During the busy holiday season your business is going to encounter first-time customers. The challenge is – how do you encourage these one-time visitors to come back and become repeat customers? The ability to tempt these seasonal shoppers back has eluded many a marketer over the years but there’s a number of small steps you can take to change that. After all, it’s a lot easier to hold on to an existing customer than find a completely new one.
While your focus is naturally going to be on increasing revenue and clinching more sales, this week’s blog is going to highlight the importance of also using the busy holiday period as a loyalty building exercise. Here are four tips to build customer loyalty during the holiday season.
Customer Service is Essential
It’s totally understandable that levels of customer service drop during a busy period. Sales are up, support requests need to be met, and you don’t have the time to respond to everyone. Simply put, you need to move beyond this way of thinking. Going the extra mile to ensure customers receive world class customer service will be remembered. Word of mouth is still one of the most powerful marketing tools available to a business owner. Consider adding dedicated support staff on a temporary basis. Not an option? Why not cross train existing employees to fill the gap? Make sure to place your customer service email/phone or contact details in a prominent position. When help is needed, customers shouldn’t have to dust off a magnifying glass to find the details.
Tailored Shopping Experiences
Did you know – 48% of businesses reported personalization of their website or app led to an increase in revenue of over 10%? As a mature marketplace, ecommerce can be tailored to provide an enhanced shopping experience for your customers. You can personalize recommendations based on purchase history, suggest products that are often bundled together, and even offer coupons to reward loyalty through repeat purchases. If you’re using the Shopify platform it’s easy to add this personalization without needing too much technical savvy. This blog by Shopify’s content team lists several ways you can introduce personalization to your business with minimal effort. Need help personalizing? GD Commerce can help you create a personalized, elegant shopping experience for your customers. Contact us and we’ll be happy to chat!
Morale is Key
At this time of year, it isn’t just you that’s feeling frazzled. Dealing with busy periods is one of the number one causes of stress and tiredness in employees. How can staff be expected to do more than the bare minimum when they’re rushing to fill gaps and respond to customer queries? There’s several ways you can tackle this problem:
- Hire Temporary Employees: If you know you’re going to be under pressure, and your budget allows, consider hiring temporary employees during the holiday rush. They can be assigned simple tasks that will help ease the burden on your team.
- Throw an end of year event: Show your staff you appreciate their efforts by laying on a holiday party. Alcohol at these events is optional (and something you’ll need to take leadership on) but a simple dinner or outing to show your gratitude will go a long way.
- Financial Incentives: Consider dishing out bonuses for exceeding targets over the holidays. It shows staff their efforts will help them achieve a tangible goal and can be a powerful motivator.
Take the Lead
While this may seem a cynical take, the success of Bell’s “Let’s Talk” campaign shows the power of philanthropy as a marketing tool. Consider aligning your business with philanthropic initiatives that will garner good publicity. Another way to approach this is to match employee contributions to a charity of their choice. While you don’t need to shout it from the rooftops, publishing this information on your website and social media will create a lasting good impression for you and your business. At worst, you’ve made a difference to a valuable cause at a time of year when giving is important.
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