11 Best eCommerce Customer Retention Strategies to Drive Repeat Customers

You must have heard that acquiring new customers is more expensive than retaining existing ones.

So, we won’t talk about what customer retention is and why it’s important.

You know it, (here’s a blog post, just in case!) and most likely you already have some customer retention strategies in place to maintain relationships with your existing customers.

But are you able to effectively re-engage customers and generate repeat sales?

Well, if you’re looking for some proven ways to transform one-time customers into loyal ones, this blog post is for you. Keep reading.

11 Best Customer Retention Strategies for Your eCommerce Store

1. Boost Registrations

Now we all know that customers don’t like being forced to create an account on your website and that guest checkout is always a good practice to promote conversions. However, registrations can help you engage them for repeat business.

Offer perks like personalized recommendations, exclusive members-only offers, and early sale access in exchange for registering on your store. Provide the account creation option at the end of the checkout process as they are more likely to opt for it then.

2. Automate Email Marketing

Email marketing is the most valuable asset of your customer retention toolkit. This is because emails act as an effective communication channel and help build a relationship with your customers.

You can run automated email campaigns before and after your customers’ initial purchase to keep them engaged. Send them product recommendations, information about new products, special discounts, etc. to drive sales.

3. Optimize Website Experience

A hassle-free user experience is crucial for an eCommerce store. If your website takes time to load, the navigation is difficult, or searching for products is a hassle, customers are going to steer clear of your website

So, you need to make sure that your website’s speed and performance is fast, navigation and browsing is user-friendly, and most importantly, the store is well optimized overall.

Furthermore, as consumers are increasingly using their smartphones for shopping, an optimal mobile experience becomes important to accelerate conversions. A feature-rich mobile app can help you provide excellent experiences that not only increase customer satisfaction but also repeat sales.

4. Put Retargeting to Use

Retargeting enables you to bring back the cart abandoners and product viewers to your site through ads. You can even retarget ads to users who viewed your website as a guest. Thanks to machine learning, you can also predict their buying behavior and customize your ads accordingly.

Social media is another good option to retarget ads. You can prompt customers to visit your website by displaying ads on their feeds. Facebook Dynamic Product Ads are known to do so exceptionally well for conversions.

5. Improve Customer Service

Customers have high expectations from customer service both before and after their purchase. They may need more information about a product or maybe want help with their purchase issues.

A personalized support system can help you answer all their queries round the clock. This will boost customer satisfaction and create a positive impression of your business.

Another effective method is to enable real-time shipment tracking so that customers can track their order status. This helps ensure customer engagement even after the purchase. By assisting customers with just the right level of support, you can get one step closer to retaining them.

6. Incentivize Second Purchase

Discounts, promos, and special offers are all effective ways to entice customers to place the next order. Using AI, you can identify customers who are most likely to re-engage with your business if they’re given incentives. You can then send offers with time constraints to create a sense of urgency among customers to check out your store.

Here are some additional ways to incentivize repeat purchase:

• Personalized Offer on Birthdays: Send a unique discount or coupon code to customers on their birthdays to make them feel special and encourage them to make a purchase.
• Discounts on Social Media Resharing: Offer concessions to customers who reshare your brand’s content and tag new audiences on social media.
• Occasional Sales and Promotions: Run festive sales, product (new and variants) launches, and other relevant offers that boost purchases.

7. Harness User-Generated Content

User-generated content not only builds trust but also encourages customers to do business with you again. You can create a feed of customers’ reviews and publish them on your website. Another popular way is to repost (with permission) pictures of customers using your products.

This will not only make your existing customers feel valued but also encourage them to make repeat purchases. Furthermore, it will encourage other prospects to try your products as well.

8. Promote Referrals

According to reports, half of our purchase decisions are influenced by word of mouth. This makes referrals a super-effective strategy for eCommerce customer retention. By incentivizing your existing customers to refer your products to their family and friends, you can turn them into your advocates while acquiring new customers.

Since people trust the personal recommendations of their peers, the acquired customers will also be easy to retain as well. Thus, you get the best of both worlds-acquisition as well as retention with referrals.

9. Build Loyalty Programs

Speaking of advocacy, a loyalty program is a great way to reward your existing customers and make them stick to your store for repeat purchases. You can establish a points-based system where customers get certain points for every purchase they make that can be encashed during the next purchase.

You can also take this a step further and create VIP programs with exclusive offers specifically for loyal repeat customers. This will encourage new customers to shop more and join the group.

10. Highlight Corporate Social Responsibility

Today’s customers, especially millennials and Gen Zs have a strong stance on social and environmental issues. They not only want to purchase a product but also want to make a difference in the world during the process.

By highlighting your CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) activities for every purchase a customer makes, you can drive them to repeat buy in order to support the cause.

Toms Shoes with their one-for-one model (for every pair of shoes purchased, one pair goes to a child in need) have led to millions of shoe sales through repeat purchases by customers who support the movement.

11. Survey Your Customers

Now it might be the case that you implement all these strategies but still don’t see the results you expect. So, this is the time to turn to your customers to understand what’s working and what needs improvement.

You can simply ask for their feedback through calls and feedback forms or conduct online surveys to collect customer opinions about your store. Analyze this data and look for patterns that you may have missed. Then, iterate your strategies accordingly for best results.

Final Note

Retaining customers is a process that takes time and effort. With the above strategies in place, you can expedite this process and supercharge your store for a higher return on investment. So, go on trying these strategies and give your business the boost it deserves.

Need Help Implementing These Strategies in Your eCommerce Store? Contact Us!