Repeat Purchases: 7 Ways to Retain Customers

Earning a customer's trust and leading them to make a purchase requires effort and time. Depending on the industry and product prices, convincing a consumer can take several weeks or months. Even in retail, where emotional purchases are common, the first purchase is always the most challenging.

What are repeat purchases and why they are important

• Brand advocacy: Consumers who regularly purchase products and services serve as a source of free advertising through positive reviews and word-of-mouth recommendations. They share information about the brand with friends, family, and social media followers, thereby expanding your audience. Such customers often provide feedback, explaining what can be improved and how.

• Boost pre-holiday sales: During holidays, new buyers come to brands. However, loyal customers also ensure a flow of profit, as you offer them special discounts. Furthermore, loyal customers respond well to pre-holiday marketing campaigns, maximizing profit during periods of increased demand.

• Willingness to try new offers: Loyal customers are an excellent audience for launching new products. They are willing to test new offers and repurchase items if they involve products they like.

7 Simple strategies to strengthen ongoing customer relationships

To win over loyal customers, it's essential to develop relationships with consumers and build their trust. Let's consider several simple strategies that contribute to regular purchases.

1. Launch a customer loyalty program

You can structure a loyalty program in various ways, with different levels of complexity, but a simple and understandable program is also quite effective.

To begin, gather your customers' contact information, assign each a unique number or card, and reward them upon reaching a certain number of purchases or a specific spending threshold.

• Special offers exclusively for loyalty program members.

• Unique conditions for referral programs for those who bring customers to your business.

• Bonus points.

• Raffles for prizes among loyalty program participants.

• When launching new products, send notifications about sales and interesting brand events. However, ensure that loyalty program members are the first to know about everything.

Email notification of bonus accrual

2. Offer personalized customer service

Unfortunately, many consumers have grown accustomed to impersonal service. They enter a large store and go unnoticed, even if they have been there many times and spent significant amounts.

Targeted email advertising campaigns are also a good way to personalize service. Thanks to segmentation tools, you can send emails that cater to the interests and needs of each customer group.

Example of a personalized email

3. Provide coupons for future purchases

Coupons for future purchases are an excellent tool to incentivize repeat buying. Customers are successfully engaged and retained because they have a reason to return to you.

For example, offer a 10% discount coupon for the next purchase for every $50 spent in your store. Such an incentive gives customers a reason for another purchase, especially if their first encounter with your brand left a positive impression.

Time-limited coupon from the store

4. Collect customer contact information

When a customer enters your store or visits your website, it's important to gather their contact information. When you have their name, phone number, email address, and physical address, you gain numerous opportunities for communication and building relationships with the individual.

For example, when customers subscribe to an email newsletter, they give permission to receive news, information about sales and discounts, announcements of new products, and other mailings.

Blog subscription form on The Blonde Abroad website

5. Offer free gifts to customers

The key to stimulating repeat purchases is to stay visible to your customers. It's essential for them to remember you after leaving the store or website. Offering free branded merchandise is an excellent way to stay top of mind.

Distributing branded merchandise (such as pens, calendars, plush toys, and other small branded gifts) to selected customers shows that you value them and makes them feel special.

Altcraft's Merch

6. Gather feedback

By providing the opportunity for feedback, you demonstrate to the customer the importance of their opinion. They feel listened to, and not just like another customer.

Regular feedback from customers is extremely important. Gather various opinions and be sure to express gratitude, especially if constructive criticism is present.

Adidas encourages to evaluate the purchase

7. Actively manage your brand's social media accounts

Creative, engaging posts on social media also provide existing customers with material to reference when recommending you to others.

Adidas company page on social networks

Services for implementing repeat sales

Collecting customer data is a key element in increasing repeat sales. Understanding the target audience helps filter out ineffective leads.

Let's consider several main services for developing repeat sales and building strong customer relationships.

CRM systems

CRM personalizes all communication with customers and sends targeted offers at the right time, thereby increasing sales and encouraging repeat purchases.

Email marketing services

Additionally, these services provide customizable templates, A/B testing, ready-made landing pages, campaign management, and automation features, lead generation options, advanced reporting and analytics tools for planning future campaigns.

• personalize messages;
• increase customer loyalty and engagement;
• strengthen brand awareness;
• retain customers;
• automate tasks.

Campaign setup on Altcraft Platform

SMS marketing services

SMS marketing cuts through the information noise effectively and brings fast results. Engage with customers by sending timely updates, personalized product recommendations, and more.

Encourage customers to return to you again and again

According to the book "Leading on the Edge of Chaos" by Emmett C. Murphy and Mark A. Murphy, increasing customer retention by 2% affects a company's profit and reduces expenses by 10%. By retaining just two percent of your customer base, you reduce significant business costs.

Moreover, the more often a customer returns and has a positive purchasing experience with you, the more likely they are to recommend the brand to their friends.

To ensure repeat sales, it's important to understand that you're taking the right steps to engage customers and meet their needs. Planned strategies are an excellent starting point.