Understanding how to retain customers that you have spent money acquiring, is vital for any online business.
Attracting a new customer can cost five times as much as keeping an existing one, so companies need to pay as much attention to retention as they do to acquisition.
Of course, the fundamentals are important. Among other things, you need a great product,and you need the right kind of pricing (not necessarily the cheapest), and you need to offer an excellent customer experience.
As the stats above suggest, customer service is all important, but rewards for loyalty and personalized, relevant offers also work well.
Post-purchase emails
If a customer has just made their first purchase, this is a good time to follow up with a welcome email and some up and cross sell suggestions.
Birthday / event emails
Emails triggered by specific events, such as a customer’s birthday, abandoned checkouts etc can be a very effective retention tactic. Check out these stats from Email Marketing Reports.
Reminder emails
If a customer hasn’t made a purchase for a while, then a gentle nudge may be enough to tempt them back. It also helps to sweeten the email with a discount.
Reach out and Connect on Social Media and Post Often
Social media is all about building relationships and who’s better to build and cultivate relationships with than your customers?
People who have chosen to ‘like’ or ‘follow’ your company tend to ‘like’ or ‘follow’ your brand for a reason. Many times, these people can be your most loyal customers and brand ambassadors. They want to hear more about new products and promotions so it’s important to use these channels regularly to make sure your connecting with these people and drive them back to your store often
Surprise & Delight Your Customers
Depending on your niche, product mix and margins, sending a small gift to your best customers can be a great way to remind them to come back while adding the element of surprise and delight.
Giving an unexpected gift also plays to the law of reciprocity which refers to responding to a positive action with another positive action.
Use this to your advantage but sending your best customers small and unexpected gifts. It can be as simple as a digital gift certificate to your store, or you can take it a step further and send your customers something that lets them know you went the extra mile because they are important to you.
Get the packaging right
Ensure that the packaging has that ‘wow factor’ could ensure your customer feel’s your promise toward your products
Cross Sell – Offer accessories for previous purchase
This is a useful tactic for post-purchase emails. If customers have bought an iPad, why not offer them relevant accessories, covers etc?