and bounds across the world. Businesses have taken to online shopping like never before, be it fashion and clothing, health and wellness, beauty and cosmetics, home decor, electronics, or other industries.
Statista states that retail eCommerce sales amounted to approximately 5.2 trillion US dollars worldwide in 2021 due to rapid digitization during the pandemic. The figure is forecast to grow by 56% over the next few years, reaching 8.1 trillion dollars by 2026.
While the statistics highlight opportunities for businesses, it also shines a light on the increasing amount of competition for consumer attention.
If numbers are to be believed, the average internet user is exposed to anywhere between 6000-10,000 ads per day. Think about the number of times you saw an ad but could not remember the brand it was from and ended up making a purchase from the very first one you saw on the search engine eventually.
The problem of low brand recall is more common than ever.
So what can brands do other than run well-targeted ads and retargeting campaigns? Bring back the touch and feel of experiencing engagement with your brand!
This engaging experience can be created by sending handwritten notes for your eCommerce business.
In this extensive guide, we’ll talk about handwritten notes for eCommerce businesses. Starting from what handwritten notes are, why they have made a comeback, the benefits of sending handwritten notes to customers, and how you can get started - this guide is all you need!
Table of contents:
What are handwritten notes for eCommerce?
Why should you use handwritten notes for eCommerce?
How can businesses use handwritten notes for eCommerce?
Free handwritten note examples and templates for eCommerce businesses
Can eCommerce handwritten notes grow your business?
Getting started with eCommerce handwritten notes is easy with IgnitePOST
Make eCommerce handwritten notes your competitive advantage
Frequently asked questions about handwritten notes for eCommerce
What are handwritten notes for eCommerce?
Remember when we sent handwritten letters and cards to our friends and family for various occasions?
Well, handwritten notes for eCommerce are no different.
Instead of digitally printed cards, handwritten notes use the conventional pen and paper approach to personalize the note you’re sending by adding a human element.
As per Collins Dictionary, a handwritten note is a piece of writing that someone has written using a pen or pencil rather than by typing.
Why should you use handwritten notes for eCommerce?
With emails, social media, SMS, WhatsApp, and so many other channels, there’s no shortage in the number of ways in which you can connect with customers. From order confirmations to thank you messages, you probably have it all automated already - so why should you care about using eCommerce handwritten notes?
1. eCommerce handwritten notes are rare
Statistics have shown that handwritten notes are still not so common.
While every business uses digital channels to communicate with its customers, handwritten notes remain a rarity.
In times when mass promotion campaigns are so common, the rarity leads to handwritten notes feeling all the more valuable to a customer.
They are often kept as memorabilia. Think about the number of times you have pinned a note to your board simply because it had a sweet handwritten note or was designed well.
2. Mailed letters rarely go unnoticed
No matter what you do or how many purchases you make online, your inbox is filled with promotions - emails, SMS, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, you name it. Now think about the number of messages that are still unread, or you deleted without opening!
But when a letter gets delivered to your doorstep (even if it is a credit card bill), you don’t just toss it in the bin. You almost immediately open it - and if it is handwritten, you pay closer attention to what it is about.
We have found that eCommerce handwritten notes see almost a 99% open rate across all industries, much higher than any other traditional marketing channel.
3. Create a positive impression and brand recall
Science backs the fact that the unique, complex, spatial, and tactile information associated with handwritten notes on physical paper leads to improved memory.
Now, if you compare a printed note or email with a handwritten note - which one feels more heartfelt and authentic? The latter, for sure.
When the presentation is of utmost importance, eCommerce handwritten notes give your brand a chance to start a journey on a positive note, leading to a better overall impression and brand recall.
4. The extra effort shows customers you care
eCommerce handwritten notes (even if you’re using technology like IgnitePOST) indicate that you made an effort while communicating with customers. Be it a simple thank you note for placing an order or showing support, the personal touch a handwritten note delivers is irreplaceable.
