Is there a trick to attracting repeat customers to your e-commerce store? We think so, but it’s not really a ‘trick’, it is rather more of a ‘recipe’ that includes a large ingredient called 'hard work'. Selling a great, high-quality or beautiful product is not enough to win over a customer forever because competition is on! There are a fair number of competitive companies offering more or less what you are selling.
It is time to focus on building relationships with your customers, as relationships build trust and trust builds loyalty.
Try these three tips:
1. Take service to the next level
Service does not start and end with the physical transaction on an e-commerce site. It begins with the browsing experience and only ends a day or two after your customer has received their purchase. During this entire process, you need to make a lasting impression and build a relationship.
How?
- Ensure that your site is super-fast and reliable with excellent hosting.
- Make sure your product descriptions are informative and written with care, and make sure that there are ample clear images (even videos), so that your customers can really get a ‘feel’ for your products.
- Give your customers peace of mind with a “Secure” icon in your URL by means of a organisation-validated SSL certificate.
- Always thank your customers for their order.
- Package parcels with care.
- Advise them when the parcel has ‘left the building’.
- Contact them to enquire if they are happy with their purchase and the service.
While some aspects of service can certainly be automated to save time, do not lose sight of those that need that human touch. At the end of the day, software does not build relationships, people do!
Ask your customers what they would want from you, ie, convenience, value for money and quality – and do your best to listen and provide it!
2. Reward returning customers
While professional customer service is a great way to make an impression, it will take more than a once-off good experience to turn a customer into a repeat customer.
You can incentivise their return with coupon codes, or freebies, when they next purchase an item within a three-month window, for example. At the end of the day, the more time that can be spent interacting with a customer, the better the relationship and understanding of their preferences will be. This in turn allows you to strengthen the relationship and bring them back for repeat business.
3. Encourage buyers to opt-in to your mailing list
Customers who purchase goods from you but do so without opting-in to your mailing list are a missed opportunity and you will have to wait for another chance to ‘convert’ them. Consider encouraging them to create accounts during the checkout process as a way of being first in line for promotional offers. (NB tip: Make this process as simple as possible.)
E-mail marketing is highly effective as it can be specifically targeted. Make the most of the data you have and tailor future e-mail communication to products or services that a buyer would be interested in.
Good luck!
