Most brands jump straight to tactics. They want email templates, flow diagrams, subject line formulas. Those things matter — but they only work if you know what's actually broken first.
This audit is designed for founders and marketing teams who want to diagnose their post-purchase experience before throwing resources at it. It takes about 20 minutes. Go through each question honestly. The answers will tell you exactly where to focus.
How to use this: Answer each question with a number from 1 to 5. 1 = we don't do this at all, 5 = we do this consistently and well. At the end, add up your score. The scale is at the bottom.
Question 1
What does a first-time customer receive from you in the 72 hours after their purchase?
Score yourself: 1 if it's just an order confirmation and shipping notification. 3 if you have a basic welcome sequence. 5 if you have a thoughtful, brand-forward post-purchase flow with product education built in.
Question 2
What's your repeat purchase rate within 90 days of a first order?
Score yourself: 1 if you don't know this number. 3 if you know it but it's below 15%. 5 if it's above 25% and you have a clear view of what's driving it.
Question 3
How does your support ticket volume change in the 2 weeks after a new customer's first purchase?
Score yourself: 1 if you're getting a spike of "where is my order" and product questions. 3 if tickets are manageable but you're answering the same questions repeatedly. 5 if post-purchase support tickets are minimal because your flows answer questions before customers ask them.
Question 4
Do you have a segment of customers who have purchased once and not returned in 60+ days, and are you actively running a win-back campaign for them?
Score yourself: 1 if you've never thought about this. 3 if you know who they are but aren't doing anything targeted. 5 if you have an automated win-back sequence running right now.
Question 5
Can you describe the emotional experience a customer has between the moment they buy and the moment the product arrives?
Score yourself: 1 if you've never mapped this. 3 if you have some sense of it but it's not reflected in your communications. 5 if you've deliberately designed this experience and your emails reflect it.
Question 6
What's your most-opened email to existing customers, and do you know why?
Score yourself: 1 if you don't know. 3 if you know the email but not what drives engagement. 5 if you have a clear hypothesis, you've tested it, and you're applying those insights to your other emails.
Question 7
If a customer hasn't opened your emails in 90 days, what happens?
Score yourself: 1 if they just stay on your list and keep getting newsletters. 3 if you reduce frequency but don't do anything targeted. 5 if you have an automated re-engagement sequence with clear suppression logic.
What your score means
7–14: You have significant gaps in your post-purchase experience. The good news is that the biggest opportunities are the easiest wins — starting with flows you likely don't have at all.
15–24: You have some foundations but you're leaving money on the table. Focus on deepening what's working and filling the gaps where you scored lowest.
25–30: You're ahead of most brands in your category. The work now is optimization — improving open rates, tightening copy, refining segments. Small improvements compound quickly at this stage.
31–35: Honestly? Email us. We'd love to know what you're doing.
Where to start
Most brands who run this audit find that questions 1 and 5 reveal the biggest gaps. The post-purchase window and the emotional design of the customer journey are almost always underdeveloped — even for brands with solid email programs overall.
Start there. Get the first 72 hours right before you worry about win-back campaigns and re-engagement sequences. The foundation matters more than the advanced tactics.
Want us to run this audit for your brand?
We do a full retention audit on every discovery call — free, no obligation. You'll walk away knowing exactly what to fix and in what order.
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