6 working ways to build customer loyalty

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Experts advise on how to retain customers, customers and visitors.

1. Discounts and promotions

This is the first thing that comes to mind, but there are nuances here. The low cost of a product or service really looks attractive. However, thoughtless constant discounts can hurt your pocket, especially when it comes to a small company. To motivate old customers to come back again and again, you have to think about a strategy.

Here are some ideas.

Reusable promo codes and coupons

Let's say an online store issues a customer a promotional code for a discount, you can use it once. The client feels the benefit, places an order, and then remembers that he did not buy something he needed. It seems that he should, out of old memory, go to this site again and make another purchase, but in fact it may well go to competitors at this stage.

When our service activates a discount, demand grows by an average of 20%. But it is important to understand that fewer people will use a discount with a threshold of 3 thousand rubles than with a threshold of 1,000. This is logical: not everyone collects such a large basket. In February, we tested a new reusable promo code. The demand has grown by 25%. 15% of people who received their orders through a promo code applied it twice or three times over the weekend, that is, the discount encouraged them to make not one purchase, but two or three.

Dmitry Doroshenko Executive Director of the service for express delivery of goods from SaveTime stores

Combos

Two identical goods for the price of one are from another opera. A person will buy with a margin at a time and will not return soon. We are talking about sets of different goods, which are cheaper to buy together than separately.

Our practice has shown that the check begins to grow after combo actions. For example, coffee comes with a gift of juice or a second dish from cooking - a salad. This is how we increase the turnover for the period of the promotion and introduce people to the taste of the second product that we want to promote. And in the future, we have a prolonged effect of increased sales within two weeks.

Konstantin Pinigin is the owner of the chain of craft products "Zorka and Milka"

Rebate Discounts

Your goal is to get the customer back. This means that the discount should be provided not for the first, but for the second visit.

We tested a new strategy: we provide a 15% discount on the second purchase made within seven days after the first. We calculated how often our customers buy flowers and decided to motivate them to make an unplanned purchase. This discount system has proven to be extremely effective. A decent percentage of people return within a week to make a minor purchase, not for the holidays or as a gift, but simply for their home.

Ivan Utenkov, founder of the Tsvetochny Ryad federal chain of flower supermarkets

2. Loyalty programs

They tie the client to the company much more strongly than one-time discounts, because each new call brings him a benefit. This is what programs can be.

Referral systems

This strategy not only brings old customers back over and over again, but also brings in new ones. For example, you have a food delivery company. You assign a code to each customer in the form of a link, which he can share on his page in the social network. The more people follow his link and place an order, the more his discount will be. Accordingly, each client has a motivation to advertise the service and place new orders. In the end, everyone wins.

This scheme can also exist offline. It is often used by fitness clubs: bring a friend and get a discount on a subscription. So the strategy is suitable for different types of businesses.

Accumulative programs

Their meaning is as follows: the more often a client turns to you, the more profitable it is for him to do it. The most common are two types.

Bonuses and points

After each purchase or when spending a certain amount, the client receives bonuses or points, which he can use to pay in the future from you.

Sometimes this loyalty program is called cashback. But keep in mind that cashback is when you return real money that can be withdrawn. If this cannot be done, it is still a bonus program.

Our content marketing platform has been using cashback for several years. To receive it, the client must contribute a certain amount per month. For example, if he replenishes his account with 10 thousand dollars, 5% will be returned to his balance. And he will be able to spend these funds on posting publications on our platform. At the same time, loyalty also works for our business: after all, customers do not withdraw money from the service, but use it within the system.

Alexander Storozhuk co-founder of PRNEWS. IO

Accumulative discount

The more money the client gives you, the more discount they get.

Exclusive offers

You offer regular customers special conditions that a person from the street cannot claim.

Special offers work well, for example, only for loyalty card holders. It is often used in retail. For example, Aromatny Mir holds all Black Friday and Cyber Monday promotions only for holders of their loyalty cards. This is how they increase the number of cardholders and give them special bonuses, making great prices on goods part of an exclusive offer.

Pavel Kostin CEO of Exponea CDXP platform

3. Correct citizenship

Awareness and activism are in trend. And the solvent part of the population is ready to support ethical companies with a ruble.

Idea actions keep the client well. In test mode, we launched a discount for coffee buyers with their glasses. Within two months, the number of participating checks has tripled. Thus, we reduce the percentage of consumption of craft cups and form the loyalty of customers who are responsible for the environment.

Konstantin Pinigin is the owner of the chain of craft products "Zorka and Milka"

4. Gifts

It's always nice to receive a present. And in this way, you can not only gain visitor loyalty, but also solve other marketing problems. For example, to introduce a client to a new product or service.

To encourage you to try new things and come back to us for a purchase, we put a pack of coffee as a gift in all orders weighing 1, 2 kilograms. We know from the reviews on the product page that this move is in demand.

Ilya Savinov founder of the Internet-based coffee roasting company "Torrefacto"

Gifts can also be provided by your partners. For example, you are a travel agency and a client buys a tour from you. Together with the voucher, you give him a discount coupon for the purchase of sunscreens or suitcases.

5. Timely reminder

It would be naive to think that the client thinks about you all day long. He may just forget that he turned to you, even if he liked everything. You can refresh his memory by sending a letter or SMS.

But it's important to understand where the fine line lies between spam and useful mailings. The first generates hatred, and the second - gratitude. Think about this before bombarding a customer with reminders across all possible channels.

To return a client, you don't have to give him something. It is often enough to remind yourself at the right moment. For example, if you send a message to a customer about an abandoned cart, according to general statistics, 20% will return, another 20% of them will complete a purchase in the online store.

Pavel Kostin CEO of Exponea CDXP platform

6. Community building

Thanks to the Internet, almost every business has the opportunity to rally like-minded people into a loyal group of brands. For this, for example, a public on a social network is suitable, where clients will communicate and get useful information. Of course, this will not happen by itself, you have to invest in a content strategy. But it will help make your company more than just a supplier of goods or services to customers.

At a more advanced level, you can go offline. For example, fitness clubs organize competitions to identify the best and to reward them with gifts. Hobby shops organize workshops for adults and children. Companies that operate online can also use offline events to serve customers.

All our services (domains, hosting, servers) can be ordered online by the client, so an offline meeting with the company is a special and unusual format of interaction for the client. We choose IT events where potential and existing clients are likely to be. A meeting is an opportunity to get live feedback, sometimes to resolve a non-standard issue or talk about new products.

Azalia Maksimova event manager of the hosting provider and domain registrar REG. RU

Of course, all these life hacks work only with good service, quality goods and services. If this condition is not met, it is unlikely that the client will be able to return and retain.