What is the best way to create returning customers?
I have a quality product that customers enjoy, but I have no idea what I should be doing to prompt them to purchase more of my bags after the initial contact.
Right now I give out business cards to anyone who purchases a bag from me in person so that they can go to my website for e-commerce purchases, but aside from that, I have not done anything else. Please help!
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Apr 16, 2014
Thank you to everyone below who has given suggestions. I offer a consulting service. Because it is educational in nature it does not often lead to repeat business. Once clients are educated they don't need me any more. These suggestions are helpful. One thing that has helped me is that many of my clients refer me to others. Any suggestions on how to set up referral programs would also be very helpful.
Apr 16, 2014
In today's marketplace -- especially in your market -- competition is rampant and consumers have less disposable income. That's why I feel that everything centers around your brand.
Getting customer's to believe in your brand is paramount to offering them more products, styles, discounts or countless other marketing gimmicks. After all, do you care if your local grocer stocks more items on their shelves or offers you a coupon for something you don't need? No! In fact, that may only add to your frustration.
Customers don't become loyal clients until they believe in your brand. Once that happens, they not only become return buyers, but advocates for your brand.
It's the difference between shopping at your local discount store because it convenient and cheap, versus driving across the state line to buy a pricey dress from your favorite retailer because of how shopping there makes you feel. It may be something tangible… like the quality of their goods. Or it may something you can't quite put your finger on, but you know that you love it, trust it and believe in it.
So my advice to you is to settle who you are (Brand Values), what you do (You seem to have a good grasp on that), how you do it (That too), who you do it for (Figure out who your most loyal clients are and find out why they buy from you) and why you do it (Brand Purpose. Hint: It's not WHAT but WHY).
Apr 16, 2014
Provide an outstanding customer experience and let your customers know you care about them as individuals rather than just "making the sale."
The following presentation may give you some additional ideas as well:
http://www.slideshare.net/ctsmithiii/10-ways-to-enhance-customer-engagement-031514-32366255
Apr 16, 2014
What are you doing on social media and SEO? Does the site have a custom CMS? Are you involved in any conferences? Also I had a friend who was in the same, she got involved with a lady importing high quality shoes and jewellery and started throwing tea parties. Network network network
Apr 16, 2014
Ensure they have an exceptional initial purchase experience then thank them and follow up with them using a consistent stream of soft marketing messages.
We all invest so much time, money and energy into generating that first sale that we often forget that that is really just the beginning of the process. Continue to market to your first-time/one-time customers and they will become long-term sources of repeat and referral business: clients!
Best of luck, Frank
Apr 15, 2014
The best and the absolute best way to create return customers is to make your transaction an experience. Create an experience they will not forget. Make them laugh, make them cry and make them fall in love with you and who you are. If you can create a positive and emotional experience they will not forget you and they will have an emotional bind with you. The best way for them to recapture that feeling is by coming back to buy your product.
Apr 13, 2014
Work to do more than the customer expects, even if it is only a little thing. There is a primacy / recency thing that happens and people remember the very first and the very last parts of the connection. Do something that leaves that lasting memory (or unexpectedly followup after the sale).
Apr 12, 2014
Hi Carrie. I suggest you to :
- Give them voucher for next order when the customer buy your products
- Always ask and record for complete contact person your customers so you can contact them anytime you have a new models product, occasional discount or another program
- Send them private messages as a questioner about customer product satisfied, if they giving you good feedback, you can offer them for take next other
But if they give you bad feedback about your product, tell appologize and ask for the suggest from them, so you can repair and offering them again next time
The important point is, you must more active to pickup the ball, don't wait them go back to you..
Apr 12, 2014
The best possible way in which you can ensure that you have a customer returning to you after the initial purchase would be to offer something 'MORE'.
MORE is a very powerful word in business.
I would suggest you to introduce the BUDDY program, by virtue of this BUDDY program you offer your customers that they will get a bag free if they get 3 of their buddies to the store/on-line store to purchase a product. You give the customers a Unique ID via which they can be recognized.
In this way you can not only retain the customers but the sales will also increase.
Apr 11, 2014
That is a wonderful question.I am so glad to address this.I gone through your Website.It looks awesome.I have set of questions and suggestions
1.Is your site optimized?if so ,how many visits you are getting in a week on an avg?
2.you are promoting through Business cards,have you ever tried social media marketing?if so,what is the visit rates?
3.if someone is struggling with your products which one to choose?How will you address in real-time?
4.if one of you customers is looking for a help or she is struggling in your payment cart? How will you help her in Real time?
5.How will you provide offers or push notifications to your existing customers ?in real -time
Now,my suggestions
1.If your site is not yet optimized please start doing with an expert..it should focus target industries,target people,target geographies etc
2.If you didn't try social media marketing ,please work with an expert to give your requirements,I bet you, a proper social media marketing will fetch you more businesses
3.There are so many analytic tools available in the market.With an expert you go for a tool to understand your customer sentiments ,feed backs,customer behaviors etc
4.We recently developed a framework for eCommerce companies like yours.
