When most eCommerce brands think about customers, they only include those who have purchased in the last few weeks or months. The truth is that your customers are really anyone who has ever purchased from your online store and could possibly buy again in the future.
This is why it is so important to emphasize the customer journey and be mindful of how your company is going to interact with them in the future. After all, it is much easier to sell to shoppers who have already had a positive experience with your brand, right?
But keeping them coming back for more is sometimes easier said than done. If you don’t know where to start, our CAKE team has you covered. Here are five customer delight strategies to increase brand loyalty.
1. Send Out Loyalty Coupons Regularly
Out of sight and out of mind is a terrible problem when you have an eCommerce brand. Instead, you want to try to get in front of your customers as often as possible.
This is where sending out loyalty coupons regularly makes a good strategy. Even if most shoppers don’t ever use these discounts, it gets your brand back on their radar.
So, how often should you send them? Have a plan to send one after a purchase or when a consumable item will likely be used up. You can also send these out for holidays or set periodic criteria as to when customers earn them.
2. Offer a Branded Gift with Every Order
Who doesn’t love a little swag now and then? We know we do! Help improve your overall customer experience by offering a small branded gift with every order.
Ideas include coffee mugs, note pads, pens, stickers, or even accessories that go with what they’ve added to their purchase. When purchasing these items in bulk, they really aren’t that cost-prohibitive. But a small gesture like this really goes a long way in terms of delighting customers.
3. Find Out What They Really Want
The real key to delighting your customers is knowing what they really, really want. To do this, consider sending out periodic surveys via email. In exchange for an honest response, you can offer a free item or a discount code.
In your survey questions, be sure to ask specific questions that you can use to create future marketing campaigns. The goal here is to discover their wants and needs and determine how they feel about your brand and how they use your product post-purchase.
In some cases, you might even be able to get user-generated content like testimonials for use in other digital marketing campaigns. In turn, this gives new customers the push necessary to make that initial purchase, too.
4. Provide Excellent Customer Support
As you probably already know, excellent customer support really is the backbone of a strong delight process. Most shoppers understand that things happen when their order is delayed, or there’s an issue with the product, but they want to know you have their back if there is a problem.
To do this, make sure you have a dedicated plan for handling customer interactions. Make it simple, quick, and provide value by offering them an apology token in some cases. By doing this, you’re showing shoppers that there is value in choosing you over the competitor and that they should continue to buy from only you.
5. Be Timely with Offers
A big part of the customer experience is understanding consumer behavior. Shoppers today want your brand to offer them items they need when they need them, which is why it really pays to have your finger on the pulse of your target market.
For example, June is a popular month for weddings. If your eCommerce store sells items that would make a good wedding or anniversary gift, make sure you’re sending out marketing material or reminders a few weeks in advance.
While this is just one small example, it proves the point that looking ahead to what your customers will be experiencing is crucial to giving them the experience they’re looking for.
Top Customer Delight Strategies
Did you notice a pattern that all five of these customer delight strategies follow? They’re all about making the customer feel appreciated while providing value.
And it doesn’t matter what your niche is. There are literally thousands of ways an eCommerce brand can continually go above and beyond to provide a stellar customer experience, which truly leads to loyalty and repeat purchases.
Are you struggling to improve your brand experience or need help bringing in more customers on a regular basis? Our CAKE team of eCommerce experts is here to help. Please get in touch with us today.
