I was toying with the idea of giving this article the title, “Personalize Every eCom Experience, Even Ebay.” It’s a rule that should probably be codified into eCom law, or at least a rule of thumb…  and it would have a pretty awesome acronym: “PEEEEE.”

But I didn’t title this article PEEEEE, because you don’t need another stupid acronym in your life. In fact, impersonal jargon is exactly the kind of thing eCommers should avoid.

Being personal is what you should be doing. In your weclome emails, thank you pages, and eCom transactions, we should strive to build relationships with our customers. To quote another eCom-ism, your customers could by a widget from anyone… they buy from you because they like you.

You can do this by adding a personal touch to your shipments. Even if you’re selling on Ebay, you can increase your chances of getting repeat business by droping a thank you card or coupon in the box before you tape it up.

It works just as well on Amazon, Etsy, or any other eCom platform you may use — especially your own eCom store.

As Danna Crawford of PracticalEcommerce explains, it’s almost offensive not to get some kind of personal acknowledgement in a package you paid money for. If you’ve purchased items on Ebay, you can probably identify with what she’s talking about.

I’ll take it a step further; I think you should take a chance and offer a discount or bonus. It’s really not much of a risk, right?

I recently ordered something from Target.com, and when it arrived, the only thing in the package (besides what I ordered) was a slip of paper encouraging me to download Target’s new shopping app…

Okay, I thought, is there really any benefit for me in this? Does this help make my life easier… not really.

A discount or free shipping coupon would have been WAY better… They could have turned one sale into an incentive to come back. What about a membership rewards program? A free cup of coffee? A dollar off one of their greasy pretzels at the snack bar?

Instead, I got an invitation to download a free app… no thanks.

Your deliveries are a chance to turn a sale into a customer. DON’T waste your chance.

For some amazing tips on how to build relationships with your eCom business, check out Ezra Firestone’s eCom tips!