This will help you to convert your visitors to your customers in real-time.
with this tool you can send customized offers,notifications to your customers and retain them forever.you can give superior customer experience to each individual who visits your site.
This is all in real-time.you will be guiding your visitors then and there through online .so you can easily convert as your customers
With this short note,I would like to understand your exact requirement and am glad to take this discussion further
Awaiting to discuss on this with each and every member of the team
Thanks
Karthik
Business consultant
Apr 11, 2014
Carrie, you focus on building a fantastic product. Differentiate. Make a bag that no one else has thought of making. New designs.
Leave the marketing to a marketing company that will manage your Facebook page, website, relationship with companies like Gifts.com etc..
Your energy should be spent on the product.
Apr 10, 2014
-BE DIFFERENT.. find window in customers mind.....give something that they can remember..it can be any thing like a weird product variety,a showpiece. normally it is related to food ,sex or danger.
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Apr 10, 2014
Alright Mrs. Dunham, it sounds like your in the right path. So correct me if I'm wrong, but the task you're trying to accomplish is creating loyal or repetitive clients... I too have come across this challenge, as a business owner of a wholesale/ retail online business.
I know that many friends and colleagues have advised you about using business cards and similar tools, to build recognition, which is good but not good enough. Therefore as a business you'll need to find alternative ways, such as -1- network with the client before handing out your cards; make sure to create a relationship with them (CPR) let the individual know that you're more than products & services. -2- don't be afraid to give them "perks", with everyone's first purchase, for example a 10% discount on their next visit. -3- have multiple social media networks for the business, and promote yourself and business in general. Finally, don't seam like a "push-over", customers don't like to be sold... in fact that's one of the biggest pet-peeves most clients have towards businesses.
Furthermore make sure you "sign" everything you do, brand building is critical for any business. Service; retail; etc. the brand [logo, name, etc.] of your business should be on your work [emails, letters, business cards, etc.].
I hope my advice has been help for you, and I hope to hear from you too.
Mr. Diaz, owner of Diaz World, visit my website for great organic products and more.
Apr 10, 2014
Hi Carry,
When they purchase your items, ask them if they would like
to be added to your email list for specials and new collections promotions.
That way, you can stay in touch with your clients, invite them
to special events, send them a thank you etc...
But make sure you don't do it too often, a thank you a day after the purchase,
once a month is a good time frame for new items and specials info.
Another way is discounts, everybody loves to save, so use promotion
codes that they can use to save at time of purchase. Put a date limit
to use the codes to create a sense of urgency on the specials, otherwise
customers tend to overlook and say they'll use it later...
A third one is social media, if you have a Facebook, Twitter page
to let them know to follow you or become a fan to say connected
and find out about what's new.
Hope that helps !
Apr 10, 2014
I agree with Dan that this is often an overlooked way to increase sales. Many small businesses focus on landing new clients and do little to nurture their existing clients. If you are not already doing so, the first step is to make sure you are capturing their email upon the sale, whether in person or online. This provides you with the contact necessary to sell to them again. I would consider investing in a good email marketing platform where you can segment your customers and then send out targeted emails. If someone bought a certain type of bag (say a handbag) and you have a new collection coming out, let them know. If another customer bought and ipad case, let them know about your Spring collection. The more targeted you can make your messaging, the more likely you are to land new sales. And I agree that sales, deals and referral programs are also great strategies. Good luck.
Apr 10, 2014
You have to create an experience unlike any other to build and maintain customer loyalty; your retail store through your e-commerce site, all must become seamless in your customers eyes. What I mean by seamless is, all interactions with your customers must be uniform across all mediums; cant do one thing in the store but another for the website. All employees must be bought into the mindset of ultimate customers experience; see the Ritz Carlton hotel for further examples.
Apr 10, 2014
Carrie , As you said its a quality product that customers enjoy, Well from your sentence I shall say that you have to increase your customers wish to buy ,How to do that . First by studying your products prices compare to the same products , Second, By making difference in between your products & the rest e.g making all colors available , making different styles so to make more choices for them , Third, use sales promotion so that to encourage them to return back & buy . believe me slight difference can make a lot with customers . thank u
Apr 10, 2014
Carrie,
There has been quite a bit of great advice already on this question as I read through them -- and good tips for sure. The key issue from our perspective is WHY do these things work? What is it in the human brain that triggers a decision to buy or become loyal as a customer?
This is where it gets interesting. The decision to buy (or become "loyal") is not make in the logical part of the brain (prefrontal cortex) where we hang out with our thoughts. It happens at a deeper place where emotion rules the roost.
There is only one empirically validated piece of research I know of on this topic. It was done by Gallup and they reached a remarkable conclusion -- the only way to "create" loyal customers is by building a relationship at an emotional level.
So as you read through the great ideas already presented, just remember the WHY. Features sell far fewer bags than the felt experience of owning/holding one. One way we've used in helping retailers is to help sales staff understand (be curious) about what need/desire the customer has around the product. Sell to the need, not the just features. Highlight features when they are aligned with the need. Works great!
Hi Carrie, I gave some tips and suggestions.If you need more information,I am glad to help you out.
you can reach me