5 Ways to Increase Your Business’s Customer Retention Rate
What’s your business’s customer retention rate? If most customers only make a single purchase, you’ll struggle to grow and expand your business. Statistics show that an average of 80% of a business’s sales come from just 20% of its customers. Therefore, you should consider the following tips to increase your business’s customer retention rate.
#1) Offer Exceptional Customer Service
The single most important thing you can do to increase your business’s customer retention rate is to offer exceptional customer service. By going above the expectations of customers, you’ll set your business apart from its competitors — all while encouraging customers to stay with your business and make additional purchases in the future.
#2) Create a Loyalty Rewards Program
Another way to retain more of your business’s customers is to create a loyalty rewards program. In the most basic sense, a loyalty rewards program is any program that rewards customers for making additional purchases. You can use a basic points-based system, for example, in which customers are rewarded with points for making purchases. Customers can then redeem these points for discounts, free products or services or other items.
#3) Reach Out to Existing Customers
Something as simple as reaching out to your business’s existing customers — whether by phone, email, social media or elsewhere — can help you achieve a higher customer retention rate. If a customer forgets your business, it’s unlikely he or she will return to make additional purchases in the future. Therefore, you should proactively reach out to existing customers with relevant marketing messages.
#4) Offer Limited-Time Promotions
Of course, offering limited-time promotions can entice your business’s existing customers to make a purchase and, therefore, increase your business’s customer retention rate. Regardless of what products or services you sell, consider creating promotions that are only good for a limited period of time. When customers see these deals, they’ll feel more inclined to take action so that they don’t miss the opportunity to save money.
#5) Encourage Referrals
You can even use referrals to increase your business’s customer retention rate. If a customer is happy with your business, ask him or her for referrals. Any new customers referred to your business may stay with your business for a long period of time after receiving a recommendation from a friend or family member. These are just a few ways to increase your business’s customer retention rate.
Have any other customer retention tips that you’d like to share? Let us know in the comments section below!