Online shoppers flock to your store every festive season whether Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year, Valentine's Day, so on... and so forth...
This means you may experience higher traffic and conversion. Lucky for you, you hit your sales goals... one time, big time!
But if you come to think of it... seasonal shoppers can be both bane and boon.
What I mean is, online retailers can benefit from seasonal shoppers. But, they can also suffer from them.
It's because some customers disappear as soon as the seasonal shopping sales end.
But, wouldn't it be great if you could convert these seasonal shoppers into loyal customers?
Oh yes!
Because having sold a product doesn't mean the job is done.
The goal should be to convert these first-time seasonal customers into lifelong fans.
In this blog, I am going to discuss a few strategies to turn these seasonal shoppers into loyal customers.
So, let's dive in!
1. Nurture Customer Relationship Through Email
Maintaining contact with your customers can be easy via email. The question is, what is the best way to start a relationship with a new seasonal customer via email?
Start by sharing your brand story. In your very first email, tell them about your brand.
Introduce your brand and messaging to your new customers. And do you know that a thoughtful welcome email begins the nurturing process?
Seasonal customers will appreciate receiving a welcome email. And you can do it a few days after sales have ended.
But take note... Don't bombard them with promotions right off the bat.
If you do it that way, it will be difficult to build a lasting relationship with new customers.
Instead, use welcome sequences to keep new customers engaged. This way, you will remain top-of-mind for your customers. And they will be more open to your future promotions.
You can create a killer welcome email that doesn't focus on sales. Rather, on your brand message and commitment to your customers.
Struggling to draft killer emails? No problem. Even a thank-you letter that simply says 'Thank you for your business will work.
Follow up by sending timely emails. And don't forget... send letters that will educate and entertain them.
Now, let's move on to the second tip...
2. Create A Pleasant Unboxing Experience
When you deliver your customer's package... make sure it is branded and packaged with helpful resources.
Maybe you can include some care instructions, catalogs... Or you can send materials that tell the customer what your brand is all about.
In this case, the look of products and packaging attracts people and is vital.
According to this article by INC, attractive packaging triggers reward-seeking areas of the brain... which are associated with impulse buying.
Hmmm... interesting, isn't it?
So make sure your product presentation is appealing to a seasonal shopper. That is if you want to influence their future purchasing decisions.
Here's a great example of an awesome unboxing experience...
Botanic and Luxe adds eucalyptus leaves and roses in their every package. And personalize it with a handwritten note making the receiver feel valued.
Now, this makes a great unboxing experience. And even elevates the brand.
(source)
The third point is...
3. Extend Your Product Offerings
You can convert seasonal shoppers into lifelong customers... by means of expanding your product offering.
If you sell season-based products, you can look for alternative uses of these.
You might want to consider other ways shoppers can use your products throughout the year. Or add another line that is complementary to the existing ones.
For example, you can add blankets and pillows to your line of mattresses.
Good idea, right?
Adding new items to your online store would also give you the chance to send new offerings to customers... all year round!
And... this might be the right time for expansion.
What's next?
4. Give Discounts On Recurring Orders
Why not let your customers subscribe to monthly deliveries of your products? And then offer discounts to them.
By offering discounts on products that people will likely order again, you can help them save. And this can help return to your shop.
(source)
And we've come halfway...
5. Stay Committed To Follow-Ups
Having a positive first-hand experience is key to earning a repeat customer. And you can be sure to increase sales revenue and customer lifetime value (CLV) by:
- Ensure clear communication. Send your customers a detailed order confirmation email of their order. This should include cost breakdowns and delivery estimates. Also, include the return and exchange policy details.
- Provide order tracking service. When an order is placed, your customers should receive another notification. This is to track their order. Provide them with tracking information and estimated delivery date. This will keep your customers up to date with their orders. And will surely delight them ?
- Collect customer feedback. Send a post-purchase survey after the customer receives the order to gather feedback. By getting feedback on your product, you can improve your service. And this will ensure customer satisfaction.
The next tip is vital...
6. Always Exceed Customer Expectations
Your goal is to always exceed customer expectations. And you can do this by:
Take advantage of gift cards, coupons, and discounts.
Why not send free gift cards, coupons, and discounts? They are great ways to bring back seasonal customers.
Be proactive.
