Key points:

• A reliable shipping strategy can ensure customers return to your business as they know what to expect
• Customer loyalty programs are a great way to reward your customers and give them an incentive to purchase from you again
• Repeat customers promote your business through word of mouth if they are loyal and always have a great experience

If you're new to starting a business or just want to gain more repeat customers, then it's important to know how to keep them coming back to you. Whether you sell products or services, having loyal customers who trust you, makes it easier to sell your items and build a strong customer base. In this article, we'll take a look at ways to gain repeat customers and make sure you get as many repeat purchases as possible in order to grow your business.

Why Are Repeat Customers so Important?

Returning customers is key to building a strong customer base and building trust with your audience. Having regular buyers and loyal customers will also help you to keep costs down as you won't need to target them with marketing as they will have already gone through the sales funnel and converted into a buyer.

Did you know? Customer acquisition cost is more expensive than retaining existing customers. The cost of trying to gain a new customer is five times more expensive than retaining an existing customer, and the average success rate of selling to an existing customer is 60-70%.

How to Gain Returning Customers

The best way to get repeat customers is to be consistent, and reliable and to keep in touch with them. The easiest ways to do this are to offer a consistent experience, ship your products on time, and stay in touch with them.

So to win over first-time customers, you should offer an exceptional experience from start to finish. Here are some ways to increase your customer retention rate and ensure that first-time buyers have a great experience:

Customer Loyalty Programs

The best way to increase customer satisfaction is to reward them for their loyalty. A great way to do this is to give them points every time they make a purchase from you; then when they gain a certain amount of points, they can redeem them and use them to get money off a new product. For example, let's say 100 points = $1, once a customer has gained 1000 points they can get $10 off of their next purchase.

If a customer becomes a regular buyer and their customer feedback is generally always good, then it's likely that they will promote your business through word of mouth and tell their friends and family. This is great news for any business and is the best way to gain trusting customers.

Email Marketing

Once you have collected a customer's email, from their initial sign-up, or after they have made a purchase, then you can keep in contact with them through email marketing. It is always a good idea to let your customers know when you have launched a new product, are offering discounts, or have any company updates that may be of interest to them.

Keeping in regular contact with your customers through email newsletters or marketing campaigns will ensure that they don't forget about your brand and will increase the chances of them making future purchases.

Related post: How to Optimize Your eCommerce Checkout

4 Ways to Offer a Strong Shipping Strategy

1. Ensure Orders Are Processed and Shipped as Fast as Possible

When a customer places an order, it is always best practice to get the order packaged and shipped as soon as possible to avoid delays. Customers won't want to wait around for their order to be processed and typically expect it to be dealt with as early as possible. The best way to keep on top of new orders coming in is to integrate your store with a shipping partner such as Easyship, and your orders will be imported to one easy-to-use dashboard, so you can keep track of them all.

2. Offer Customers a Personalized Experience With Custom Branding

When it comes to sending a message to your customer, either through marketing or documentation, it is essential to offer a consistent branding and customer experience, so your customers can instantly recognize your brand. Offering a personalized experience to your customers will ensure they know what to expect and make for a seamless experience.

You can easily add your logo and advertising materials to your tracking emails, landing pages & packing slips with Easyship's branding suite.

3. Keep Your Customers in the Loop

When a customer places an order online, they will want to be kept up to date, so they know when to expect their package. You should let your customer know when their order is being processed and when it has been shipped, along with an expected delivery date. This way, customers won't have to sit around waiting for their package to arrive with no clue as to when it will be delivered, and they won't have to reach out to customer support for an update.

4. Make Sure That Returns and Exchanges Are Stress-Free

It's inevitable that returns will happen from time to time. Save your customers the hassle of hunting for your business's return policy and create a shipping policy that is easy to understand, and includes important returns information, so your customers know what the process is and how to follow it.

Here are some of Easyship's features to help you gain repeat customers:

Branding Suite: Add your logo/branding to shipping paperwork in order to create a personalized experience that your customers will enjoy

Shipping Calculator: Find the cheapest and fastest shipping rates instantly to get your orders out in a timely manner

Ready to build your customer base and start shipping? Then sign up with Easyship today and let us take care of your shipping needs so you can spend more time with your customers