Studies have shown that 88% of consumers want to engage with brands that go beyond the usual and set new standards to meet their expectations. This includes how they show care for consumers.
5. Automated handwritten notes are cost-effective
eCommerce handwritten notes are no longer difficult to send. With the help of solutions like IgnitePOST, it is now much simpler for brands to leverage technology and yet retain the essence of pen-paper notes at scale.
When you compare eCommerce handwritten notes' open rate to other channels, the high brand recall ensures the ROI is much higher! This makes handwritten notes a lot more cost-effective when the cost of customer acquisition on digital channels has gone up by 70-75%.
How can businesses use handwritten notes for eCommerce?
While there is no one set way of using eCommerce handwritten notes, businesses have explored this form of communication in various ways.
Some of the most popular and effective ways ecommerce companies use handwritten notes are:
1. Welcome new customers
If someone made their first purchase from your brand, it’s your time to shine. Use eCommerce handwritten notes to welcome these new customers to your community or ‘family.’ Establish a positive experience at the very beginning to ensure you don’t just become a one-time purchase website for them.
2. Thank your customers
Similarly, if you have a segment of customers who have made more than two purchases or continue to engage with your brand regularly, don’t forget to thank them. Send them a handwritten note to thank them for their support and trust in your brand.
3. Send exclusive deals, discounts, and perks
You can also use eCommerce handwritten notes to send exclusive deals, discounts, and offers to specific segments of your customer base. For example, reach out to your VIP customers with a handwritten message introducing them to a new perk like fast shipping, express delivery, or discounts.
4. Request product reviews and ratings
While you may already have automation for this, we recommend using eCommerce handwritten notes to request reviews and ratings. This is because when someone receives a handwritten note, it stimulates a positive emotion in them, which makes them more likely to leave a positive review as well!
5. Encourage user generated content
User-generated content is one of the best ways to promote your brand authentically. But to get consumers to share purchases is easier said than done - and it requires you to be spot on with your timing. So when you deliver an order, send over an eCommerce handwritten note alongside requesting unboxing videos or pictures.
6. Promote new products, collections, and sales
If you have an interesting new product, collection, or an upcoming sale launching soon, create a list of customers who have proven to buy from you often. Then use handwritten notes to notify them of the launch and inform them that they are the first to know. The sense of personalization and exclusivity makes this promotion feel a lot more personalized and less like mass marketing.
7. Promote your loyalty program
Almost every eCommerce business has a loyalty program set up. But when it comes to the participation rate of customers in these programs, the numbers are often low - sign-up and post-sign-up activity. Use handwritten notes to promote, welcome, and keep members engaged by reinforcing benefits or sending personalized perks.
8. Request more referrals
More than 92% of consumers trust recommendations from friends and family. But brands need to be more proactive at seeking referrals. By using handwritten notes, your eCommerce business can combine a thank you message and a quick referral request while the brand is still on top of the consumer’s mind.
9. Encourage pre-orders of popular products
Are you collaborating with influencers or celebrities to launch limited-edition products? Reach out to your high-value customers and promote them via handwritten notes seeking pre-orders. The personal touch and the fact that you're giving them a chance to get access to the products first makes them a lot more likely to participate.
10. Generate repeat sales
We see brands promoting discounts and store credits on order status and thank you pages. But what if we said sending over a handwritten note with the same is much more effective? You get to remind the consumer about your brand and, at the same time, encourage another purchase while they’re still positively engaged with you.
You can even send personalized product recommendations as a part of your handwritten note referring to their last purchase.
11. Win-back lapsed customers
If someone hasn’t made a purchase from you, or abandoned their cart and did not come back to make the purchase, send them a handwritten note to win them back. This note could be a simple reminder or you can include a discount code that makes completing the purchase more enticing for them.
12. Encourage extending subscriptions
If you offer subscriptions on your products, handwritten notes can be your best friends to prevent churn and cancellations.
