No matter what business you’re in, one fact remains. To be a success you’ve got to not only attract customers but keep them coming back for more. This is something that all companies try to do, with varying results. If you’re trying to increase your sales, here are some quick ways to keep customers loyal to you.
If a customer is being rewarded for shopping with you, they’re more likely to come back rather than go to a competitor. There are a number of ways to do this, depending on what sort of product you sell. One popular way is with a punch card ticket, allowing a customer to get a free product for every ten or twelve they buy. This works really well with small everyday purchases and is most often utilized with food items. But it can work for other small purchases as well.
Another popular customer retention program is to offer a certain percentage off purchases after a particular dollar amount is met for the year. For example, once someone spends $100 in a calendar year, they’ve got a card that takes 10% off for the rest of the year.
After Service
How you treat a customer after the sale has already been made can go a long way to helping them decide whether or not they’ll be shopping with you again. This really does come down to just simple good customer service. If a customer has a question about your product, you should have several easy ways for them to get that question answered. This can be handled either in your stores, on your website, or through an easy to fine e-mail address.
Another thing to keep in mind is returns. There are a lot of reasons for returns, and how you handle them is important. This is a personal decision based on what you sell, but one thing is clear; if you accidentally sell a faulty product, it’s better to do more than less. Replace the product, give a coupon for next time, and apologize. Everyone has a slip up sometimes, and most customers will understand this. They’ll be a lot quicker to forgive if their return is handled with respect and care.
Follow Up Contacts
There is no end to what a good customer list can do. Get every customer on your contact list if you can, and send out a good, well thought out sales flyer. Include coupons, if possible.
One company that’s a great example of this is called JetPens. They sell stationary supplies from Japan online. Every customer who buys something on their site is added to a once a week mailing list. This mailer includes the top sellers for the week, new items to the website, and items that will be coming soon. They’ve also got a weekly contest. This is not sent out more than once a week, so it’s not enough to get on anyone’s nerves.
Give these steps a try, and you’ll turn one time shoppers into loyal customers.