Your e-commerce store offers a great product and everybody loves your services, but for some reason, you are having a hard time getting those customers to come back for more. You’ll see a spike in sales or traffic for a few days, then, all that attention dwindles down to almost nothing. Does this sound familiar? The issue here is customer loyalty or in more technical terms, customer retention.
So how do you create customer retention and keep those customers coming back for more? If the product and the services are top-notch, shouldn’t they just keep rolling in nonstop? In an entrepreneurial fantasy world, yes it should! However, in reality, unfortunately that’s just not enough to keep your customers excited about spending their hard earned cash on your product or services time and time again. Yes, you can gain new customers, but the probability of selling to new prospective customers is a lot lower than selling to existing customers. According to marketing research you have a 60-70% chance of converting an existing customer as opposed to a 5-20% chance with a new customer. With those odds, making efforts to retain your existing customers is well worth it.
To find out how to retain your customers, you must first know what is causing them to leave or at least not return as often as you’d like. If it isn’t the product or the service, then it just may be the consistency. I spoke a bit about consistency in my article “How to organize your e-commerce website”, but my reference to consistency here, is relative to your marketing efforts. Showing your customers that you care and reminding them that your product or service is the solution they seek, is an on-going effort. In order to do this, you have to build a relationship with your customers by listening, connecting, sharing, personalizing and rewarding.
No matter how good a job you feel you are doing, trust that there is always a difference in your opinion and the customer’s opinion. Customers will reach out to you with their concerns and inquiries. They also will share their opinions online. Not all feedback is negative and you can learn from both the negative and positive. What do you need to do more of and what do you need to do less of? Let the customer know that you hear them and that their opinions matter.
Connect with your customers through email and social media. This is the opportunity to share your expertise, ask questions and encourage customer interaction.
Share your story through blogs and video. Show the customer that you truly understand their need. Share real life experiences that your customers can relate to, and demonstrate how your product or service makes life easier. Encourage them to share and make them feel involved by highlighting the experience that they share on their social media.
Send personalized email messages and triggered emails. Let your customer know that they are not just another number but an individual. Send follow up emails on how to get started with a new purchase, check in to see if the product or service meets expectations, add their name to the message, or send a special discount code or invitation if they have not been active.
Reward your VIP customers with exclusive offers. These are your most profitable customers and deserve for you to show your appreciation. By doing so, you further increase their loyalty. Make them feel special!
The key to seeing success through these strategies, will be consistency. Yep, there’s that word again. Your customers need to know what to expect from you. When your customers know what to expect and when, you increase the chances of return. If my favorite store had a 50% off sale exclusive to VIP customers the second Friday of every month, you better believe I’ll find out how to become a VIP member and be online every second Friday of the month. Set a schedule for your strategies and stick to it! Remember, out of sight, out of mind. Consistency is the key!
Stephanie
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