For example, if the average time customers are subscribed to your services is 6 months, you can send them a handwritten note in month 5 with an offer or a discount on their next 3 months of subscription. This is a great way to instantly increase your revenue as well as reinforce the value your subscription has to offer. By getting people past the normal churn point, you're automatically increasing the overall customer lifetime value.
13. Cross-sell products and services
If you have a set of customers who normally purchase specific items together, send them a handwritten note. Apart from thanking them for the purchases, let them know you’re thinking of them and recommend specific products that match their needs, preferences or interests.
For example, if someone purchased an electric toothbrush from you, reach out to them and recommend the toothpaste that works best with their purchase.
14. Upsell products and services
Similarly, if a customer has made a specific product purchase, you can also recommend something that will upgrade their experience. For example, if they have purchased an electric toothbrush from you, you can upsell the customer a subscription for replaceable brush heads since you'll know it will complement their purchase. You can also use this as an opportunity to introduce them to sustainable purchase choices.
Free handwritten note examples and templates for eCommerce businesses
Handwritten notes are a great way to offer a personalized experience to your customers. It takes communication away from the noisy digital channels and brings it up, front and center, into a consumer’s hands.
So while we do recommend authentically experimenting with your messages, here are some handwritten note templates you can use:
1. Welcome new customers
Hey <name>,
Thank you for making your first purchase from us!
Our entire team has spent the last week packing your order with a lot of love and care, and we hope you like the purchase.
Welcome to the <brand name> family!
We’re so excited to be a part of your life.
<name>
2. Thank your customers
Hello <name>,
Thank you for being a part of the <brand name> family!
We just wanted to reach out and thank you for all your support and feedback.
It has helped us and the team grow, and make better products for you.
As a little thank you, we wanted to send you this special discount code for your next purchase: NAME25.
We hope you love our products. Please feel free to reach out to us for feedback and suggestions!
<name>
3. Invite loyalty program sign ups
Hey <name>,
Thank you for being one of our best customers!
Your continued support and purchases have helped our small brand grow in the toughest of times.
We just wanted to reach out and personally invite you to our loyalty program. By joining our program, you get access to special prices and perks!
Explore more by scanning the QR code on the front of this card!
<name>
4. Seek referrals
Hello <name>,
We’re just dropping this note to thank you for your recent purchase and product review.
We were wondering if you would be interested in recommending our brand to your friends and family?
All it needs is a little social media share with our tag @brandname.
Oh, and we have a very special discount for you on every referral too!
<name>
5. Promote new products and deals
Hey <name>,
Thank you for being our valued customer!
We’re launching a new collection of products in our store soon and wanted you to be the first to hear all about it.
In fact, here is a very special discount just for you: NAME25.
Be sure to check it out and feel free to reach out to us if you need any help!
<name>
6. Request reviews and user generated content
Hello <name>,
You bought <product name> from us a few weeks ago.
We just wanted to reach out with a little note to say thank you for your support!
We’d love to hear what you think about the product.
Would it be possible to drop us a little review by simply messaging +11111 from your favorite messaging app?
Thank you so much!
<name>
Looking for more handwritten note templates for your eCommerce business? Explore some of the best handwritten note examples here.
Can eCommerce handwritten notes grow your business?
Leading brands across all industries have been using handwritten notes extensively.
So we looked into the brands working with us to see how handwritten notes have helped their eCommerce business grow.
Pure Plates, an eCommerce business known for selling healthy food options online, wanted to keep its existing customers engaged.
But retaining happy, healthy customers takes more than just frequent messages across digital channels. So they decided to use eCommerce handwritten notes to keep their VIP customers happy and loyal.
What did this change in strategy result in?
- An astounding 68% response rate from the VIP customer campaign
- More than 11x ROI
But just how difficult was it for Pure Plates to run this campaign for VIP customers?
Getting started with handwritten notes for your eCommerce business is relatively easy now, but you need to have a strategy in place.
Getting started with eCommerce handwritten notes is easy with IgnitePOST
As we mentioned before, modern technology has made it much simpler for businesses to write handwritten notes for their customers.
