Every e-merchant wants to make sales but savvy e-business owners understand the value of building lifelong customer relationships. Customer loyalty doesn’t happen overnight but by engaging in some of the best e-commerce practices, you can build a loyal customer base faster than you think.
Nurturing your customers and providing them with a personal shopping experience is key to keeping customers coming back. Today I’m going to cover the best ways to build customer loyalty for your online shop.
Good Customer Service is Essential
If you want customers to come back, you have to make things right when they go wrong. As they say, the customer is always right and your customer service is a major influence on their decision to return to your shop. Follow these 3 golden rules:
1. Make yourself completely accessible
Customers shouldn’t need to try too hard to find a way to contact you. There are unlimited opportunities to provide customer service. Whether you provide a contact form, live video or text chat, phone number or e-mail, your customers shouldn’t encounter any trouble when trying to reach customer service. The more communication outlets you offer, the more customers will trust you.
>>Not offering enough communication options? Take a look at these 3 modules in PrestaShop’s Official Marketplace: Video Desk, Live Chat and Olark.
2. Always provide a solution
Every customer matters. It’s important to maintain that philosophy in today’s social world where bad news can travel very quickly. Make sure your customer service department always provides unsatisfied customers with a satisfying solution. Whether it’s a discount on their next purchase or store credit, your customers are expecting you to meet their needs and not doing so could end up being more expensive for you.
The development team at PrestaShop understands the importance of customer service which is why your PrestaShop software allows you to manage your customer service in detail. Become familiar with these native features in your back office under Customers > Customer Service where you can see each customer’s order in detail, communicate directly with customers by messaging, manage customer service tasks amongst your staff and so much more!
3. Never ignore negative feedback
Ignoring an upset customer is probably the worst e-commerce practice. Customers who voice their discontent are likely to exercise their ability share it online. Show them you care, no matter the situation and do your best to meet their needs. If done correctly, the most displeased customers often turn into your greatest advocates.
>>Some good tips: Set Google alerts for your e-business and start using Social Media to Improve your Customer Service.
Reward Loyalty
Incentivize your customers to come back by rewarding them. This is the greatest way to thank your customers for being loyal and encourages them to keep coming back. Whether it’s a small discount or rewarding customers for liking your Facebook page, customers like feeling appreciated and every effort sets you apart from the competition.
>>Check out customer reward modules in PrestaShop’s Official Marketplace.
Stay Relevant
Your customers aren’t going to think of you unless you connect first. Communicate regularly to stay at the top of your customers’ minds and try to make yourself a valuable resource. You can do this by engaging them on social media with inventory updates or industry information that will interest them. Another good technique is using monthly newsletters to inform them about promotions or wish them a happy holiday. Make sure your communications are meaningful and not overwhelmingly salesy.
>>Find the best newsletter module for your PrestaShop store here.
Last but not least, something we usually forget... thank them! You can make them feel appreciated with a personalized thank you e-mail after they make a purchase or include a small gift in their package. You’ll be surprised how much the little things count!
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Want to take advantage of PrestaShop features but don’t have a PrestaShop store? Download it today and start building a solid loyal customer base.
