On the Web: An E-Commerce Holiday Checklist, Part 2

Your order confirmation program should also be made up of a series of emails. If you're able to test your confirmation, try testing your standard thank-you email vs. an immediate customized thank-you letter that you can use to upsell anything the visitor should have purchased but didn't. It may take you a while to figure out this formula — i.e., what shoppers will want to add to their orders — but once you do it can add a whopping 15 percent to 30 percent to your average order value, depending on your order size. You'll also want to send out a shipping confirmation email, as well as "you have your order, now is the time to order more" and "please rate and review your purchase" emails. A lot of times companies use generic, written-by-IT emails for order confirmations. Order confirmations — and any other kind of thank-you emails — are great opportunities to sell more stuff. Use them wisely.