IgnitePOST’s robots have the ability to not just create handwritten notes at scale but also customize and personalize the messages to reflect your brand’s tone of voice.
We recommend following these steps to ensure you get the maximum ROI out of handwritten notes:
1. Set a clear objective
Like any other marketing channel, we recommend setting a clear goal or objective. Be clear about what you want to achieve from these handwritten notes - boosting brand awareness, re-engaging inactive customers, getting more user-generated content on social media, or similar.
2. Segment your customer list
To optimize the budget for your handwritten notes, you need to send the right message to the right people. This is where segmenting your customer list based on their previous interactions, purchases, and preferences come into play. We recommend having at least three lists - first-time, loyal, and VIP customers- to start with.
3. Find the right technology
Next, you need to look for a solution to help you execute this campaign easily. This tool should not just be able to write handwritten notes at scale but also give you the ability to customize them to match your branding.
IgnitePOST is one of the leading solutions for eCommerce handwritten notes. Powered by the latest technology, industry research, and experience, IgnitePOST enables you to send handwritten notes that will make a positive impression while also boosting brand recall and loyalty over a period of time.
4. Customize your design
The next step is to finalize the design of your handwritten notes. You want the design to be simple, easy to read, and catchy enough for consumers to remember you!
We recommend that you use similar fonts and colors as your website and definitely add your logo to it.
In addition to customizing the messages in the cards, you should also fully customize the image on the front of the cards. This includes creating branded designs that contain logos, promotional codes, discount codes, scannable QR codes, website links, email addresses and other elements.
5. Choose your handwriting style
Solutions like IgnitePOST enable you to pick a handwriting style that best suits your brand and will be able to get your message across in an authentic way. We recommend choosing a style that feels as real as possible and is easy to read!
6. Craft your messages
Take into account the objective your eCommerce handwritten notes are meant to serve. Then focus on crafting messages that cater to them in the best way possible!
Keep your messages personalized, short, and easy to understand. Keep your vocabulary in sync with your branding and your customer’s ability to understand them. The simpler it is, the more human it feels.
For example, if a consumer has purchased a few products from your store, send them a handwritten note along with a scannable QR code on the front that they can use to browse through other suggestions based on what they have purchased.
7. Send out your handwritten notes!
Let IgnitePOST take care of it all.
Once you integrate IgnitePOST with your eCommerce platform, the handwritten notes created by our robots are automatically written, packed, and mailed to your customers - timeliness ensured!
8. Measure and optimize
Don’t just make handwritten notes another set-it-and-forget-it automation for your eCommerce business.
Remember to measure the success of your campaign. Take note of the number of handwritten messages sent and delivered and the site visitors and sales you achieve during that period of time.
This will help you optimize your next handwritten note campaign for better targeting and response.
Ready to make eCommerce handwritten notes your competitive advantage?
Every eCommerce business out there is putting its best foot forward on digital.
So why not do things differently?
Personalize how you communicate with customers and bring back the human touch to your messages with handwritten notes.
Get started with eCommerce handwritten notes using IgnitePOST today.
If you have a Shopify store, install the app to get started with handwritten notes for eCommerce.
Frequently asked questions about handwritten notes for eCommerce
1. How do you start sending handwriting notes?
If you’re a small business, you can manually start writing notes to customers. But as you scale, you will require using a solution that helps you write out these notes with the traditional pen and paper at scale. This is where leveraging robotics and automation can come in handy with solutions like IgnitePOST.
2. Are handwritten notes worth it?
With handwritten notes becoming much easier to create, the manual effort in writing them out is no longer as tedious. And when it comes to open rate, they deliver an average of 99% and a positive impression of your brand, giving customers something to hold on to. This is why handwritten notes are worth it.
3. Why should you send handwritten notes?
Due to the medium, handwritten notes feel much more personalized than automated communication on digital channels or typed and printed notes. Scientific research has found that handwritten notes are the perfect way to bring back human-to-human marketing, which results in higher brand recall.
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