In this article we look at how to retain a customer and 5 effective techniques to increase the likelihood of a sale.
Each of us has our own trusted store: the one where we go to buy clothes, fruits or vegetables, household goods and so on.
Often, when we go to our favorite store to make a purchase, we don’t even mind the price because we know we can trust it.
“But have you ever wondered how the loyalty process came about? That is, how, from a simple customer, you became a regular?”
Maybe when you first walked in, you were greeted with great courtesy, or the staff helped you solve a long-standing problem, or maybe you were drawn in by the positivity conveyed by the place.
In short, there are many factors that can help you implement your customer retention strategy. Even in the online world it works exactly the same way.
How to retain a customer through customer experience
We start with a beautiful quote from Maya Angelou to explain why the customer experience, or customer experience, is fundamental to business and corporate strategy.
Customers may forget what you said or did, but they can never forget how you made them feel.
I am on the train on my way home after a long day at work.
Smartphone in hand, I am about to make an online purchase on a well-known e-commerce site.
I can’t wait to buy that beautiful pair of shoes I casually spotted a few days ago while browsing online.
I fill out the purchase form on the portal, meticulously entering all the required data.
I finally press “submit” to be able to proceed with the payment but the system comes up with an error message.
I try again once, twice, three times…but the error keeps recurring despite the apparent correctness of the data entered.
Spatiated, I decide to contact online support via “chat” to ask for help.
You never know, fatigue, heat and the uncomfortableness of the train crowded with people can play tricks, maybe I am doing something wrong.
The chat appears to be active but temporarily out of service; the auto responder message apologizes for the inconvenience and indicates to send an email to the specified address.
My train journey is about to turn a head, I’m finally almost home.
Retaining ecommerce customers
The enthusiasm and desire for my purchase practically evaporated within minutes.
Time for a short trip or less. I decide, in any case, to get to the bottom of the matter and contact support by email. My thought: who knows when they will respond?
Sure luck didn’t work in my favor but you know…out of every downside can come a great opportunity.
I bought the exact same model of shoes on another e-commerce site, their competitor, I was able to pay even less thanks to the special promo of the day! My purchase went through in the blink of an eye! In short, satisfied and refunded!
The email from the first Company contacted came after about ten days, offering me the opportunity to interact with them via a designated phone contact! Too late! My customer experience? Very bad!
What it means to build customer loyalty
The reality we live every day is just that. Imbued with interactions, online or at a point of sale, with Companies from whom we buy something, a product or a service.
Our first point of contact with the Company plays a crucial role, as it determines the success or failure of our purchase, and, consequently, the success or failure of the business of the Company to which we are addressing and, why not, entrusting.
A good customer experience is a key element in the success of any business. Do you agree?
Let’s take another practical example that shows how important the Customer experience is.
How much an experience can positively or negatively influence our views and consequently our choices of:
- Return to the same company/reality: customerretention (customer retention)
- Opting for a competitor company/reality: loss of customer.
Last weekend my friends and I were guests, on the occasion of a bachelorette party, at a well-known luxury agriturismo with spa, located in the Pavia area. Spectacular day and place, all sweetened by beautiful, warm sunshine.
A day with friends is always remembered with a smile but something undoubtedly disturbed the atmosphere.
Toilets, locker rooms, and showers were very bad, even considering the fact that one of us was pregnant…the discomfort was not indifferent.
Dinner booked well in advance, everything perfect.
Too bad about the distinct dislike of the waiter, not to mention the unprofessionalism…about ten girls, including the bride, sitting at the table…yes, they demand that they be poured at least the wine from the chosen bottle into their glass.
The bottle was served, uncorked, and abandoned on the table with extravagance and arrogance.
The bride-to-be did not receive a single compliment or ironic joke of context.
All very nice but when asked, “Would you recommend this place to anyone? The answer is obvious and results in an imperative no.“
Different, however, was the experience of our CEO, who was welcomed with clamor and enthusiasm at a well-known restaurant in the area , “Congratulations Mr. Cremonesi on your elegance.”
Think how cool it is to be greeted like this, the waiter literally broke through to his Customer’s heart.
Not only will our CEO return to that restaurant, perhaps in the company of new friends, but he or she is also motivated to do a good word-of-mouth referral to recommend the location to so many people.
Delve deeper into this topic at this link to do right by your possible Client you need to find out his purpose and undoing.
Customer Experience: the right strategy to win your Customers?
The Customer always at the center. The Customer experience, today, is still too often undervalued by several Companies who, unfortunately, place greater emphasis on products and services.
This is because in a winning business perspective there is an increasing focus on ensuring products and services of impeccable quality. Quite right, but excellent quality certainly cannot do without excellent customer care.
