Retail businesses don’t exist without customers, which is why it’s absolutely essential to monitor how people are interacting with your brand; their actions, and the insights you gain from them, are invaluable to future-proofing your business.
- Make customers feel special with personalised emails, and practice active listening. What are their concerns? Are they venting their frustrations elsewhere, and how can you tap in to those?
- Treat your customers’ concerns with respect. No question is too simple and no query is too hard to resolve. If you can show you care, customers will recommend you to others.
- Create a stellar shopping experience by going above and beyond what your competitors offer, and what your customers expect. Check out this recent blog post on just this topic.
- Ask for feedback by sending surveys or following up with a quick email. People love giving their opinion, and they love being asked for it. Just make sure any survey you send is short, to-the-point and has the right questions. Bonus tip: you can even feature customer reviews in your emails and/or on social media to build brand authenticity and trust.
- Create content that is genuinely helpful because not everything you send to your mailing list should be transactional. Customers want to feel like a part of your community, so sending them tips and information will make them feel genuinely valued.
- Be visible! Even if you are shy, make sure your customers see you. If you have a store, take the time to chat to all visitors; if you are an online-based business, be sure to record short videos and audios so that your customers can see the real face behind the brand. This builds trust and authenticity; whatever you do, make it easy for your customers to interact with you.
- Be creative with how and where you interact with your customers. Are they active in forums? Do you sell the sort of product that might benefit from a short workshop? Could you facilitate a Q&A call? The more you interact with your customers, the more memorable you will be.
- Say thank you. In a world where every brand is shouting to be heard, it’s the quiet gestures that become most memorable. Send a free gift with an order, email a voucher code for filling out a feedback form, or give loyal customers advance previews of new launches.
- Turn your loyal and repeat customers in to products testers by asking them to trial new lines. People love being first, and they always want their ideas to be seen, heard and implemented.
- Create a special experience for your loyal customers by launching a loyalty scheme or membership, or send them a voucher on their birthday. Show them it pays to shop with you.
If you try any of these strategies, be sure to track how successful they are so that you can narrow your focus and put your efforts where they make the most impact.