The eCommerce industry is growing with every new day. More and more retailers show up from all parts of the world and they all want a nice, tasty piece of the eCommerce cake. Seeing that many have found success in being online retailers, this comes as no surprise.
Of course, it is clear that getting more new customers is a sure path towards more revenue and overall growth. No matter what some may say, growing and becoming even more successful is not possible without ‘reinforcements’, that is, new customers.
But, that can oftentimes be a costly endeavor. Acquiring new customers requires a solid and comprehensive strategy. Obviously, it’s always cheaper to get your current customers to make additional purchases.
So, let’s walk you through the tips that will teach you how to grow your business through both retaining and gaining customers.
Let the world know about you
This may be too obvious to some, but let’s underline the importance of visibility before we move on to other strategies. What good do your products and services do if no one knows about them? How can you attract more people if they can’t ‘see’ you?
In today’s world of eCommerce, visibility is the golden key to more customers. It doesn’t matter what exactly you are planning to do with your business, you can rest assured that it won’t be possible without new people.
So, you need to do everything to make your presence known. It starts with your website that has to look awesome, then you need to move on and dominate the social media game. comprehensive as possible.
Also, know that new website visitors need only a few seconds to get the first impression. That is why you need to capture their attention with a sleek design, great product descriptions, and functionality. Once you successfully get them to stay on your website, you need to draw them in with great products/services.
Blog consistently
Blogging is still one of the best ways to connect to your current customer base and attract new ones. Some would go so far to say that it can positively affect eCommerce customer retention metrics.
In addition, it is one of the most effective ways to share information with your audience and build content on your website at the same time.
You just need to make sure that you are delivering engaging content that actually adds value. That way, your customers not only benefit from the products/services they purchase from you, but they also get to enjoy reading your blog.
Your content will depend on your industry, but a rule of thumb is to aim at being helpful and insightful. You can write tutorials about your products, how-to’s, reviews, and comparisons. You can also share interesting things from your office.
Basically, it comes down to you and your preferences, but make sure that you are not copying someone else’s work and always be honest. Eventually, people will recognize and reward that.
Have a solid onboarding program
It is too often that companies celebrate new customers as soon as they acquire them and then just focus their attention back on acquiring more and more new ones. It is understandable that a company needs more new customers, but focusing all attention on them is a fatal mistake.
When you get new customers, you have a unique chance to engage them and ensure their satisfaction from day one. For example, if you get them to sign the contract but you leave them to fend for themselves, you are really doing yourself a disservice.
Instead, you should engage new customers from the very start, and the best way to do so is to deliver a good onboarding program. You should train them on how to properly use your product so that they can enjoy all of its benefits.
Also, devote some attention to understanding their unique use case and tailor the program to meet their needs. Customers should understand all the necessary information to use your product in the right way. That is a guarantee that they are fully equipped to leverage your product to the fullest.
Moreover, that is how you make one more step towards customer retention and repeat purchases.
Customer surveys introduction
Introducing customer surveys is crucial if you want to truly understand where your customers are struggling and how you can improve their customer experience.
You should never assume that you know all your customers’ challenges and pain points. There is no way that you can accurately estimate what obstacles they face on a regular basis without actually asking them.
Therefore, it would be wise to introduce customer surveys to gain insights into where and how you could help your customers with the aim of enabling them to work smarter and more effectively with your products.
Even if you have customers from all around the globe, you can use SMS API services to reach them and direct them to your survey. You can even send out a short survey that way.
There is no excuse to not let your customers voice their concerns. And when they know that their voices are heard, your customer retention is sure to increase.
Great customer support as a must-have
Taking good care of your customers will not only make them loyal, but you will also gain new ones due to word-of-the-mouth marketing. When you take time to resolve their issues, you are making your brand an authority in the industry and becoming a name that can be trusted.
Therefore, you should do your best to assist customers whenever they need help. Outsource if you must or simply have a department only for support.
As soon as your current customers start sharing the positive experiences they have had with your customer support, their friends and acquaintances will realize that you are going that extra mile to make sure that customer satisfaction is top-notch.
And, that is just one of the reasons why customer support is important.
Of course, this kind of job isn’t an easy one, so make sure that you take advantage of software like Zendesk or a Zendesk alternative. These programs can help greatly with customer communication and some other tasks related to automation.
The bottom line is that you need to invest in a responsive and helpful customer support department. It is an investment that will do wonders for customer retention.
SEO is a factor to consider
Optimizing everything on your website and your blog has to be a priority since SEO plays an important role when it comes to sales. To be precise, around 90% of online sales start with a search.
Therefore, you have to understand SEO and optimize your website accordingly since it can either sky-rocket you to the top of the results page or make your website invisible. On top of that, SEO is another great way to gain visibility.
If you aren’t familiar enough with this field, you can also hire SEO consultants who will do all the SEO for you. Starting from an audit, all the way to content and web design. Also, it would be wise to incorporate SEO into your marketing efforts for the best results.
