One of the goals of every entrepreneur is to have customers coming back to buy their products and services.
Customers who make repeat purchases do not only ensure a business owner makes sales, they also lower the costs of marketing to new or prospective customers. The only type of marketing required here is for any new product or service you have added to your offerings that you want your repeat customers to purchase.
Being able to achieve repeat customers is dependent on the ways you use to keep them coming back to you so that they don’t slide to your competitors.
Here are thirteen (13) ways you can turn one-time buyers into repeat buyers or loyal customers:
1. Make transactions effortless. A stressful transaction is a complete turn off for customers. Work with convenience and speed.
For instance, online clothing stores would tell a customer to expect an average delivery time of three working days. You can win repeat customers by delivering their orders quickly to beat that average time. You will become the go-to store when people want a dress, ASAP.
2. Offer discounts. Offering discounts for frequent purchases will help make you loyal customers. A 10% discount after the customer buys from you five times is an incentive to buy multiple items, and they’ll be encouraged to purchase items from you next time or in the nearest future.
3. Offer rewards for referrals. Here, you offer an incentive to your loyal customers when they refer your business to their friends, family or colleagues. The offer could be that their next purchase within a certain range of amount would be free for them or that they will get a 20% discount from any item they wish to purchase in future. This motivates customers to share your business with their friends and family.
4. Create an unboxing experience. Get creative in the way you package your products so that the unboxing experience is exciting for the customer. Packaging increases the perceived value of your brand, value of the product and lets your customers know you pay attention to details.
This is also a way to get reviews and testimonials on your website and social media platforms. You can tell the customer to make a 60 seconds video with their phone as they unbox.
5. Do not have a hellish return policy. Many buyers get scared of purchasing because they perceive the return policy as inflexible. Especially for first time customers, they don’t want a “what I ordered vs what I got” type of situation.
But if you have a flexible return policy, people will be encouraged to buy because they have nothing to lose. Use this knowledge to your benefit by implementing a good return policy to make people to buy from you over and over again.
6. Be in tune with special occasions. In today’s world of tech and softwares, it’s easy to keep track of your customer’s birthday, wedding anniversary, etc. You can send them a card, cake or gift. This shows that you care about them and that you have them in mind. It is important to take note of special days and use them to deepen your relationship with customers.
7. Send free samples. Send your customers free samples of your new products and ask for their feedback. This makes your customers know that you care about that thoughts and opinions in your business. It goes to show that their input matters.
8. Showcase testimonials. Study shows that about  90% of people trust recommendations from friends and family. It is easy to believe what others have tried because it’s proof that a product is good. Testimonials are a powerful way to win customer loyalty while cutting your marketing budget.
9. Follow up with customers. Focusing on repeat buyers is the best way to boost marketing by word-of-mouth without having to spend any extra money on marketing. Follow up with customers at least every month. Check to know how they are fairing with your product, how they are achieving their goals with the ebook they purchased from you, etc.
In case you sell products that a client is expected to replenish periodically, send them a quick message a few days to the time when what they bought is about to be depleted. If, for example, your sales tracking system tells you a certain customer buys body lotion every three months, remind them to replenish on the second week of the third month, just before what they have is used up. The person will gladly buy from you again.
10. Offer the best customer service. Be known for the best customer service experience in your niche. Adopt the mentality that customers are always right and even when they are wrong, respectfully communicate with them. Never treat them less because this could make or break your business.
Related:Â TRUE MEANING OF CUSTOMER SERVICE IN BUSINESS
11. Early access to your new products. When you’re about to drop a new creation, first share it with your existing customers, give them a chance to buy that product before it is available to everyone else. They feel that you care about them and that you’re giving them the opportunity to access your new product.
12. Check what your competitors are doing. In business, it costs less when you don’t reinvent the wheel. Study similar businesses offering similar products and services, check what didn’t work for them and what is now working for them. Learn from their failure and do better in your own business. Use them as an example for success and add your twist.
Conclusion
Repeat customers come with a lot of advantages, such as less cost of advertising to new customers, more refferals which lead to more customers and more sales, repeat customers contribute to your product reviews and testimonials, and more.
This shows that every effort invested in getting repeat customers pays back. Therefore, now is the time to design a model that will convert your customers into loyal customers or repeat buyers.
