Consumables: when and how to make a repeat purchase reminder call
Sado AI team · · 4 min read
In short
Pet food, nappies, water filters and printer cartridges run out after a predictable time. Call the customer 3–5 days before the item runs out: call date = last purchase date + average usage period − 3–5 days. The call is short: what they bought, the question “running low?” and, if yes, the order taken right there. Call only people who have bought from you, and remove anyone who said “don’t call”. Measure what share of those who answered placed a repeat order.
Which products reminders work for
Products that run out at a steady pace. For example:
| Product | Usually runs out in |
|---|---|
| Dog or cat food, 2 kg | 4–6 weeks |
| Nappies, large pack | 3–4 weeks |
| Water filter cartridge | 3–6 months |
| Office printer cartridge | 2–3 months |
| Shampoo, face cream | 1–2 months |
These periods are only an example. Work out your own from sales history: the days between two purchases by the same customer.
How to work out the call date
Formula: call date = last purchase date + average usage period − 3–5 days. For example, a 2 kg bag of food was bought on 10 October and usually lasts 5 weeks: 10 October + 35 days = 14 November. Call four days earlier, on 10 November.
Five columns in Excel are enough: name, phone, product, last purchase date and call date. Each morning, pick out everyone whose call date is today.
Who you may call
- People who have bought from you: they know the store, and the call helps them.
- Remove any number that said “don’t call” from the list for good.
- No more than one reminder per customer a month (this limit is only an example; set your own).
- If the customer says “in two weeks”, set the next date from their words.
How the reminder call goes
- Greeting and reason: who is calling and what the customer bought.
- One question: “Running low? Shall we bring more?”
- If yes, take the order right there: size, address, time.
- If they still have some, agree when to call back.
- If they don’t need it, ask the reason once, politely, and don’t push.
Sado: Assalomu alaykum, this is Malika from the Panja pet store. Nodira, in early October you bought two kilos of food for Reks. Running low yet?
Caller: Oh, yes, nearly gone. I completely forgot.
Sado: Shall we bring the same one? The price hasn’t changed, 210 thousand.
Caller: Yes. Could I get the five-kilo bag this time?
Sado: Sure, five kilos is 480 thousand. Tomorrow evening, 18 to 21, does that suit you?
Caller: That suits me.
Sado: Done, it’s booked. We’ll remind you on time next time too. Thank you!
The store, prices and periods are only an example.
What to measure
The key number: what share of those who answered placed an order. For example, 200 customers called, 150 answered, 60 ordered on the call: 60 ÷ 150 = 40%. These numbers are only an example.
- How many said they still have some: lengthen their period.
- How many switched to another product or store, and why.
- How many said “don’t call”: if many, call less often.
Handing reminders to auto-calls
With AI outbound calls you upload the customers whose call date has come as an Excel file in the portal’s Auto-calls section, or connect a Google Sheet: the operator calls each new row by itself. You write a short brief for the operator: which product, what offer, how to take the order.
The operator talks with each customer live, in Uzbek or Russian, and takes the order. If they say “later”, it calls back at the time named. A number that says “don’t call” isn’t called again. Results download to Excel. How to prepare the list: calling a customer list from Excel. For stores: AI operator for online stores. Try it live or call 78 778 01 23.
Questions
Why a call rather than an SMS reminder?
Many people delete texts unread, and there’s no reply. On a call the order is taken at once, and any change of size or address comes up straight away.
How much does a reminder like this cost?
Sado charges only for talked minutes: 800 so‘m a minute. For example, 30 one-minute reminders a day: 30 × 800 = 24,000 so‘m. Unanswered numbers cost nothing.
What if the customer has stopped buying the product?
Ask the reason once, politely, and take them off the list. If the reason is price or quality, pass it to a manager.