Without your customers, your business won’t be around for very long. If you struggle with getting your customers to come back to your shop, you have to understand consumer behavior and what makes them want to come back, and this guide will explain that and how to turn random customers into loyal customers.
Your ideal customers are ones that keep coming back for more. This may seem obvious but, were you aware it’s five times more expensive to score a new customer in comparison to keeping an existing one?
Therefore, we believe that focusing on growing your fan base and creating a loyal following is one of the simplest ways of improving your business.
In light of this, we’re revealing our top info on consumer behavior and how to use this to your advantage.
Let’s dive on in!
1. Having a Good Reputation Is Key
It goes without saying: clients prefer businesses with a good reputation. We’re living in an age of Fair Trade, carbon-neutral companies, the living wage, etc., and quite rightly so.
Consumers love doing business with companies they trust. Unfortunately, it doesn’t take much to sully a businesses reputation–especially if you’re a startup.
We’re not talking about significant scandals (although obviously, they’re incredibly damaging to your reputation), instead, simple things like poor customer service or a disgruntled employee.
Scenarios like this can leave a bitter taste in the mouth of your customers.
The last thing you want is for a consumer of yours to have a bad experience and sound off about it all over the internet. This one simple action can tarnish a perfectly good reputation you’ve spent months building for yourself.
With that in mind, we recommend that you take active steps to build and maintain a good reputation both online and offline.
2. Be Nice to Your Customers
Okay, this one may seem patronizing, but bear with us.
Shopping is becoming increasingly digitalized, so if you want to compete, you need to find a way of connecting with your customers. A simple thank-you as clients leave your store, or an offer of help if they look confused can go a long way.
When people head over to a brick and mortar store, they’re usually after personal service, so be sure to give it to them. Offer loyalty cards, remember familiar faces, smile as a new customer enters the door, etc. You get the idea!
If you want to up the ante, show your appreciation by sending loyal customers a handwritten thank you note, alongside a discount on their next purchase. This is a sure-fire way of making your following feel valued!
3. Find out How Your Customers Found You
If you don’t know how customers came to find your business, then it’s way harder to try and get them back. Was it a flash sale? Was it your fabulous customer service? Is it your loyalty club?
Once you get to the bottom of what’s causing your customers to flock to you, then you’ll know how best to retain your fan base, and potentially attract new customers as well–win-win!
4. Get in Touch
If you have old customers who haven’t visited your store in a while, get in touch. Communication is vital, reach out and directly ask them what went wrong and how your business could put things right.
You could ask them to fill out a feedback form, and provide some kind of prize draw or discount offer as an incentive. Then, take their comments on board and show them you’ve taken action!
Or, if you have their email address or mobile phone number, you could let them know when you’re launching a new product, hosting a sale, or just keep them in the loop when you have valuable information to offer them.
Email marketing is a great way of building rapport with your customers!
6. Offer Different Payment Methods
If paying is a hassle for customers, it’s likely they won’t come back. You need to keep your finger on the pulse when it comes to offering up-to-date payment methods.
It’s vital the whole shopping experience is easy for your customer from start to finish, and this includes the payment process. We’re talking card payments, ApplePay, accepting more obscure credit cards like American Express, etc.
Top Tip: Keep an eye on all the latest trends, and do your best to stay ahead of the game. Read businesses magazines and subscribe to reputable blogs. This a great way of staying informed!
7. Hire the Right Employees
Your business is only as good as the talent you hire. This is especially true of sales staff. Having employees that are too pushy can be a major turn off for customers.
You need to hire people with a proven track record of providing excellent customer service, and with a friendly and approachable personality.
Then, once you’ve hired your salespeople, give them appropriate training on what your customers need and how to best to handle them.
Top Tip: When you’re reviewing their performance, our best advice to you is to highlight as many positives as possible. People are way more likely to respond to encouraging feedback than they are continual criticism.
For more information on how to produce and maintain a loyal following of customers, check out Conducta Consulting!
Did You Enjoy This Article on Consumer Behavior?
If you found this blog post on consumer behavior interesting, then we’re confident you’ll love the other features published on our small business blog.
Over there we discuss everything from why big data is essential for your business to tips on how to move your business forward without losing momentum. Enjoy!
Alternatively, if you have any question about this subject, please feel free to sign up for our forum. This a fabulous resource and we’d love to have you on board. Speak soon!
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