Ecommerce has transformed how we shop. We’ve gone from flipping through mail-order catalogs and browsing brick-and-mortar aisles to making purchases, tracking orders, and even requesting returns from the comfort of our couch. Convenience has never been greater.
For retailers, shipping directly to customers cuts costs, but it creates a new challenge: How do you build relationships with people you never meet in person?
Post-purchase moments, including order confirmation, delivery, unboxing, and follow-ups, are crucial opportunities to build trust and loyalty.
This guide explores how Bitly can help brands turn every one of those moments into a consistent, branded, and trackable experience that boosts engagement and increases ecommerce sales.
Note: The brands and examples discussed below were found during our online research for this article.
Why strong customer relationships drive ecommerce success
A strong customer relationship goes beyond simple courtesy. It directly impacts your bottom line. Loyal customers make higher-value orders, drive repeat purchases, and fuel word-of-mouth marketing that attracts new buyers without the high costs of acquisition.
Let’s look at exactly how much customer loyalty is worth to your brand.
Loyal customers have higher LTV and lower acquisition costs
It’s often said that acquiring customers costs five times as much as retaining them, but is that still true? While the exact figure is debated, the core principle holds: retaining loyal customers is more cost-effective than constantly chasing new ones.
Here’s what we do know:
- Customers who feel loyal to a brand tend to spend more.
- Ecommerce customer acquisition costs rose by 222% from 2013 to 2022.
It’s that simple. Loyal shoppers are worth more over time, while acquiring new customers is becoming increasingly expensive. Rising ad costs are a major reason—which makes loyal customers even more valuable, as they often drive organic, word-of-mouth growth.
If your goal is to maximize profits, it makes sense to invest in customer retention. Marketing tools like Bitly can help you:
- Maintain contact with customers throughout the purchase process and after delivery.
- Personalize content based on customers’ preferences and interests.
- Make it easier for customers to track orders and access support.
- Encourage word-of-mouth marketing from existing customers.
Trust and consistency make customers more likely to return
Only 34% of customers say that they trust most of the brands they use. For the few brands that they do trust, they’re more likely to buy products, advocate for the brand, and remain loyal.
So, how do you build trust with customers? It starts with showing up reliably, every time. When people trust a product, they expect it to perform the same way each time they buy it. That sense of dependability matters just as much in your marketing.
Bitly helps you deliver that dependable experience across touchpoints by letting you:
- Customize links so that they consistently represent your brand.
- Customize QR Code designs so that customers recognize them as genuine.
- Create a consistent experience across all the channels you use for sales and marketing campaigns.
- Monitor customer engagement to ensure that links and content are working as intended.
Great post-purchase experiences build long-term brand value
Supporting customers beyond the initial sale, through delivery, unboxing, setup, and feedback, can significantly improve customer satisfaction and loyalty. In fact, 93% of consumers say the post-purchase experience is important to them.
You can meet those expectations by:
- Sending confirmation emails, order updates, and follow-ups after delivery
- Using Bitly to share customized tracking links with real-time updates
- Creating personalized landing pages with Bitly Pages to deliver relevant information
- Monitoring which links get the most engagement to see what customers value most in the post-purchase experience
Common gaps in the ecommerce customer experience
Customers have made it clear how much they value the post-purchase experience, yet many ecommerce brands and retailers are still catching up. The good news is that this creates an opportunity to stand out from the competition.
Here are three of the most common issues you’ll need to address on your way to building an omnichannel, fully connected customer experience.
Generic or unbranded links in emails and SMS
Spam messages have surged since the COVID-19 pandemic, making customers more cautious about clicking unfamiliar links received through SMS, email, or mobile apps.
However, links are still the most efficient way to share order confirmations, delivery updates, and feedback requests. To build trust and confidence, you need to ensure customers can recognize and rely on the links you send.
Bitly gives you the power to fully customize every link through its URL shortener. You can edit the back half of the link to make it clear where it leads.
For example, replacing bit.ly/xyz123 with bit.ly/track-my-order.
If you have a paid Bitly account, you can also customize the domain name so the first part of the link comes directly from your branded website—like store.yourbrand.com instead of bit.ly. This helps customers immediately recognize the source of the link, increasing trust and reducing hesitation to click.
Inconsistent packaging, QR Codes, or digital experiences
Think back to the last time you bought something online. As you browsed the brand’s website or social media pages, you probably got a clear sense of their products, style, and customer base.
But chances are, there was a moment when the branding fell apart—maybe a generic payment portal, an outdated confirmation email, or a vague delivery update text that could have come from anyone.