Do not wait until a customer asks a question or has an issue before helping them out. Go ahead... ask them if they have any questions or concerns. Know how their experience was, or ask if they need assistance assembling the product.
Take advantage of social media to connect with new customers.
It is worthwhile to interact with customers through social media after their purchase.
Encourage your customers to tweet about your product. Or use a hashtag with an image of the product they purchased. Engaging them in this way makes them feel special.
The next thing to do is to...
7. Establish A Loyalty Program For Customers
Customer Loyalty programs are an excellent way to make seasonal buyers return.
Nielsen reports that 84% of consumers stick with companies that offer loyalty programs.
Having a loyalty program for your customers can make them feel appreciated. It will also help build a relationship between your brand and them. With this service, you can reward someone for special occasions like birthdays or other life events.
The more customized the experience, the more likely your customers are to return.
So craft your customer loyalty program accordingly to better serve your customers.
Moving on to the next very important point...
8. Use Retargeting Ads
It's possible that seasonal shoppers won't be persuaded to spend more at your store.
And sometimes, your promotions may not work with them. Or they may just disappear from your database.
Retargeting ads are a great way to get them back into your business.
There are several types of retargeting ads. In terms of Facebook marketing, there are two types:
- Paid Messages: Your bot or live chat can send paid messages to everyone who has messaged your Facebook page.
- Facebook dynamic ads: Users can see dynamic ads across Facebook, Instagram, Audience Network, or Messenger. This is based on their actions and habits on your site or app.
Having made it this far, let's move on to the crucial step...
9. Go the Extra Mile
Extend that extra mile to your one-time seasonal customers. You can do it by engaging with them through:
Live Chat
You can open a direct communication channel between you and your customers via Live Chat. Here, your customers can chat with you via your store's chat window.
You can use Live Chat as a bridge between online and in-store shopping.
Get to know the person on the other side by striking up a conversation, offering help, and offering help. You can develop a lasting relationship this way.
To illustrate, if customer X is looking for the best shoes to suit her jogging needs... you can help her via Live Chat.
(source)
Let me get to the next tactic...
Personalization
One-time shoppers become long-term customers if they receive a personalized shopping experience. And you can do this from the very first touchpoint with your online customers.
Remember this:
When you customize an experience for them, they will feel more comfortable with your brand.
Now, you're probably wondering "how can you provide a personalized shopping experience?"
Did you know that you can learn more about a customer's preferences by looking at the products they add to their cart. Or, based on the products they browse through your website.
And once you know these things...
You can personalize shopping suggestions by showing products related to them. And yes, you can do it even if they don't visit your website often.
This helps your business increase customer loyalty and drive more return traffic.
You can also extend the extra mile to your customers by...
Product Cross-Selling
Cross-selling occurs when customers buy an additional product that complements their original purchase.
When you're seeking to reduce customer churn, particularly at seasonal times, this is the best way.
Showing complementary products to seasonal customers has become a good practice... especially for retaining long-term customers.
Here, you can do customer segmentation based on the products they buy from your online store.
For example, when a customer orders a leather bag, your store can suggest a leather coin purse to match.
With cross-selling, you can order multiple products at once. This reduces your operating costs.
This also means... you are spending less time and money on optimizing your site to showcase all your products.
And when you cross-sell, you handle optimization for a number of products at once.
Obviously, this benefits your online store as it increases your conversion.
Cross-selling goes beyond trying to get customers to buy your items.
It's also about providing shoppers with an enjoyable shopping experience... by leading them to discover other products they might need.
Last point but certainly not least...
10. Improve Your Seasonal Marketing Strategy
Increase your sales and customers by leveraging seasonal marketing strategies. This will definitely help your customer retention.
Now, you need to be subtle when doing this. Avoid overly generous discounts and overwhelming promotions for your customers.
Instead, determine what professional strategies you need to implement.
Remember, a well-thought seasonal marketing strategy will surely convert one-time seasonal customers to life-long customers.
So, what are you waiting for?
Start Turning Your One-Time Seasonal Shoppers To Loyal Customers!
Let me tell you one last thing...
All these efforts will be meaningless... if your ecommerce store isn't optimized with Debutify.
With Debutify, your ecommerce site will perform at its best. It's highly customizable, includes over 50+ Add-Ons, and goes beyond your website's aesthetics. But that's not all! Debutify can boost your average order value and increase your profit.
So why not get started?
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Ricky Hayes
