All about
Many large retailers (Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy etc) sell protection plans and extended warranties on products. They may even be selling these warranties on your products, if they are listed on their marketplaces.
We all know the conflicting appeal of extended warranties: they mean an additional cost, but you feel better protected as a customer. Whether you are the type of person that always gets the extended warranty, or the type that never buys them, they are a product that is adopted worldwide by millions of people.
Extend gives merchants the opportunity to offer protection plans or warranties, which help extend the lifetime value (to the consumer) of your products. Happier customers means more referrals, more repeat purchases. Larger brands can access white labeled warranties, which they can brand as their own. Smaller brands will be offering Extend warranties – which lack their own branding but do hold a certain degree of additional “3rd party credibility” to the process.
When a user files a claim, Extend reviews the claim and if accepted, they purchase and issue a gift card to the customer. Depending on the capabilities of the store and/or the business process of the Merchant, Extend can either buy gift card codes directly, or credit the merchant on their monthly invoice. The customer can then use this gift card to repurchase the product from your store.
Extend is supporting a process that drives the consumer back to the merchant for claim fulfillment. For you, this just looks like another sale came in. The customer is happy as they are getting a replacement product. For Extend, this is the cost of doing business.
What’s a Rich Text element?
The rich text element allows you to create and format headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, images, and video all in one place instead of having to add and format them individually. Just double-click and easily create content.
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Static and dynamic content editing
A rich text element can be used with static or dynamic content. For static content, just drop it into any page and begin editing. For dynamic content, add a rich text field to any collection and then connect a rich text element to that field in the settings panel. Voila!
How to customize formatting for each rich text
Headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, figures, images, and figure captions can all be styled after a class is added to the rich text element using the "When inside of" nested selector system.
Other competitors in the space are essentially passing merchants rate card, creating a back and forth collaboration process to determine how to price warranties. Typically cart-triggered modals are automatically generated.
In contrast, the Extend modal offer is presented as a result of the consumer taking that specific call to action. They can also provide Design/CX Team members who will collaborate with the merchant to find a design pattern that enables the best consumer experience with modal offers.
It’s worth noting that Extend bears the financial risk to process claims. They underwrite their own program. This is particularly advantageous for providing unorthodox warranty coverage scenarios – for example, if you want to cover unique breakage problems of your product (cracks, spills, breaks, user errors, workmanship, etc.)
Extend’s users warranties have a 90+ Net Promoter Score( NPS), meaning that users who purchase warranties and have an issue are extremely happy with the service they receive. It’s not surprising, since 98% of claims are adjudicated in less than 90 seconds, through a quick and easy live chat process.
To make a claim, users click the link from their Extend email, talk to a virtual assistant chatbot, and within 90 seconds (yes, less than two minutes) they’ll know if their claim has been accepted.
10% of customers purchase warranty plans. Of those who buy a warranty, 4.5% of them become repeat purchasers and these warranty purchasers/repeat buyers incrementally increase store revenue by ~2%. That is 2% of pure profit.
All of this leads to a more positive customer experience (especially their experience concerning the product) which leads to happier customers, more referrals, and all the other benefits that come from delivering true value to your customers.
For a typical Shopify or Shopify Plus brand, you’ll start by signing a Master Services Agreement (MSA) which will take 2-3 weeks to get up and running. Extend will work on their end to map plans to products. If you’re willing to give their team collaborator access, they will get everything in place here. They will clone your current theme, make updates (safely, in essentially a sandbox environment,) send these over to you for approval, and then push the theme live when you give the green light.
If you prefer not to grant Extend access, you will need to give your developer some code to insert on product detail pages and cart pages. Their API makes it possible to get setup on any platform.
Obviously, you’ll need to be selling warrantable products (products that have a manufacturer warranty) in order for them to put an extended warranty on the product. These will typically include categories like:
- Animals & Pet Supplies: Aquarium Filters, Biometric Monitors, Pet Crates, etc
- Apparel & Accessories: Jewelry, Smart Watches, Sunglasses, Glasses, etc
- Arts & Entertainment: Sewing Machines, Electronic Instruments, Drum Kits, etc
- Cameras & Optics: Cameras, Webcams, Binoculars, Telescopes, Scopes etc
- Electronics: Arcade Equipment, Audio, Circuit Boards, Computers, Video, etc
- Furniture: Furniture Sets, Sofas, Office Furniture, Outdoor, Mattresses, etc
- Hardware: Building Materials, Accessories, Pumps, Heating, Ventilation, etc
- Health & Beauty: Monitors, CPAP, Health Wearables, Personal Care, etc
- Home & Garden: Business & Home Security, Decor, Rugs, Fireplaces, etc
- Luggage & Bags: Duffel Bags, Fanny Packs, Garment Bags, Accessories, etc
- Mature: Sex Toys, Combat Knives, Ammunition, Guns, Pepper Spray, etc
- Office Supplies: Office Equipment, Calculators, Label Makers, Typewriters, etc
- Sporting Goods: Connected Home Fitness, Water Sports, Camping, Cycling, etc
- Toys & Games: Board Games, Electronic Games, Drones, Robotic Toys, etc
- Vehicles & Parts: Vehicle Electronics, Vehicle Parts, Electrical Systems, etc
If you’re selling within these verticals, adding an extended warranty service is a no-brainer. It’s free, it makes you money and it improves your customer experience and retentions. What are you waiting for?
For other verticals with unwarrantable products such as cosmetics and food, Extend represents less of an opportunity. However, if you have one or two products that are different (like a ring light or heat tools) which could be warrantable, then using Extend for a smaller range (even a single product) is not a problem.