A Simple Guide to Turning Your First-Time Shoppers into Repeat Buyers

Ecommerce marketers compete fiercely with each other as they aim to increase traffic and convert it. While new strategies help businesses attract new customers, sometimes marketers get too caught up and forget that the key to long-term success is retaining customers.

Investing in tools and techniques that bring in new customers can be 25 times more expensive than retaining existing customers.

How do you motivate first-time shoppers to become loyal, repeat customers?

The modern consumer is an avid shopper: how then do they distinguish purchase decisions apart from each other? It’s the experience that matters to them. If you treat them as a statistic, that feeling of unimportance is precisely what they’ll remember.

But, if you offer them an engaging experience, you stand a far better shot at converting them to loyal, returning customers.

Here are some simple tips on what to do to convert one-time shoppers into lifelong customers:

Enhance Customer Experience

Deliver customer experiences that provide precisely what your target audience is looking for, and then optimize your offer on all platforms that your consumer uses to interact with your brand.

Suppose a new customer lands on your website and you have already prepared your site to provide a seamless experience. What if your customer is now shopping online and sees an ad for one of your products. They click through the ad – success again!

Not so fast. Suppose your item needs to be restocked, and the customer has to wait. You just ended up losing the window for a second sale.

Smart marketing can take your business a long way – excellent customer service must apply to all channels. When your customer feels like their happiness is your main concern, they’ll be heading back for more!

93% of customers are likely to make repeat purchases when they experience excellent service from a business. Moreover, 73% of customers remain loyal to a brand if their customer support is friendly.

The next step should be crystal clear—excellent customer service! Chances are, consumers will end up spending 17% more than they did the first time.

A small thank you note in their package, maybe even a small gift on purchases that exceed your minimum order can separate your service level from competitors.

Show them they are appreciated, and they’ll respond in kind.

Create Loyalty Programs

Half of all repeat buyers make their second purchase within 16 days of their first one.

What do you do in that window? You need to strike a balance between convincing and pushy.

Send offers for similar items or free shipping on their next order! Reward customers with a special discount and perks in exchange for repeat purchases.

Building a customer loyalty program is relatively simple and it can result in a swift increase in your retention rates.

Offer Personalized Services

With advancing algorithmic changes taking over online services, artificial intelligence makes it possible to deliver extremely customized messages to your customers. 75% of buyers prefer to buy from brands that personalize the purchase experience.

If a customer is a first-time shopper, making them feel welcome can ensure they come back. By tailoring messages to your customer’s specific wants and needs, you offer access to products and services that accurately align with their tastes, and therefore increase the likelihood that they‘ll buy it. Tech giants like Google and Amazon nurture consumer expectations for customized service, which makes it necessary that ecommerce sites follow suit to achieve success.

Customers are also twice as likely as before to say that personalized communications are essential. In other words, consumers are now much more likely to pay attention to sales emails when they include something customized, even if it’s as simple as:

“Hi, John!

Here are a few products we thought you might be interested in…”

Get Creative With Advertising

Are you reaching customers through effective channels? Brand newsletters and Google Ads are fantastic ways of getting personalized content to your target customer, primarily because of the insight they provide into customer behavior.

Online analytics can give you actionable insight on what to do next, so you can figure out how to get consumers to make repeat purchases.

Consider sending out a newsletter to customers; it’s a great way to engage customers with your brand, and inform them of new products and offers they might be interested in. Use this opportunity to spearhead a team of creative individuals who can create ads that get your brand noticed.

And don’t forget Google Ads—they play an essential part in any marketing strategy and get new customers to make repeat purchases.

Make Fulfillment Services a Competitive Advantage

13% of shoppers never come back even if their delivery is on time! Customers expect fast shipment even when it’s virtually impossible. That means product shipping needs to be quick, and quality needs to be maintained.

Damaged products simply won’t do. They’ll likely have to be replaced—that only implies a longer delivery time, longer than the customers’ expectations.

Luckily, some companies are dedicated to helping brands ship their orders quickly. A fulfillment service comes in handy, especially for businesses that cater to international customers—for whom overseas shipping is a primary concern—the benefits and costs of which can be analyzed.

But don’t make the mistake of overlooking other fulfillment and shipping opportunities—such as branded boxes and packaging, free shipping offers, and customized inserts. These extra touches can help you stay ahead of your competitors and delight customers!

Key Takeaway

Convincing customers to revisit your brand and make purchases consistently is a daunting task. You’ve already initiated a connection with the customer. The best strategy now would be to utilize the channels you have at your disposal and use consumer behavior patterns to make relevant personalized recommendations.

In the meanwhile, implement the strategies you think might just do the trick for your business, and stay ahead of your competition

What’s your take on customer retention? Did you find my tips useful? Have any of your own? What hasn’t worked for you and what has? Leave your thoughts in the comments.