How can you keep customers coming back?

One of the incentives that has kept me loyal to one of the brands is their surprise and delight scheme . . For example I receive seasonal Free gifts that is actually of a high quality product and trending for the season, as well as my birthday gift . . Tiered loyalty program is another way to get consumers to spend more . . the more they spend the more likely they’ll advance to a higher tier and will benefit from additional perks . .

Media, Contextual marketing, and dynamic remarketing are essential strategies for customer retention and e-commerce success. Let's explore three key points: 1. Utilize Google Ads' conversion-based customer lists to target existing customers effectively. For e.g. Turn on ‘Conversion-based Customer Lists’ This automatically creates a Customers List based on your (consented) converters. 2. Allocate a budget for dynamic remarketing to retarget previous visitors and boost conversion rates. Review your Marketing Mix Model and align. 3. Invest in a good CDP, that not only has unified customer views and intelligent lists but also a direct integration with Google to optimize budgets for maximum media profitability.

Creating a loyalty programme in my opinion isn't 'simple' as the above would suggest. In fact, it's rather complex. Loyalty programme creation and operation involves input from the leadership team and collaboration across finance, marketing, tech, operations, customer service teams and beyond. Offers and incentives can be rational AND emotional. When you meet your customers' needs, what do they think and how do they feel? Get this clarity, alignment and focus on your customer centric culture and you stand a great chance of increasing your KPI's.

Once you have a buyer and their data there is many ways to keep your brand top of mind so that they even remember to open your email or that they have rewards. Using paid ads that are targeted with specific rewards or special offers helps to remind customers of your brand. Upsells and cross selling is less expensive than new customer acquisition. But don’t sleep on referral programs and targeted ads that help your current customer see their own value as an early adopter of your product. As a business the greatest compliment is a referral. Customers also get an ego boost when they are the person using and recommending a great product or a new trend.

You should also consider that building trust is paramount in retaining customers. Apart from offering rewards and incentives, focus on delivering exceptional customer service, addressing concerns promptly, and staying transparent. Satisfied customers are more likely to become brand advocates, creating a virtuous cycle that keeps them returning and attracting new customers through positive word-of-mouth. Tip: Remember, investing in customer satisfaction and loyalty not only bolsters your bottom line but also cultivates a loyal community of advocates who can become your most valuable marketing asset.

Sam Altman sometime long back when he was at YC said the famous quote “ it’s better to build a product which few customers love than many who just like it “ You need to ask the question about what problem you are solving and how does my customer experience justify that solution to it It’s a fundamental tenet on how a certain function can drive intrinsic motivation to build a service layer which is scalable :) You do CX whether human or product led wrong , your product sucks You build agile human systems first and then empower them This is what built Intercom , this is what build great product companies with insane retention Hope it helps

Most e-commerce companies don’t do customer service post-purchase well at all. The key is to actually bond with your customers, a great way to do that is by calling them on the phone after they purchase to make sure they are happy with their order and they know how to use it if it’s a service. You can upsell your referral program at this time and the customers will be extremely surprised that you actually called them. I’ve actually implement of this before at a company and it worked really well. It can also eradicate fraudulent orders if that’s a concern.

Not forgetting about customers after the transaction is how you create a customer for life. AND it's not just about your interactions right after they purchase, it's how you engage with them throughout their ownership of the product. For low consideration items, its sending personalized recommendations based on their purchase history, its sharing personalized messages and engaging with them to showing that they are more than a transaction. For high consideration purchases, its understanding your product lifecycle well enough to know when the right times to engage with the consumer are. When they are in market to purchase again, you want to be top of mind.

Customer Concierge service after purchase especially for high priced items is important . . In particular for beauty . . I have seen one such service being offered in the form of email by a premium beauty company post purchase . . To highlight this service it is important to include it as part of the service trigger email after sales . . Psychologically this enhances the customer - brand relationship

In my experience, creating personal emotional connections has proven very effective. For example, we want to incentivize subscriptions, and we treat our subscribers like VIPs. Every customer who starts a subscription gets a personalized 20-30 second video from the founders. Customers are touched by the gesture, and it goes a long way in making them feel valued and in helping to build genuine connections. For customers who select a one-time purchase, we have an automated plain text email that conveys our appreciation in a more personal way.

