Maintain momentum by converting visitors into loyal customers

Peak shopping season is almost here, and retailers are gearing up for what’s to come. From promoting Christmas-themed goodies to creating Halloween window displays, there’s plenty to get done before the busiest time of the year arrives.

It’s common knowledge that it costs a business less to retain its existing customers than to find new ones. However, many retailers find it challenging to maintain momentum and turn people from potential customers into loyal buyers. From social media engagement to remembering your consumers’ birthdays, there are plenty of steps that can be taken to convert visitors into loyal customers. In this article, we break down the steps to show how this can be achieved.

Engagement through social media

Social media is an extremely useful tool for engaging with customers and potential buyers. It can help you create an emotional connection with people, which has been proven to be a significant factor in achieving customer loyalty. A study carried out by Deloitte in 2019 suggested creating emotional connections with consumers has clear benefits to businesses. While many things have changed in the last couple of years, recent events are likely to have exacerbated this trend.

Being active on social media platforms also allows customers and people interested in your brand to get in touch with questions or feedback and receive a quicker response than if they had emailed or telephoned.

Web design and development agency, Statement, spoke to Jordan Bourchier-Lee, Partnership Manager at LoyaltyLion, who commented: “Our tip to maximise sales is to make sure that new customers are signing up to your newsletter, make sure they’re signing up to loyalty programmes, make sure they’re incentivised to follow you on Instagram and Facebook.”

Nurture email contacts

Maintaining consistent communication is vital when it comes to turning visitors into loyal customers. Ensure you send regular emails and newsletters but avoid bombarding people’s inboxes. One marketing email a week will suffice. Your email should contain content relevant to your contacts, so ensure you analyse the data you have first and optimise your messages to your audience.

Implementing a points-based loyalty programme can encourage your customer base to grow. It can increase the likelihood of in-store purchases and will have a positive effect on your online conversions. Customers are also more likely to continue buying from a brand that rewards them for their loyalty and makes them feel valued.

Acknowledge special occasions

Take note of your customers’ birthdays and send them a discount voucher or extra loyalty points in the week leading up to their special day. Customers will feel appreciated and valued if you acknowledge the important events in their lives each year, making them more likely to remain loyal to your brand.

Not only do birthday emails help nurture customer relationships, but they also often result in additional sales. For example, an offer of “£10 off your next purchase” encourages the customer to browse your website. They feel incentivised to spend a little more than usual, as they have a voucher to reduce the overall cost. The £10 discount won’t have a significant impact on your revenue, as it’s a small amount of money and your overall income will likely increase if many people who receive a voucher use it.

A marketing automation system will make it easy to keep a record of all your customers’ birthdays and can even be used to automatically send out discount emails to customers, meaning you’ll reap the benefits without adding much extra work to your to-do list.