Ecommerce has a reputation for being fickle, especially when it comes to customer loyalty. On the other hand there will always be something to lure your customers away on the internet. Someone will always have a lower price, a promise of the quickest shipping or a guarantee of satisfaction to threaten your reorder. Despite all those dangling carrots however, there is still opportunity for you to recapture additional sales after the initial order, even if you can’t ship as fast as the next retailer or can’t meet that rock bottom price your competition is touting. You have the advantage. You have earned a level of trust that a new retailer hasn’t yet established with them. It’s true your at an advantage and as long as you use it wisely, it will work better than you think.
1 previously successful order is all it takes and you have laid the most important groundwork for the customer/retailer relationship. By successful I mean, satisfied the customer with on-time shipment with what they ordered. If so, with just a little more effort on your part, you can wield reorders like a roper in a rodeo. While there are many methods for earning another order from your customers, you’ll want to choose one that best fits your ability to execute and is most appealing to your market. For example, offering a 10% discount for filling out a 15 page registration form isn’t going to capture anything but annoyance from your customers and may even cause lost sales when they leave your site, frustrated by your request. You will want to give them something worthwhile for their efforts. Tread carefully online by being respectful of your customers time and energy.
Capture Info and Turn Visitors into Customers
If you’re just starting out or if your pool of customers is small, you’ll need to capture initial sales before worrying about customer loyalty. In this case, you’ll want to devise an offer aimed at getting visitors on your website to register. It could be 10-20% off on their first order, free shipping on their first order, or any other lure that makes the time and effort spent filling out your form and buying something, worthwhile. Be sure the offer you create accomplishes the following 2 things: Encourages them to spend a specified amount and requires them to register online. Your offer might sound something like this:
Offer 1: Register Online Today and Get 20% Off Your First Order of $ 75.00 or more.
Offer 2: Register Online Today and Get Free Shipping on Your First Order of $75 or more.
You may want to set an order minimum on these offers, especially for offer 2, to deter orders that aren’t worth paying shipping costs on. It will also weed out the customers who aren’t serious buyers.
Create Tailored Email Marketing Campaigns From Order History
Requiring users to be logged in and registered when ordering from your online store, will provide you with enough insight to tailor your marketing campaigns accordingly. Additionally, with each order they place you stand to learn more about their shopping habits and interests. By finding all the individuals who ordered the camping cookware; you could then devise an email marketing campaign featuring other camp friendly items to encourage a second order. Additionally, you might offer a discount on that camping gear. Be sure to add an expiration date to your offer. This will spark action in your audience and further aid in capturing a re-order within a reasonable and worthwhile time frame.
Streamline Your Efforts For Consistent Delivery
By segmenting your customers into product groups based on their previous order you can begin to create appropriate offers for each one. Start by creating email blasts for each product group that you manage inventory for. Creating these in advance will allow you to streamline your marketing efforts and ultimately capture more sales. You’ll want to automate as much of this process as possible since time is of the essence. Each time a customer orders from a product group you will email the pre-made offer for that product group to encourage additional purchases. You should create a few offers that mix 2 or more product groups since customers may order from more than 1 product group on a single order.
Referral and Rewards Incentives
While the refer a friend program is not a new concept, it tends to be a better option for service providers whose goal is to gain new business. Setting up a rewards program may work better when managing inventory online and for obtaining reorders. By presenting your customers with a sales goal to reach and a reward for reaching it, you stand to gain additional sales from your existing customer base.
According to Social Triggers giving them a head start on the goal you set, is an effective tool for motivating them to take action. Be sure to set an offer expiration date to create urgency and further spark immediate interest in the program. This also ensures that your sales happen sooner.
Here are some examples:
Offer 1: Spend $300.00 by July 4th Online and Get 50% off Your Next Order of Equal or Lesser Value. Spend $100 by May 1 and get double rewards.
Offer 2: Refer a Friend and Your Next 1 Hour Service is On Us. (For Service Providers)
To keep your customers captive in these program types, be sure to update them on progress. Send weekly status updates that encourage and entice them to reach their goal. Including sale items or products that link back to your website is a great way to drive revisits and reorders. The more times they visit your website the likelier they are to make a purchase.
Success in any program you implement will ultimately depend on your ability to complete each sale that occurs as a result of your program. For instance, ensuring your inventory levels keep up with your demand, and are available for immediate purchase and delivery will be key in maintaining customer loyalty. Investing in inventory management software will help you maintain the right amount of inventory levels while making replenishment of low stock, a breeze. With Zenventory, you can even set up low stock alerts to help you stay on top of your inventory levels at all times.