Mismatched designs, off-brand landing pages, and unclear links can disrupt the connected customer journey. Each disconnect erodes trust and makes the experience feel less cohesive.
Fortunately, it’s an easy fix. You can use branded Bitly Codes and customized short links across email, SMS, and even ecommerce packaging. With a paid plan, you can also add your brand logo to each code, making it instantly recognizable and reinforcing trust at every touchpoint.
If you want to replace generic landing pages, Bitly Pages makes it easy to create personalized, branded destinations in minutes. Once you reintroduce your brand’s visuals, voice, and tone into those moments, you’ll deliver a smoother, more confident post-purchase experience.
Lack of visibility into which touchpoints are driving engagement
Many brands create links and share them with customers without any insight into what happens next. Is anyone clicking or tapping that link? Did they find the content useful? What did they do afterward?
Bitly provides valuable insights into how people interact with the links you share, from order confirmations to delivery updates, product guides, and social media profiles. You’ll see which links matter most to your audience and can improve customer touchpoints accordingly.
You can track metrics such as:
- Total number of scans and clicks
- Scans and clicks by campaign
- Referral source
- Location (city or country level)
You can also combine Bitly’s insights with other tools, such as Google Analytics, to deepen your understanding of conversion rates and customer behavior on different landing pages. This can help you identify which campaigns drive the strongest results and where customers might drop off.
How to use Bitly for branded ecommerce experiences: Pre- and post-purchase
Adding branded links to the customer journey is one of the easiest, fastest, and most effective ways to immerse customers in your brand and reinforce confidence in your messaging.
Here are six ways to use Bitly for branded ecommerce:
Use your custom domain to build trust with every link
Adding a custom domain name to your links replaces generic text with your brand’s web address, improving the customer experience in two important ways: trust and safety.
Custom domains strengthen trust by giving customers a consistent experience across every touchpoint—from product listings and payments to order confirmations and delivery tracking—all under your recognizable brand domain.
Then there’s safety. Generic domains can make customers hesitant to click, even if the link is legitimate. Plus, when customers get used to generic web addresses, they may become more vulnerable to spam or phishing attempts.
Create short links that match product lines or campaigns
You can customize both the domain name and the back half of your links. This lets you get specific about what a link does or where it leads.
For example, you might create short links that call out a particular product, action, or promotion:
- example.com/product
- example.com/customer-support
- example.com/summer-sale
- example.com/how-to-use
Customers may be more likely to trust descriptive links like these, as it tells them exactly what to expect from engaging with it.
Ensure all touchpoints (email, social, SMS) reinforce your brand
Customized links are only effective if you use them consistently across all your marketing efforts. That includes your website, email campaigns, social media platforms, SMS updates, product packaging, and even large-scale advertising like billboards.
Most ecommerce brands (even small businesses) generate a high volume of links. Bitly gives you the tools to manage those links at scale. You can add campaign names and tags to organize everything in the Bitly Connections Platform and keep your analytics streamlined.
Include branded links in order confirmation emails
Post-purchase is often the point in the user experience where branding gets overlooked. Make sure the links you share in confirmation emails still represent your brand. That includes tracking links, return forms, customer support portals, and even product guides or user manuals.
Customizing these links makes them safer and more trustworthy. And by using Bitly to create short links and QR Codes, you’ll also gain valuable data insights on how customers respond.
Use Bitly Pages to share FAQs, setup guides, or upsell offers
Bitly Pages lets you launch quick mobile landing pages without needing developer support or coding skills. You can customize the content with your brand colors, logo, and clear calls to action (CTAs), and even reuse landing pages for different campaigns by simply updating the details as needed.
For example, you could use Bitly Pages to create:
- A product user guide with a custom QR Code printed on product packaging
- A quick sign-up page for a loyalty program, with a short link included in order confirmation emails
- A cross-sell offer for product add-ons sent to customers after their order arrives
Customize links by product type, order size, or buyer profile
Bitly can help you personalize customer service and marketing by creating links tailored to specific audience segments or campaigns. You can tag each link to indicate which audience it’s meant for. Personalizing content at the link level means that you don’t have to worry about managing sensitive customer data or juggling too many audience segments.
For example, you could:
- Distinguish between new customers and loyal customers by tagging the same link with suffixes like /vip-discount and /new-customer-offer.
- Track engagement with post-purchase review requests by tagging the review link for different order types, such as /bulk-order or /single-item.
- Measure the response of different audience segments to a seasonal campaign by tagging the same landing page link with different personas.
