The Power of Post-Purchase Support and Customer Retention

Brands spend massive sums luring shoppers into that first purchase, but what happens after the product lands in their hands?  If your answer is “hope they figure it out,” you’re leaving customer retention up to chance.

Because here’s the truth: Even the simplest products—yes, even a lipstick—can require expert guidance to unlock their full potential. 

Let me set the scene...

Every product my aesthetician recommends, I buy. No questions asked. Foot mask? Bought it. Hand cream she swears by? It’s in my bag. Any serum, cream, patch, potion, or peel that promises to keep the wrinkles at bay? I’ve got two. Why? Because she is a quintessential expert. Years of study. Hands-on experience. A walking, talking encyclopedia of all things skincare. And most importantly? She only recommends what she’s actually tried and believes in. If “the proof is in the pudding”, then she is the whole dessert buffet. She’s in her late 40s but could pass for 32—easy. Whatever she’s doing, drinking, applying, or wearing —I want in.

So when she told me about a lip stain with staying power so strong she had to buy a special remover just to get it off at night, I listened. Four business days later, the lip stain was in my possession. I wasted no time. I ripped it open, slapped it on, and waited for the magic to happen.

But by the end of the day, I didn’t need a remover. Or even a cotton pad. It was gone. 

I was confused. This woman doesn’t miss. This was her first dud in a long line of holy grails.

When she texted me later, “So?? How did you like it? Stayed on all day, right??” I had to be honest. “Not so much.”

Her response? “Did you apply it correctly?”

Ah. There it is.

She then gave me a step-by-step application guide that involved at least four more steps than I’d taken—some exfoliating, some waiting, some blotting, some reapplying. I followed her instructions and boom that lip stain didn’t budge. And now I own it in three more shades.

What This Lipstick Fail Teaches Us About Customer Retention Strategies

Here’s what this has to do with your brand:

If you’re not giving customers expert guidance post-purchase, you’re letting loyalty slip right through your fingers. That lip stain brand nearly lost me, and not because the product didn’t work, but because I didn’t know how to make it work. Had my expert aesthetician not intervened, they’d be down one customer and the lifetime of sales that comes with it. 

And let’s be honest, not everyone has an aesthetician on speed dial. Which is exactly what The Desire Company is here for. We connect brands with real, credentialed experts—people who don’t just talk the talk, they’ve walked the aisles, tested the products, and know what actually works. When those experts share honest recommendations and “how to use it” demos, shoppers gain the confidence to buy—and the know-how to succeed.

And the good news? It’s easy to meet customers where they are.
A QR code on the packaging.
A “how to” text after checkout.
A follow-up email with expert-led tutorials.

So the question is: Who’s walking your customers through that first experience once they have made the purchase?Because if it’s no one, then the second purchase may never happen.

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About the Author: Judith Levey is the co-founder and COO of The Desire Company, the leading provider of expert-driven content for commerce. Previously, as Head of Global Brand PR at The Coca-Cola Company, she launched its first global influencer program. Her experiences with the program opened her eyes to the growing gap between real expertise and social influence, sparking her mission to bring authenticity back to commerce.