Three Customer Marketing Tactics For Retail Stores

Whether you are just opening a retail store or have been running a business for years, you know customers are what keep your doors open. It’s common for retailers to focus on earning new customers, but having a loyal customer base is crucial for your retail business.

The cost to maintain a current customer can be up to six times less than the cost to acquire a new customer. That’s why it’s so important to have a customer marketing strategy in place to keep people coming back to your business. Here are three customer marketing tactics for your retail store to keep customers satisfied and create more repeat business.

1. Continue Relationships After Purchase

Once a customer comes into your store, it’s ineffective to sit back and wait for them to return. So it’s essential to make sure you continue to stay in touch after their purchase. With software from the General Store, you can collect contact information and behavior history to know your shoppers better. Then, proactively reach out to them through personalized mail and email marketing.

Sending personalized messages to your customers is an easy way to build your relationships. For example, a simple we miss you message can be sent out to customers who haven’t been in-store during a set period. This will keep communication open and bring your retail business top of mind. In addition, acknowledging your shoppers strengthens your relationships, keeps them loyal for the long run.

2. Loyalty and Referral Programs

The retail industry is highly competitive these days. Therefore, it’s crucial to offer incentives for customers to return to your store so that you can build long-term relationships. 90 percent of consumers say they’re likely to choose a retailer with a premium loyalty membership over a retailer offering a lower price. Your business can get ahead of the competition and retain more customers by adding a quality loyalty and referral program to your customer marketing tactics.

Loyalty: There are many different ways to offer a loyalty program from punch cards to email programs. With the right software, your loyalty program is built-in to your POS, making it simple to manage customer data. First, collect sales, behavior history, and contact information to learn more about your shoppers. Then, customize your loyalty offerings and discounts to deliver a personalized experience and make customers feel valued. For example, you can reward customers’ repeat purchase behaviors which encourages them to return to your store more often and buy more each visit.

Referral: Your customers can become your brand advocates by offering a referral program. This customer marketing tactic helps you work smarter, not harder, by helping you retain your current customers and get new ones. For example, you can offer your loyalty program members $10 in rewards by referring another customer who joins the program. Customers who love your brand get rewarded for sharing with their friends and family while earning discounts. This approach is effective because it increases your brand’s trustworthiness and reaches a more significant number of customers than ever before.

3. Streamline The Customer Experience

Customers aren’t looking just to make a purchase. With so many retail stores, they want a streamlined customer experience that makes their lives easier. So along with offering customers the products they want, you can add value to their shopping experience to keep them coming back.

BOPIS: Buy online, pick up in store (BOPIS) offers brick-and-mortar retailers a much-needed edge over digital retail. Many customers want certain items within a few hours or less, but they’re still wary of long checkout lines or unnecessary human interactions by shopping in-store. 59 percent of customers won’t shop at a retailer if it doesn’t offer the ability for customers to buy online and pick up in-store.

eCommerce: In today’s digital world, customers want the option to shop online. To provide them with the customer experience they expect, your retail store must be online. With an eCommerce integration, you can quickly open your business to a broader audience without the overhead cost.

Easy purchases in-store: While online shopping continues to grow, customers still rely on in-store shopping for ease, speed, and community. To keep up with the competition, retailers need to look for the technology tools to take their business to the next level. A robust retail POS that accepts multiple forms of payment and offers quick check-out experiences can help keep customers satisfied.

The Right Customer Marketing Tactics for Your Business

These three customer marketing tactics are just a few ways to help your business attract and retain customers. It’s essential to find the right strategy for your business and customers. At The General Store, we have a POS solution that integrates with loyalty programs and customer marketing tools, so your business stays in front of your existing customers and keeps them coming back.

Contact us today to learn more about how our solutions can keep your retail customers satisfied and help create more repeat business!