Tips for enhancing unboxing experiences with Bitly Codes
When an ecommerce package reaches the customer, the journey isn’t over. Unboxing has become a crucial part of the customer experience. It’s a chance to promote your brand, earn positive reviews, and strengthen customer loyalty.
Add branded QR Codes to packaging inserts or product tags
QR Codes can make product packaging interactive. Use them to share product guides, links to review sites, or deliver brand experiences through augmented reality (AR) or social media. With Bitly, you can track how often your codes are scanned to see which content resonates best with your customers.
Link to loyalty programs, how-to videos, or warranty activation
Customers still need support once their order arrives. With the right links, you can automate more of the support process, meeting customer expectations while reducing pressure on your team. Use short links and QR Codes to share video tutorials, warranty activation pages, product registration, or loyalty program sign-up forms.
Use seasonal or promotional destinations that can be updated anytime
You can edit the destination of a Bitly Code without changing its design. That means you can update the content linked to your packaging without costly reprints. Dynamic QR Codes make it easy to share seasonal offers, limited-time promotions, or other time-sensitive updates while maintaining a consistent customer experience.
How to improve customer support with mobile-friendly links
Branded links can help streamline customer support, both behind the scenes and as part of the overall customer experience. Here are three ways to get started:
Add branded links in order updates, returns, or feedback forms
Ecommerce brands share many links throughout the fulfillment process. Swap out long, randomized URLs for customized short links with Bitly. They’re easier to remember and far more likely to inspire customer trust and action.
Link to Bitly Pages with dynamic content like tracking FAQs
Lighten your support team’s workload by creating and sharing content that addresses the most common customer needs. You can use Bitly Pages to build quick FAQ pages or explain return policies. When details change, you can update the landing page in minutes.
Reduce friction and bounce with recognizable, short links
Customers hesitate to tap unfamiliar links because they can’t trust where they’ll take them. When URLs aren’t clearly labeled, they can frustrate users who expected other content or mistake them for spam. Using recognizable, branded links can increase click-through rates and build confidence.
Can you use Bitly for ecommerce loyalty programs?
Loyalty programs represent the ultimate connected customer experience. Across product packaging, email, SMS, and mobile apps, loyalty members expect you to recognize and remember them every time they engage.
Here’s how Bitly can help you stay connected.
Use branded QR Codes to drive loyalty signups from product packaging
You can recruit customers into your loyalty program offline by adding QR Codes to product packaging, receipts, or delivery notes. With Bitly Codes, you can update the linked destination anytime. For example, directing customers who sign up during the holidays to a special seasonal reward page.
Add trackable links to loyalty perks or referral emails
To measure the impact of your loyalty program, use trackable Bitly Links for offers such as referral invitations, tier upgrade notifications, exclusive perks, or birthday rewards. These recognizable, customized short links are more likely to earn clicks and build trust with your audience.
Measure offer performance across channels and customer segments
Depending on your audience, some marketing channels will naturally be more effective than others. You might also see differences across customer segments. For example, lapsed customers could respond better to email, while active loyalty program members might engage more through SMS.
Use link tags to track which channels and segments drive the most clicks in the Bitly platform. Combined with other sources, such as Google Analytics, you’ll have all the data you need to supercharge your digital marketing strategy.
Monitor relationship-building with Bitly Analytics for more insights
Every short link and QR Code you create with Bitly appears in Bitly Analytics, giving you the data you need to optimize the ecommerce customer journey.
See which links or codes are clicked most by product or persona
Bitly shows the total number of clicks on each link, so you can quickly identify which content and referral sources drive the most engagement. Use link tags to break down performance even further and see what resonates for specific products or customer personas.
Use this insight to refine your campaign cadence and content
When customer engagement is low, it can feel like you’re just firing off messages into the void. Bitly’s link analytics ensure you’re never in the dark—you can always see how customers are responding.
Combined with other tools like landing page heatmaps or session tracking, you can use these insights to shape the customer experience so it’s tailored to your target audience.
Create stronger ecommerce connections with Bitly
Strong customer relationships don’t end at checkout. The most successful ecommerce brands keep customers engaged across every stage, from confirmation emails and unboxing to loyalty programs and ongoing support. Each touchpoint is a chance to reinforce your brand and build trust.
Bitly brings all of that into one platform. With Bitly Links, QR Codes, Pages, and Analytics, you can create branded, mobile-friendly content, share it consistently across channels, and measure what works in real time. It’s everything you need to support a smarter, more connected customer experience.
Ready to strengthen retention and drive more repeat purchases? Sign up today to see what Bitly can do for your ecommerce strategy.
