Ecommerce
How to Turn This Blue Monday into a Profitable Year of eCommerce
January 16, 2023
•
4 min read
While some might argue that we don’t need a single day to give thanks, the reality is that our lives are increasingly busy and we sometimes forget to show our gratitude.
In this way, it’s much like the relationship you have with your customers. They know that you appreciate them choosing you over your competitors, but how often are you stopping to show your customers just how much they mean to you? We’ve come up with some suggestions below to help change that in honour of Mother’s Day.
Whether you operate a brick-and-mortar store or are based online, most companies are great at saying ‘thank you’ at the end of the check-out experience. However, not many follow it up with an additional thanks to how much they really appreciate the custom.
A follow-up email that includes a short message of thanks with their order details can be a genuine way of expressing your thanks. Your thank you email is also the perfect time to offer your customers the chance to leave a review.
Although asking for a review may feel like you're begging praise from your customers, it's actually another way you can express your appreciation by offering them the chance to anonymously and freely raise concerns, highlight praise and express why they chose to use your business.
Including your social media @handles also encourages customers to join your community and become a loyal shopper, rather than a one-time purchaser. Alternatively, inserting a hand-written or branded ‘thank you’ note within their package is also a lovely extra touch - especially in our increasingly digital age.
Brands who have previously invested a little time and effort into this have often found themselves tagged in customer’s social media posts, who appreciate the extra level of thoughtfulness shown by the brand. It’s a small gesture that they are likely to tell their friends and family about, and may also encourage greater review conversion rates.
Your customers have a use for your product or service in mind, but going above and beyond by giving them new ideas and ways in which to enhance their experience can transform their view of shopping with you.
Weekly or monthly newsletters are a great way of connecting with your audience on a deeper level. Recognising their pain points as well as deeper interests will allow you to position your brand and services in a more authentic way. Sharing free, relevant and helpful information in this way builds trust with your customers, some of whom will feel they need the complimentary products or services you suggest and thus become a real brand advocate.
Depending on your product or service, customers may not make repeat purchases every week, but having regular contact will ensure you stay in their minds for when a friend, family member or they themselves need you in the future.
This established connection and trust enhances the likelihood that not only will those individuals feel more comfortable leaving reviews, but those they recommend your services to will also feel more at ease lending their feedback.
A great way to show your customers that you care is to let them feel heard. Social media is a great platform to do this because it offers both a direct and public way to communicate. Sharing someone’s image of your product or service shows them that you are pleased to see them enjoying their purchase, while simultaneously acting as an endorsement for potential buyers.
Some brands use the hashtag: #TestmonialTuesday to highlight their customers’ great experience, which on our last check had been used over 96,000 times.
Giving your customers a voice by sharing their testimonials and reviews makes them feel empowered. Within businesses of any size, time and resources are scarce, so to know that someone from the company has taken time to read through their customers’ reviews and comments suggests the company cares about their community and wants to do right by them.
If your business’s resources are already stretched but this is something you’ve been wanting to do for a while, it’s good to know that Reviews.io can collate and manage your customer reviews for you in one centralised dashboard. From here, you can view, respond and share any review publically, recognising the person who wrote it, as well as building trust and being considered by other future clients.
This can be of incredible value around public holidays like Mother’s Day where people take to the internet to find the perfect gift for Mum. Brands often find themselves fighting fierce competition for the number one spot on Google, and the whole process can be overwhelming for consumers too, who aren’t sure exactly what to buy. Letting your customers’ reviews speak for you can set you above the competition, generating more sales and leads.
Some brands go one stage further with 'Surprise and Delight' tactics for their customers.
Each month, a person is selected at random to win a prize or gift voucher to use in-store or online. Expressing thanks with something tangible or of monetary value not only ensures the person talks about your brand but encourages them to shop with you again.
Some brands incorporate this into their after-sales marketing, providing a unique 'Refer a Friend' discount code or percentage off their next shop. Vouchers such as this can also be included in review invitation emails, which is another great way to express gratitude and facilitate a greater number of reviews.
For events like Mother’s Day, brands can encourage people to treat themselves when they treat their Mum with a Buy One Get One Half Price offer. These can be exclusive to their existing customer base or provided as a blanket offer to everyone. Either way, the message communicated is of rewarding and appreciating their custom, which goes a long way.
Be front of mind this Mother’s Day and lead by her example.
Brands that are kind, caring and compassionate towards their customers are sure to stand above their competition. Go out of your way to appreciate their custom, help them to show their mothers they care by suggesting relevant gift ideas based on their previous purchases, and give your customers a voice by enabling them to leave reviews which can be shared online and across social media.
Taking a little extra time to show your appreciation for your customers throughout the year will build a community of loyal brand advocates and spread the word about your company. It keeps you humble and significantly reduces the risk of a customer feeling undervalued or unimportant to you.
To help you achieve that loyal community whose appreciation you can showcase across your site, get in touch with a member of our team, or give reviews a try today by signing up for a demo using one of the buttons on this page.