Glossier, a beauty brand, heavily relies on content marketing. They started as a beauty blog, then transitioned into selling products. Their content feels genuine and resonates with their audience. Through engaging content, they’ve been able to foster a tight-knit community around their brand.

Crazy thought: do you really need a website? Could you use a LinkedIn Page instead? What can a dedicated website do that cannot be replicated more effectively on a social platform? While I recognize that such a radical model might not work for many companies, I wonder how much others could benefit from it, especially when focusing on social selling. I for one will give it a fair shot.

Small and medium-sized D2C brands sell their products directly to consumers.This means the website serves as the primary touchpoint for users to explore products,make purchases,and engage with the brand. Well-optimized and designed website ensures a seamless and enjoyable user experience,leading to higher customer satisfaction and conversion rates.It also conveys trust and credibility to potential customers. When customers feel confident in the website's security & usability, they are more likely to make purchases and become repeat buyers. SEO-friendly websites are likely to rank higher in search results, increasing traffic and visibility. D2C brands heavily rely on digital marketing and their online presence to reach their target audience.

This is one of my specialties, making a website more effective. Implementing conversion rate optimization strategies and tools is a great way to increase the overall conversion rate of the website and realize increased budgets. In fact, as I often say, there is no scale without website conversion rate optimization. A/B testing is also important, of the on-page elements to find out the best combination of page elements that lead to the most sales. Your conversion rate improvement is never done. It could always be better and more effective.

ASOS offers visual search on its app, allowing users to upload a photo and find similar products. This kind of innovation enhances user experience, making shopping seamless. Regularly audit your site to identify and fix any friction points in the user journey.

Segmentation and personalization can also be done on the basis of the reason behind customer churn - If a customer churned due to the product complexity (both perceived and real), personalized educational content can be curated and sent to them; if another churned due to the high prices, discounts or incentives can be used to lure them back.

Netflix is a prime example. Their recommendation engine personalizes the viewing experience by suggesting shows based on viewing history. Similarly, e-commerce stores can use purchase history, browsing behavior, and other data points to personalize the shopping experience, making product discovery easier and more relevant.

Capturing feedback is essential. Taking meaningful action and closing the loop is too. But what sets awesome brands apart from the others, is when they share with the customer what they're doing with the feedback. This helps customers feel like they're part of the brand story and on a smaller scale, that the time they took to give feedback was appreciated and valued.

Brands like Lego often involve their community in product development. They have platforms where fans can submit design ideas, and successful ones get manufactured. This makes customers feel involved and valued, fostering a sense of loyalty and belonging.

I think that another good way to please customers is by surprising them with extra service or value that they weren't expecting. This could be incredible packaging of a product, bonus products inside the package that werent even advertised, extra credit for a service based company, etc. Whenever you give someone unepxected positivity, its what sets you apart from competitors.

to me it is simple. think about how customers “feel” about doing business with you. it is about relationships, not transactions.

Repeat purchase rates and customer lifetime value are really important metrics in the world of e-commerce. To keep people returning ensure you deliver an effortless re-ordering experience, you have timely flows going out to either encourage replenishment, repurchase or an affiliated purchase and deliver 1st class service. Make the customer feel understood, important and valued. Take care of this and remove the barriers to friction and there’s no reason why your customers shouldn’t return.

Selling unique products on your own website offers a distinct advantage in customer engagement compared to other channels like Amazon. It allows you to create a personalized brand experience, tell your story, and showcase your products in a way that aligns with your vision. Direct communication with customers fosters a stronger connection and enables you to gather valuable feedback, tailor marketing efforts, and offer exclusive promotions. By maintaining control over your platform, you can enhance customer trust, showcase your brand's identity, and differentiate your offerings in a crowded market.

Don't underestimate the power of community. Building a community around your brand, where customers can share, engage, and feel a sense of belonging, can work wonders for retention. Whether it's through forums, social media groups, or exclusive events, providing a space for your customers to connect not only with the brand but also with each other can lead to higher engagement and loyalty. Brands like Lululemon, with their community yoga events, have tapped into this effectively.