There’s one thing that every e-commerce brand needs to be successful. Can you guess what that is? Loyal customers.

By loyal customers, I mean customers who repeatedly purchase from you, follow you on social media, engage with your profile, and look forward to hearing about your latest releases, new products, or what’s next in your small business.

For online store owners, there’s a big focus on e-commerce marketing, bringing in new customers, and growing website traffic and conversion. Yes, those aspects are important, as businesses always need new customers. However, you should actually focus on retaining the customers who have already purchased from you.

It’s easier to keep a customer than it is to find a new one.

An existing customer already knows, likes and trusts your brand and business, and, more importantly, they’ve purchased from you. As an existing customer, they’re more likely to buy again for less effort than it will take to gain a brand new customer.

Each time a customer returns to make another purchase, they’re one more step towards being loyal.

How to encourage the next purchase

Once a customer has made their first purchase from you, you want to encourage them to come back repeatedly.

Are you capturing those customers on your email marketing campaign so you can follow up and remarket, too? Can you share products that complement their initial purchase, or is it a consumable product they’ll run out of? And can you email them around the relevant time to repurchase? Make the repurchase or additional purchases as easy and as streamlined as possible. #EcomerceGoals

Embrace email marketing

Email marketing is one of the best and easiest ways to nurture and build stronger customer relationships. Most small business brands send a weekly or monthly email with the following:

• News
• Announcements
• Exclusive offers to newsletter subscribers
• Special offers and promotions
• Showcase customer reviews
• Blog highlights
• Upcoming events
• Links to social media and encourage following
• And more

Your emails help you stay in front of your customers’ minds. In the busy world we live in, holding people’s attention and staying memorable is crucial. So, sending a regular newsletter that adds value to your customers is an excellent part of your e-commerce marketing strategy.

Be present on social media

Social media is a great way to connect with your audience across various platforms. Depending on the products you sell and your target audience, you could have a lot of engagement on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube.

Social media is also a fabulous tool as it lets you listen to your audience and get real-time feedback on their thoughts and issues.

But be strategic with your social media strategy and how it fits into your e-commerce marketing strategy.

Your time is precious, and before you know it, you can disappear down a social media hole and never be seen again. So, get strategic and consider:

• where your target audience spends the majority of their time
• what platforms do you enjoy – because if you enjoy them then it’s so much easier

I should probably frequent LinkedIn, but it’s not a platform I enjoy, so you’ll rarely see me there (at the moment anyway).

Create an irresistible customer loyalty program or plan

Have you thought about a loyalty program for your e-commerce business? If you can create a good customer retention plan, that your customers will love. You’ll be onto a winning marketing strategy. 

There are so many options you could do for your e-commerce business:

1. Points-based system

Customers earn points for each purchase they make, which can then be redeemed for discounts or free products.

2. Tiered membership levels

Create different membership levels based on a customer’s purchase history or spending habits. Depending on their level, customers receive exclusive perks and rewards.

3. Birthday discounts

Customers receive a special discount or free gift on their birthday. This could be for the day of their birthday only or could be used for the entire month of their birthday.

4. Refer a friend or family member

This is an excellent way to work smarter, not harder, and have a happy customer market for you. All you have to do is offer your customers a reward or discount for each successful referral they send your way.

5. Exclusive promotions and early access

Make it exclusive. Everyone loves to feel special, so create a loyalty program where members receive exclusive sales or promotions unavailable to the general public and early access to new product launches.

6. VIP customer service

This could be a great selling point, as we all love good customer service. So, go above and beyond and offer exceptional customer service for loyalty program members to ensure they have a positive shopping experience. This could be a response in a shorter period of time or whatever works for your small business and sets you apart from your competitors.

7. Charity donations

This is particularly a good fit for some brands, depending on your ethos and values. You’re giving customers the choice to donate their loyalty points to a charitable cause, showing your commitment to social responsibility and giving back to the community.

Support your customers

Supporting your customers is a great way to build relationships and get to know them, especially if you’re B2B (business-to-business). Set up a customer spotlight feature on your e-commerce website, which you can also share across your social media channels. Interview them, or have them write or record a video that you can showcase. (Google loves video, remember?) Here’s an article I wrote celebrating women in small business in honour of International Women’s Day.

Showcasing your customers, though, if you’re still B2C (business to customer) is still doable. Just think about what would be relevant to your customers. Perhaps they’ve been shopping with you for x years. They’ve asked you to support them with a donation or goods for a fundraiser so you can showcase this and possibly drive traffic their way. And then your customer will hopefully share your post, increasing your reach and opening you up to new customers/traffic. So, it’s a win/win.

How are you going to create loyal e-commerce customers?

Have I given you some food for thought on how you can create loyal customers for your small e-commerce business?

I’d love to know what you’ll try and how it goes, so don’t forget to email me. You’re also welcome to join my FREE Facebook group to bounce ideas off me and get a second point of view.

And if you’d like to take it one step further, then check out my Rockstar Power Hour Sessions.