Right, so you’ve made use of various marketing resources that have resulted in your online store acquiring new customers. The question is: how do you retain these customers? Many businesses focus on attracting new customers and completely forget about their existing customers. Maintaining a relationship with existing customers should be right up there on your priority list, alongside gaining new customers. It’s an ecommerce strategy that many people forget to utilise.

Why is it important to keep existing customers happy?

Once a person has crossed the important threshold of going from being a visitor to becoming a customer, this shows that they are interested in what you have to offer. At this point, you need to express that you value them as a customer and show them that your services extend beyond their wallet.

Here are some tips to help you achieve this important ecommerce strategy:

Stay in touch

After a sale, maintain a relationship with the customer and show them that they matter. Keep in touch with them and aim to create a trustworthy environment. However, be very aware of the difference between meaningful communication and spam.

Offer loyalty programmes

One of the better ways to do this would be to offer discounts or gifts. After their first purchase surprise them with some VIP treatment. As a result, this will not only show that you value them as a customer but will motivate them to buy more from your online store.

Make it easy for customers to reach you

Present easy, short ways for customers to reach you and make a point to respond promptly on social media. Effective after-sales customer service can really make or break your company.

Take care of your reputation

A company with good business ethics that is able to display trust and value to a customer is able to retain its’ reputation. This could also prove to be the deciding factor for a customer when choosing which online store to shop at.

Act on feedback

Customers want to know that you are there and able to provide feedback on any concerns or questions they have regarding your business or a particular product. Offer support and connect to your customers on a human level.

Provide the best customer experience possible

Ensure that the customer experience from start to finish is the best it can possibly be. Aspects such as an easy-to-use online store, customer service, follow up support and even store design can contribute to this.

Keep your customers up to date

Notify your customers about the latest specials, new products and services, or any kind of exciting news that could prove to be beneficial to your customer base. An easy way to execute this would be to have a customer newsletter.

Be upfront and honest

Being upfront and honest with customers is a great practice. You will witness a more rewarding experience as it paves the way for a trustworthy relationship.

Track customer’s behaviour

Analyse customer’s buying habits and activity. By doing this you can offer a more personalised shopping experience by prioritising products that they are interested in. Something to always consider is doing some analytics on your online store as a whole and making pages with the most clicks more visible.

Stay with the times

Customers get bored easily and constantly prowl the internet looking for something new and different. Stay with the times and evolve by making use of the latest technology changes.

The truth is it costs more to gain new customers than it does to retain an existing one. Having said that, don’t take customers for granted. Once they purchase a product or a service from you do not forget about them. Manage and maintain this relationship. This could prove itself as a useful ecommerce strategy to market your business, as word of mouth travels fast and could turn out to be one of the most effective ways to gain potential customers. Follow these tips and reap the benefits of having a healthier business, loyal customers and a substantial hike in sales.