Customers come and go and most of the time this process is intentional. But to strengthen a brand in the long run and to bring it into the conversation, is Customer Retention, in German Customer loyalty, essential.
Retain new customers with these 5 tips.
Why actually customer loyalty?
In the age of White Label Shops, more or less nameless retailers and huge platforms of anonymous merchants like Wish, the question arises as to the reason for Customer Retention.
If the customer first checks every new purchase on comparison portals and chooses the lowest price - do you then have any chance at all of attracting regular customers?
Unfortunately, the answer is not quite so simple. It also depends on the industry in which you are active with your company. Let's assume you run a store for handmade home decor. You sell most of your items online via your own web store, but your retail store also contributes about a third of your sales.
In this case, you rely on customers recommending your products to others. However, if you only run a mass production of decorative items at low prices, which are displayed on Wish, Ebay, Dawanda, Etsy and in decoration stores, you benefit from the fact that the platforms and stores for you ideal CRM with plans and ideas for the Customer loyalty operate.
In any case, they still exist, the classic regular customers. However, brand and customer loyalty work differently today than they did 20 years ago.
Source: https://www.saxoprint.de/b2bmanager/glossar/customer-retention/
Tip 1: Provide excellent customer service
Some things never change and service remains one of the most important factors of a functioning business. However, the competition is so high today that it is no longer enough to handle all business quickly and correctly.
Stand out from the crowd!
In modern retention, the regular customer expects more than the one-time buyer. However, all customers expect the promised quality and professionally correct CRM.
In concrete terms, this means that if your product is of high quality, it must be matched by fast, friendly service.
Customers of high-priced products expect you to accommodate them in payment options, shipping, or appointment booking. A response to customer questions takes longer than 24 hours? Send along a coupon code as an apology!
Offer transparent pricing. Chatbots are a great service for your website. However, you need to redirect to human support when the customer signals that their question is not understood.
Speaking of support: Your support must speak the national language of your customers. International support in English alone excludes the Asian region. Service centers all over the world are happy to offer you this service.
Tip 2: Take feedback seriously
Modern retention without a feedback system works, but it is already very outdated. Customers are used to awarding stars or points after placing an order. However, they also want to find a direct contact person who also accepts criticism. A customer who voices criticism, is taken seriously in the process, and is nevertheless received in a friendly and open manner, will come back.
Especially important for good customer retention: Process the feedback. Evaluate it, analyze weak points. Serious defects must be corrected immediately. Goods delivered defective are not a basis for negotiation, but must be taken back. Communicate problems openly internally and work on them.
Tip 3: Every customer is unique
Customers appreciate to buy exclusive products. Every clothing store knows the trick of displaying a few individual items and preferring to pick out the right size in the warehouse when asked. This only works to a limited extent online. That's why you should be careful with the Customer loyalty keep an eye on the customer himself.
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqsBlXml4ZQ
Have freebies and coupons ready to match orders and train your logistics center. A customer who orders gardening supplies multiple times will be happy to receive a packet of flower seeds. Did you sell a baby starter kit? Maybe you have small keychain plush toys on hand with company imprints that would go with it?
Make every order unique. Uniqueness begins with the individualization of the Email marketing through personal address and content oriented to purchases.
Tip 4: Accessibility
This retention tip is so simple that it seems shocking how few stores act on it. One in eight people in Germany lives with physical or cognitive disabilities. One in ten is considered severely disabled.
These 10 million people are interested in your service and products.
Responsive websites, multiple text output, alt labeling of graphics, and stores with voice output make your offering accessible. Implement accessibility from the start, or upgrade later.
Make sure your customer service doesn't insist on complicated verifications or phone callbacks either and can communicate with all customers!
Tip 5: Use your customer data wisely
Don't worry about the GDPR, you are allowed to use a lot of your collected data for internal analysis and statistics without any problems. This is important, because information about your customers' buying behavior, user habits, hardware, accessibility, place of residence and much more is worth its weight in gold.
They are evaluated anonymously via various analysis tools or by a professional. If you have always wondered why you are simply not reaching a group, or how customers actually get to your websites, you will find out via these evaluations.
If done correctly, you can retain customers for many years and keep creating incentives to learn about new offers and products.
Benefit from a solid customer base and take advantage of our Professional tips.
