Every merchant wants their Shopify store to be a success, and with competition at an all-time high, you can’t leave things to chance. Most online merchants divide their time between trying to attract new customers and working to hold onto the old ones. Studies show that retaining new customers is actually easier (and more cost-effective) than attracting new ones and can also create more value for your business.
Specifically, acquiring new customers can be between 5 and 25 times more expensive than retaining existing ones, and, better yet, increasing your customer retention rate by just 5% can increase your profits by 25% to 95%.
Your customer retention efforts will very likely also attract new customers. This is because loyal and engaged customers are 4 times more likely to recommend your Shopify store to their friends and family than new customers.
With such clear benefits to be gained from engaging in customer retention activity, let’s delve straight into some tried-and-tested ways to help you retain your Shopify customers
1 Offer stand-out customer service
96% of customers will not return to a store where they have experienced bad customer service, and the reverse is also true; where customers are treated well, they will return. Customer service is not just important because you want your customers to come back – you also don’t want them giving you a bad review or telling their friends to avoid your store.
96% of customers will not return to a store where they have experienced bad customer service, and the reverse is also true; where customers are treated well, they will return. Customer service is not just important because you want your customers to come back – you also don’t want them giving you a bad review or telling their friends to avoid your store.
When you consider that 53% of customers will abandon their carts if they don’t get fast answers to their questions, you’ll appreciate how important it is to make yourself available to customers at all times. Chatbots and other automated tools can cover those times of day when your staff is not online.
The Shopify platform itself is a great ally when trying to improve your customer retention rate. In-built Shopify analytics – such as repeat customer rate, purchase frequency, AOV (average order value), and customer lifetime value – help you better understand and anticipate your customers’ needs and craft ever-better shopping experiences
2 Personalize the store experience
Everyone loves to feel special, and in the world of e-commerce, this means tailoring the shopping experience to the needs of each customer. Personalization makes customers feel valued and appreciated and is a proven way to build strong relationships between customers and stores, making them more likely to continue shopping with you.
While personalization sounds like a lot of extra work, there are tools available to make the task easier. For example, you can use Shopify’s built-in analytics to examine each customer’s past browsing and buying behavior. This will give you the data and insights needed to personalize the shopping experience
With such powerful information at your fingertips, you can recommend products related to or similar to those that customers have bought in the past or even offer discounts on products customers are likely to enjoy. You can also use the information you have gathered to write personal emails and communications or create special offers that you know your customers will love based on their browsing and buying history.
3 Launch a winning Shopify loyalty program
Shopify loyalty programs are among the most effective ways to increase customer retention. According to the Harvard Business Review, companies with excellent loyalty programs are able to grow revenues 2.5x faster than those who don’t use this powerful incentive. By offering rewards for repeat purchases, exclusive offers, discount codes, gift cards, and special promotions for loyal customers, a Shopify loyalty program incentivizes customers to return to your store repeatedly. Setting up a Shopify loyalty program doesn’t have to be difficult or time-consuming. With designated apps like Loyalty Dog available in the Shopify App Store, your loyalty program can be up and running in a few clicks
One way to decide what to offer in your Shopify loyalty program is to reach out to your customers. Send them a survey or have your customer service team call a few of your best customers and ask them what kind of rewards they would most appreciate. If you run your Shopify loyalty program using an app like Loyalty Dog, it’s very easy to test a few offers and see how they impact your metrics before investing further efforts.
4 Offer subscription services
Setting up a “recurring purchase” option is one of the best and easiest ways to increase your Shopify retention rate.
The industry for subscription-based products has grown more than 435% in just 9 years. If you sell products that customers typically repurchase at regular intervals, don’t give them the opportunity to discover your competitors next time they need to stock up. Rather, allow them to subscribe to receive the products they buy repeatedly and even give them a discount for doing so. This type of offer works really well for personal hygiene products, cosmetics, food items, and more.
Replenishment or reorder subscriptions create a win-win situation where you are happy because you are earning recurring revenue while eliminating the competition, and your customers are happy because you’ve made it so much easier for them to ensure that they never run out of their favorite products.
To offer subscription-based purchase options, simply look through your Shopify analytics and identify some items your customers come back for repeatedly. Send them an email offering a replenishment or reorder subscription, which includes an enticing discount.
5. Encourage your customers to become brand advocates
Happy and loyal customers can become your best advocates, so make sure you capitalize on this valuable resource. User-generated content is content that your users write for you and usually takes the form of reviews and testimonials. To get your customers working for you, all you need to do is ask. Send an email or make a call to request they write a review or a testimonial on your site. One of the best ways to ensure they actually respond is by offering an incentive for doing so. This can be in the form of a discount, a gift, or exclusive access to new products.
Asking customers for their help also reinforces a positive reciprocal relationship that makes them feel more invested in your success. The actual act of writing the positive review will remind them again of what they like about your business company and make them more likely to make the effort to recommend you to others.
Start building your bank of loyal Shopify customers
Now you understand the power of Shopify customer retention, you’re probably raring to start putting some of these strategies in place. One of the easiest and most impactful places to start is by launching a Shopify loyalty program. With things being as competitive as they are in the world of online ecommerce, you really want to reward those customers who remain loyal to you over time. With a Shopify customer loyalty app like Loyalty Dog, it’s easy to tailor your loyalty offerings to the needs and desires of your customers, making them feel super special and valued. What customer doesn’t want that?