Why is this?
What is the true value of a Business, if not the Customer himself? It is the end Customer who is the buyer of our products and services and, therefore, it is he who ensures the success or failure of our Business.
It sounds trivial but a Customer who is satisfied with his shopping experience is a Customer who buys and, not only that, who will come back to buy from us and, most likely, will recommend our store and merchandise to acquaintances, friends, family members generating many more Business opportunities for us.
The customer experience, therefore, translates into the positive or negative experience that the Customer enacts when relating and interacting with our Company.
The purchase, nothing but the fruit of sensations and emotions felt by the Customer, combined with his practical and relational experience.
Customer experience, or customer experience, today, is a real business strategy, and it is no coincidence that we talk about customer experience management and customer journey management: strategy, processes, organization, communication channels, support, everything must be centered on the end Customer in order to make his or her shopping experience as positive as possible.
The first impression is the one that counts, the importance of the first contact between Company and Customer
The first contact between Company and Customer translates as the moment of truth. This is precisely the moment when the Customer has his first impression of the intercepted Brand.
Considering that we are in the world of Web 2.0, we know perfectly well that the points of contact between Company and Customer today are so many.
Reason why it is most important for every Company to take care of not only its image but also and especially all the communication channels, offline but especially online, that it uses to relate to its market.
From the website to social channels. Just think that purchasing behavior today is increasingly shifting from the point of sale to online. Important, then, for every company to evolve with a view to innovation and improvement.
The Customer demands, because he is now accustomed to it, quick, immediate, effective and, above all, made contacts in real time.
Retaining eCommerce customers: Why
If you are thinking of opening an online store, or if you are already an e-commerce owner, you should know that it is most important to retain your acquired customers.
“Users want attention, to feel important, to have the perception that they are special.”
Of course, doing lead generation and constantly seek out new customers is critical to increasing sales, but it is also very time-consuming and costly. Pampering customers who have already made one or more purchases is certainly as dutiful a practice as it is financially rewarding.
How to build customer loyalty: 5 effective techniques for your Marketing Strategy
Below, we will provide you with some techniques for retaining your customers online (if you have e-commerce) and offline, regardless of whether your business is a restaurant, bar, beauty salon, gym or other type of business.
1. Make your brand human
The first thing to do is to humanize your brand, making sure that the customer does not forget about you. Become “friends” with the consumer, perhaps by sending them birthday greetings or a little gift for Christmas.
Like Ticketone, you can send a greeting email personalizing it with a confidential coupon.
In addition, you can continue to entertain your customers with interesting news, anticipating what’s new, or even engaging them with surveys with the aim of knowing their tastes and making them feel involved in decision-making processes. We only recommend that you pay attention to the GDPR, which is the new European legislation related to privacy.
2. Differentiate yourself from the competition
To keep your customer from running away, you have to pamper them. Greeting cards and reserved discounts, of course, are not enough, and you need to add stronger levers that convince your buyers to remain loyal to your brand.
Any examples? Typically,
3. It enhances the opinion of your consumers
On Facebook, Twitter and even on Instagram Stories you can create polls for the purpose of taking an interest in your customers’ opinions.
“What is your favorite product? What would you like us to improve? Were you fully satisfied with your purchasing experience?”
These are just a few of the dozens of questions you could ask your fanbase.
Of course, our advice to you is not to stop at the answers but to accept constructive criticism and take it as a cue for improvement.
In this way, your consumers will realize that they really matter and have contributed to the betterment of your company.
4. Refine your social media presence
Being very active on your social channels is important to be present in your customer’s head.
After a purchase and unless you are Amazon, the customer is unlikely to remember at first glance.
That’s why you need to work on brand awareness including through social networks, with the sharing of targeted content, dynamic retargeting, loyalty programs and other tools that will allow you to increase your visibility.
These issues are probably already more complex than what we can call “ordinary” issues.
5. Activate an after-sales service
The mistake never to make is to disappear immediately after purchase. There are many companies that give unimpeachable support only in the pre or during the purchase, but the moment the customer has a problem they leave the customer completely abandoned.
To retain customers, you need to activate reliable and comprehensive customer service that goes through all stages of purchase.
Empowering your buyers to tell their problem, listening to them and knowing how to best advise them can set you far apart from your competition.
Are you ready to retain your customers?
In this article you have found some ideas, however, there are really many activities you can do such as:
- post-purchase customer service
- email marketing to potential customers
- fidelity cards and loyalty programs for your regular customers
By following our five simple tips you will succeed in making your consumers happy, enticing them to return to shop at your store, whether online or offline.
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