27. The Systems to Boost Lifetime Value, Co-founder at Rush

Kiril Kirilov is the co-founder of Rush, a Shopify app that automates the much-needed communications for e-commerce customers post-purchase. Instead of brands fielding endless customer inquiries on the shipment status, product sizing, and more, Rush integrates its state-of-the-art shipment tracking software into today’s consumer expectations to redefine online shopping.

Kiril joined this episode of E-Commerce with Coffee?! to talk about the post-purchase customer experience and how direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands today can build more meaningful connections. It’s all about personifying the values that built DTC brands up. Listen to the full episode for Kiril’s insights and tips.

What to listen for:

• Kiril surprises listeners right out of the gate with some fascinating personalia. Not only does he have a longstanding relationship with caffeine (with advice on when to consume it for the best absorption), but he also spoke of his semi-professional athletic career that preceded his co-founding of Rush.
• Once Kiril and Nate dive into the interview’s main topic, Kiril states that his purpose is not to sell Rush while he’s on the show; the philosophy behind Rush is, however, what he says frames his answer to all of Nate’s questions. The primary mission of the game-changing Shopify app is to use data, events, and triggers to enable merchants to communicate better post-purchase.
• Kiril then describes the missed opportunity that most brands suffer without purposeful post-purchase communications. It’s after a purchase that you have a vetted audience to interview and survey about their key pain points, he says, so that you can better communicate with other consumers like them. You also sustain excitement that way. Then, by the time your product arrives and customers open it, they’re already satisfied.
• “You’re not selling to robots, you’re selling to human beings,” Kiril reminds us. He says to consider offering added giveaways or freebies to customers right after the purchase to incentivize their participation in your surveys. It’s the 24-hour window immediately after a purchase when customers will give you the best information, he says, and with a giveaway, they’ll be more transparent.
• Survey your customers post-purchase to ask about their pain points. Ask what gets them to trust a brand, too. Truly fascinating insights have come out of these kinds of surveys; for example, the two most important things an e-commerce site must have to generate trust (according to customers) are: a phone number on the site and super-fast responses to email and SMS inquiries.
• Another bonus insight Kiril shares with us from post-purchase surveys is: apparently a non-specific arrival date (for example, “will arrive between 10 and 14 days”) is the principal cause of more than half of cart abandonment.
• “Omnichannel is the name of the game,” Kiril says of e-commerce. He says to find the one acquisition channel that works for you and regularly remind people across all channels why other customers showed interest in your brand.