Simple Steps For Boosting Your Customer Retention Rate
Thursday, May 19, 2016Lauren Macdonald
Easy Ways to Increase Your Customer Retention Rate
We’ve already shared our tips on how to
keep your customers coming back by providing excellent customer service, but today we want to offer some suggestions on how you can go a step further when it comes to boosting your customer retention rates.
Package with care!
Our first suggestion is to ship products to your customers in packaging that is both durable and protective, as well as visually appealing. Your customers are highly unlikely to purchase from you again in the future if their product was damaged upon arrival. Also, having packaging that is nice looking and unique to your brand can give your business a more professional feel and keep your customers coming back for more!
Impress your customers with your delivery process
Customers that shop online are always looking for businesses’ with great delivery processes. If you can afford to offer free shipping, do it! You should also be sharing shipping status updates throughout the delivery period so that your customer is kept up to date on the location of their package and know when to expect its arrival. Some companies have even started to send text messages to their customers with updates on shipping status, including a notification once the product has been delivered, which is a great way to keep customers informed.
It’s also a good idea to offer fast delivery options on your website for customers that need their products quickly. Most customers will be willing to pay extra to have a product shipped within 1-2 business days if they are in urgent need of its arrival. Allowing your customers options when it comes to delivery times will impress them and increase the likelihood of them purchasing from you again in the future.
Make suggestions based on their shopping habits
When customers return to your website, present them with examples of products they may be interested in based on their previous purchases. Some businesses’ even send email notifications to previous buyers with other products that they may wish to consider. Little tricks like this can boost your customer retention rate and encourage past shoppers to purchase from you again.
Offer free and convenient returns
An easy and simple return process is especially important for online retailers because when people shop online they are not able to physically see the product they’re ordering until it arrives. If a customer has tried to return a product of yours in the past and had a difficult experience doing so, you will probably never see that customer purchasing from you again. That’s why it’s important to make sure that customers shopping on your website can easily return their products with no hassle or extra fees.
Reward your loyal customers!
Make sure you’re showing your repeat customers that you appreciate them and their business. There are several ways you can do this, including offering birthday discounts, implementing a rewards program, offering discounts once a certain amount has been spent, etc. Show your customers that they can benefit from repeat purchases and they will be much more likely to shop with you again!