Unlock the potential! Replenishment 

If your brand sells anything consumable, then replenishment reminders should be your best friend.

They’re the campaigns reminding you to stock up and re-order before you run out. And they can be used for so many products, from makeup and groceries to prescriptions and pet food.

In this blog post, we examine replenishment reminders. We explain why you should send them and how to do so correctly. We also review the brands that are using them well and inspire you to create your own.

Why set up replenishment reminders?

Replenishment reminders are no hassle. You can fire them out automatically with little ongoing management.

They give you a recurring revenue stream from repeat customers and offer a great customer experience at the same time. Who hasn’t felt annoyed when you’ve run out of something you really need?

Replenishment reminders keep customers loyal. They’re useful post-purchase reminders that nurture your ongoing relationship with previous buyers. Most importantly they’re a timely reminder that makes it easier and faster to buy from you than a competitor.

When should I send replenishment reminders?

There are no hard and fast rules for when to send replenishment reminders. Everyone consumes items at different rates.

Some old-school companies work out the average time between repeat orders. They then use this information to send a replenishment campaign just before the customer runs out.

Other brands get really sophisticated and base the timing of their reminders on individual customers’ buying habits. Most retailers base their sends on the average purchase cycle, to take advantage of the competition, you could get sophisticated with replen.it by dynamically and automatically calculating the replenishment durations for each user based on buying habits and use the average purchase cycle of each product for first time purchasers. 

But whatever you do, don’t leave it until the customer actually runs out. It’s best to send an reminders before they have a chance to browse competitors’ products.

And sometimes there’s no need to wait until they approach the end of their last purchase. For instance beauty buyers often switch products just because they get bored or fancy trying something new. My bathroom cabinet is a testament to that!

We find replenishment reminders work well if sent on the right time. 

How can I create replenishment reminders?

When it comes to designing a replenishment campaign, you may be limited by the marketing automation solutions due to their data models to dynamically calculate and analyze the replenishment durations.  

Then all you can do is to statically calculate and run journeys manually with your marketing automation solutions in a very primitive way, yet it’s quite powerful. 

With replen.it, you can easily empower your integrated marketing automation solutions to set up automated replenishment messages. 

What should replenishment reminders look like?

There are a few basic rules to follow when it comes to creating good replenishment reminders. 

Let’s take a look at a few brands that are putting these golden rules into practice.

Make them mobile-friendly

Most people will receive and read these reminders on the go, so you want to make it quick and easy to reorder from your smartphone.

We really like this example by Rockin’ Wellness. It uses clear calls to action, big images and buttons, and one-click ordering.

Replishment reminders Rockin Wellness

Be useful

By sending these reminders, you hope to make the customer’s life easier by reminding them of an expiry date.

Warby Parker reminds customers in a friendly and helpful way that their prescription expires soon.

Replenishment reminders Warby Parker

Lay off the hard sell

Remember, they’ve bought the product before, so they might not need an incentive for another purchase.

Replenishment reminders let you sell the convenience of ordering again without shopping around.

Graze does a great job of this with its reminders and creates a real rapport with a friendly and casual tone.

Replenishment reminders Graze

Create a sense of urgency

If you’ve got limited stock – or pretend you got-  of a relevant offer then tell them to top up before it’s too late.

We love this example by Lancome that uses urgency to prompt another purchase. It’s also a great example of how to group products together on a single replenishment reminders!

Replenishment reminders Lancome

What do I need to watch out for?

Creating replenishment reminders is pretty simple but we always warn our customers about a couple of pitfalls.

• Firstly, don’t send replenishment reminders to someone who’s complained about their previous purchase. If they’ve written a negative review or asked for a refund, it may look like you’re not listening.

• If a customer has bought lots of items in one transaction, think twice about sending individual replenishment reminders.

• Bombarding them with the same message is just annoying and a waste of time and resources. It might make sense to group the items on one replenishment reminders instead. Set your exit criteria of journeys. 

Part of the joy of sending these reminders is showing the customer that you know them and their habits. Without the right information, your replenishment reminders won’t have the impact they should.

How can I take my replenishment reminders further?

Once you’ve set up one replenishment reminder, there’s no reason to stop there. You can easily create a whole workflow of replenishment reminders.

The first replenishment reminders you send should be a simple reminder to restock. If the recipient doesn’t respond, send another. 

Once you know the customers who repeatedly purchase from you, a whole host of possibilities open up with replen.it 

Loyal shoppers might happily refer friends, so why not create a refer-a-friend campaign based on people who receive replenishment reminders? You can incentivize them with a gift or offer to sweeten the deal!

Takeaway

If you haven’t set up replenishment reminders, you’re missing a trick. They’re a great addition to your reminder strategy and form an important part of the customer journey.

Replenishment reminders are especially important to send to people who’ve only purchased once before.

 According to Adobe, customers who can be persuaded to purchase a second time are nine times more likely to purchase repeatedly.

Start your replenishment reminders with replen.it 

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