The holiday season is the most anticipated event of the year for most retailers and a great opportunity to engage with first-time shoppers. But while a lot of newcomers may enter the store in that period, they might not be loyal customers just yet. We gathered a few tips and strategies to help turn your new shoppers into loyal clients. While these tips are relevant all year-round, the post-holiday period is the best time to implement these strategies, because it is an opportunity to reach-out and create a relationship with the new shoppers that came during the holiday period.
Creating a relationship post-sale
Studies show that behavior-based personalized emails can significantly enhance sales, with retail and e-commerce brands reporting a 59.12x increase in conversions when such emails are used. Personalization, especially when tied to customer behavior, is key to improving engagement and retention, according to Campaign Monitor.
What we suggest:
Using an omnichannel software to track customer interactions and buying behaviors to allow you to send targeted and personalized emails can help you maintain the relationship by allowing you to send content your clients are most likely to find relevant.
Knowing our customers becomes critical as we enter what we could call a Netflix-ization era. One-size does not fit all, and shoppers are becoming more sensitive than ever to what they are being offered. By allowing them to show you what they like and want, creating a lasting impression becomes easier and the way we can engage with them becomes more relevant.
How to personalize email communications strategically:
- Create customer profiles
Gathering data on our shoppers is the very first step to understanding their customer habits, allowing us to recommend relevant products that they are more likely to engage with.
- Plan communications ahead of time
When it comes to building lasting relationships with clients, the 2-2-2 (or sometimes 3-3-3) technique has proven to be very effective in the retail industry.
What is the 2-2-2 strategy?
The 2-2-2 strategy in retail communication is a method designed to maintain consistent, personalized follow-ups with customers after a sale or interaction. This strategy is commonly used in sales and retail to nurture customer relationships and enhance loyalty and has been proven very successful within our client base.
2 days after the sale
Send a thank you communication two days after the initial purchase and offer assistance if needed.
2 weeks after the sale
Follow up to check if the product is meeting their expectations and suggest complementary products to the client based on their initial purchase or recent data.
2 months after the sale
Reconnect with the customer and provide them with updates on new arrivals, promotions or your new loyalty programs.
Encouraging shoppers to come in-store
In the past few years, we have seen a comeback of the in-store experience gaining traction again. In-store interactions with sales representatives remains a great way to engage, get feedback from customers and give them valuable product suggestions. Here are a few ideas on how to get more traffic in-store after the holiday season is over:
Gift cards
Your loyal customers might have given gift cards to potential new shoppers that had never entered the store before, during the holidays. It is an excellent opportunity for retailers to encourage those new prospects to visit their store or Ecommerce website for the first time by extending the sales period or adding an extra perk when using a gift card.
Another perk of using gift cards in your client retention strategy, is that shoppers tend to spend more than the amount on the card, allowing you to upsell and create more opportunities for product discovery. According to research by Fiserv, 72% of gift card recipients spend more than the value of their card.
Appointments
Whether you specialize in beauty products, high-end clothing or furniture, offering your shoppers the ability to take an appointment with a specialist is often critical in creating a strong relationship with customers.
What we recommend:
Adding an appointment widget to your website will allow you to automate the process of taking appointments and will give you the ability to create a customer profile at the same moment if you choose to use an omnichannel clienteling solution such as Salesfloor. It will save you time and make it easier for you to track their shopping behaviours in the future.
Taking online appointments can help you secure a visit in-store, but in the case your shoppers cannot come, Salesfloor can allow them to chat virtually with an in-store sales representative or video call them to make product suggestions.
In conclusion
In the end, what will make any retailer successful is their clients’ loyalty. Customer acquisition costs are high, especially in retail and e-commerce. Your best selling tools become your loyal customers, because they will recommend your store to their friends and colleagues as well as spend up to 3 times the average basket compared to a first-time newcomer. We hope these tips will help you turn your new shoppers into loyal customers.
How Salesfloor can help you with your client retention strategy
Salesfloor is an Omnichannel Clienteling software that allows retailers to engage with their customers in-store and online. By creating more interactions with their brands, Salesfloor allows retailers to drive more customer loyalty and a higher average basket size. If you are interested to learn how we can help you drive more sales and better your customer retention, don’t hesitate to book a meeting with one of our sales specialists for a free demo.
If you are interested to see how Salesfloor can help you get a competitive edge by boosting your sales operations through clienteling, don’t hesitate to request a demo with one of our specialists.
