7 Tactics to Gain More Return Customers

Why do you need to gain more return customers and 7 tactics to do it

The 80-20 marketing rule states that 80% of your revenue comes from 20% of your customers, which means that turning your current buyers into loyal customers is important. It is them that make your sales boost, because not only do they come back and purchase more, but they also recommend your site to other potential customers. In order to gain return customers, you have to give them reasons to come back.

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7 Tactics to Gain More Return Customers

• 1. Create loyalty programs
• 2. Personalize customer service
• 3. Be attentive to solving problems
• 4. Send engaging follow-up notifications
• 5. Use creative content
• 6. Build a reviews and ratings system
• 7. Survey your customers

1. Create loyalty programs

One way to retain customers is creating loyalty programs with special promotions. These rewards can persuade them to come back and motivate them to spend more. In fact, 78% of survey respondents tend to support brands that offer better loyalty programs, according to KPMG. The techniques vary from discounts, special gifts to point redeems. H&M, a Swedish brand, used a loyalty system where customers get points based on the amount that they spent, and after that, they can exchange those points for discounts or vouchers from partners. The brand does not offer any free gifts, as customers may never use those things.

Suggested tools: Milestone, Store Credit, Thank You Page, Free Gifts

2. Personalize customer service

Another tactic is to recognize customers by name as well as analyze their habits and behaviours for tailored deals and care. It is claimed by Oberlothat personalized emails have 50% higher chances to be opened, and HubSpot concluded that personalized call-to-actions can work 202% better than default ones. When it comes to customer service agents, Forbes showed that up to 86% of customers will return if they feel an emotional connection with the agent.

Suggested tool: Follow Up Email

3. Be attentive to solving problems

When customers complain about your products or services, it is important to be responsive and try your best to solve the problem. Do not ignore the complaints or take it easy, because if customers are not satisfied with the way you deal with the problem, they may leave you quickly and even spread bad reviews about you. Listen to your customers, be honest and solve the problem as quickly as you can. You may also offer them a voucher or a small gift to compensate for the bad experience.

Suggested tools: Freshdesk, LiveChat, Zendesk, Zoho Desk

4. Send engaging follow-up notifications

You should send customers not only new deals or product recommendations but also reminders to follow up what they are doing. Sending them exclusive offers may trigger their desire to purchase again. Suggesting relevant products or reminding them about their wish lists or restocked goods shows that you care about them personally and understand what they need. Or in other cases, especially beauty products, you can estimate using time and suggest them purchase again to restock. Airbnb, a travel application, has applied this tactic where it always reminds customers about their wishlists and attaches relevant offers of recently-browsed destinations.

Suggested tools: Abandoned Cart Email, Follow Up Email, SMS notification, Product Alerts

5. Use creative content

However, if you only send emails about products and promotions, you cannot differentiate yourself from the competitors and customers will easily get bored. So, invest more in creating useful content, for example, tips, news, or even funny emails so that they can be impressed enough to come back and may even share it on other platforms. Glossier, a beauty product brand, sent an email just to complement its customers: “You look good. That’s all.” This made customers smile and they actually share it all over the Internet. What a way to advertise your brand, isn’t it?

6. Build a reviews and ratings system

Customers will return to your store if they see high ratings and positive reviews. Hence, you should highlight reviews on your site and even include some in emails or your marketing campaigns. You should also encourage customers to come back and rate the products with extra benefits in exchange, for instance, free trials or store credits. Once they come back to the store, they will be likely to purchase more.

Suggested tools: Review Reminder, Better Product Reviews

7. Survey your customers

Knowing why they love you and why they leave will be a great help for future development as well as brand image. You can ask them to fill a short form to see what they think about your business and your products. In this way, you can have better insights and implement suitable strategies in the future. At the same time, your customers will have the feelings that their comments matter, and consider your brand having a better image.

Suggested tool: Custom Form

Final words

In short, you have to make sure that customer experience and customer satisfaction are always the top priorities. Treat your customers equally and take care of them throughout the purchase journey by following these 7 tactics will definitely help you gain more return customers.