Ecommerce businesses live or die by their ability to acquire new customers. But because there’s such a huge focus on customer acquisition, retaining customers can become an afterthought. This is a very costly mistake.
Customer acquisition costs a lot more than retaining customers not to mention the fact that existing customers are worth more to your brand.
Here are 3 ways you can keep customers and sell more product too!
1. Positive Reinforcement
It doesn’t matter what you’re selling customers want to know that they’re making the right decision by purchasing. They want to know they picked the right product and the right person to buy it from.
This is often times done before the purchase to encourage a prospect to purchase but most of the time it stops there, don’t. Continue giving your customers a reason to be happy they purchased from you.
Here are a few ways to do just that…
Testimonials
While it seems like a no brainer to use testimonials in the buying process, they’re often left out of the post buying process. Testimonials are the social proof customers crave to know they made a good decision.
Testimonials not only make customers feel good about their decision, they can also get customers hyped about receiving their order. The right testimonial can leave your customer counting the days until your product lands on their doorstep.
Exclusive Content
People love feeling special. Giving your customers special access to certain content can be a major bonus especially if it’s valuable and useful. If it’s something that pairs well with the product they just bought, even better.
For example, if you sell protein powder and give them a meal plan or recipe eBook for free to go with it, it’s not only valuable for them it also will show them how to get the most out of your product to keep them coming back for more.
Free Gifts
Surprising someone with a free gift that was unexpected can be just the thing that makes a customer buy from you again. One time I ordered meal prep containers off Amazon and the company threw in an extra one for free! I was so thrilled I recommended them to anyone who asked.
These bonus gifts should add to the experience and make sense with what you sell. Example, one time I purchased a pair of leggings online and they included a lollipop with my order. It was an odd choice and I didn’t understand why they had included it. It was more confusing than endearing.
2. Personalized Customer Service 
Like it or not, customer service is the real face of your company, even if it’s over the phone, chat or email. You can have the most eye catching graphic designs, the most powerful content, and the most magical social media but none of that will matter if your customer service sucks.
Customer service is how you interact with your customers and following through with your word. This means delivering their order correctly and on time. A bad fulfillment experience can make customers lose trust in you and you don’t often get a second chance.
In fact, according to Zendesk 35% of consumers stop doing business with a company after a SINGLE bad customer service experience and 16% reported posting negative comments or reviews. Keep in mind that 60% of consumers reported being influenced by comments about companies. So any bad reviews out there have the potential of coming back to haunt you.
On the other hand, 42% of customers tell their family and friends about a really exceptional experience.
Customer service can truly be a personalized experience if you give the training and freedom necessary. Zappos is the prime example of good customer service. In fact, Zappos has done such a good job of creating customer loyalty that 70% of sales are generated from repeat customers.
How much money could you be making if 70% of sales came from existing customers? Acquiring new customers would help to grow your business instead of just treading water. It would certainly take some of the pressure off of acquiring new customers.
3. Create a Community
Ecommerce companies are unique because they exist completely online. This creates a special opportunity for an online community. An online community, like a private Facebook group, gives your customers a way to connect and bond over your products.
It’s also a great space for you to communicate directly with you customers. It’s a great place to get feedback and ideas, answer questions, start discussions and find new testimonials.
A community like this can help customers feel closely connected to your company and like their voice is being heard. You can also offer them exclusive deals and insider tips. Cultivating a community isn’t necessarily easy but it gives you the chance to really turn customers into fans who are then likely to spread the word.
The Takeaway
Customer retention often gets overlooked because people are so concerned with customer acquisition but acquisition is only half of the equation (maybe even less!). With the right strategy and tactics, you can keep customers coming back over and over again.
We’ll help you meet expectations so that there will be room to delight! At Ship Central we get your customers orders out the door within 24 hours. With same- and next-day shipping options customers will get the kind of shipping and fulfillment they expect. When expectations are met then you have the chance to wow them!
If your orders are going out late or incomplete there’s little chance for you to leave a good first impression. Let us take care of fulfillment so you can focus on growing your business and making your customers happy!