How to turn your holiday shoppers into loyal customers

Provide great customer service

Going above and beyond should be leveraged from the local perspective, as this personal touch is something you can provide in greater quality and quantity than a big box store.

“So much of exceptional day-to-day service comes down to tone — ‘Is there anything else I can do for you?’ and ‘What else do you want?’ are in essence, asking the same thing, but are wildly different in terms of tone. In other words, great service not only depends on execution (that you asked in the first place), it also depends on perception, or how you communicated with the customer. Getting that right is the first step in building a business people love interacting with.” — Gregory Ciotti, Help Scout

Prepare for Returns

You never want to see a purchase come back for any reason, but sometimes it just happens. Whatever the reason for a return may be, you want to be as engaging and helpful as possible.

“The No. 1 reason that in-store-only shoppers refuse to buy online is because of the returns process, according to Total Retail magazine. “This shows how important it is for retailers to handle the returns process effectively. Eighty-five percent of customers will not buy again from a company whose returns process is complicated or inconvenient. That’s a staggering number to say the least. Conversely, if the returns process is easy, 95 percent of customers said they would buy again from a company.”

Your returns policy should be clearly stated and easy to find on your site, however, it is also important to listen to individual complaints and try to remedy them before the customer leaves forever. If you can provide a solution that makes everyone happy, the buyer will remember that. If you can’t, happily refund the money and thank them for their purchase. Keep in mind that buyers who’ve been happy with your company so far might just accept that refund in the form of gift cards.

Listen

New shoppers are going to have lots of questions, and they won’t be afraid to ask. They will, however, take their business elsewhere if you’re not responsive. Be ready to catch emails, social media posts, phone calls, and even questions in the comment section of your blog. Give thoughtful answers that focus on the need rather than an answer you think will sell a product. Transparency and honesty go a long way toward starting a relationship.

Create Beautiful Product Packaging

If you know the products ordered are gifts, consider helping the buyer along with the wrapping stage. If you take a few extra steps by folding garments neatly, including decorative packing materials, and maybe even gift wrapping the box, you show that first-time buyer that you really.

“A big part of building a long-term, sustainable brand is bringing customer back time and time again. It’s been covered many times before here on the Shopify blog and elsewhere, but it’s almost always less expensive to get a current customer to purchase again than it is to always find new customers.

In a recent survey from Dotcom Distribution it was found that 52 percent of consumers are likely to make repeat purchases from an online merchant that delivers premium packaging. In that same study, Dotcom also found that nearly 4 in 10 consumers would share an image of a delivery via social media if it came in a unique package.
 ‘The value of premium packaging extends far beyond the customer experience into residual marketing effects. The experience goes beyond the online order to when the customer actually opens the beautifully wrapped package and shares that experience across social networks. That act of online and social recommendations drives loyalty from your customers and promotes brand awareness.’ — Maria Haggerty, CEO of Dotcom Distribution.

People like sharing great experiences. If you do a search for “TrunkClub Unboxing” on Google, you’ll find thousands of blog posts, images and videos. Each one of those pieces of content were created by a customer, further helping TrunkClub get their name out there to more people, along with valuable back links to help improve their SEO.
 As an example, take a look at this TrunkClub unboxing video. Just one of many that has nearly 50,000 views on YouTube.

Post-campaign tips

This is the perfect phase to really capitalize on those new customers.

“Typically, in January, win rates are 1.5 percent to 2 percent higher, so you can reach more consumers using less budget,” according to Patrizio Spagnoletto for Internet Retailer Magazine. “And last year, conversion rates in January were only 5 percent lower than the previous December, when holiday shopping is at an all-time high. Additionally, many consumers received gift cards over the holidays and on average, these recipients will spend 20 percent more than their gift card value.

The first quarter is a great time to take advantage of a less crowded digital marketplace, build a loyal customer base, and capitalize on gift card purchases and returns. Instead of starting with retargeting again, start by refilling the conversion funnel start by using Prospecting campaigns to reach new customers.

The most effective Prospecting campaigns combine a variety of tactics (Look-alike, 3rd party data, demographic audiences, and contextual and vertical targeting) to reach new customers who are most likely to convert. Next, launch retargeting campaigns to reach those who visited your site in December or who put products in their cart in October, November, or December but have yet to make a purchase.”

Keep in Touch

Once the purchase has been made, be sure to follow up with the buyer after the holiday season. Did the recipient love the gift? Are there other questions you can answer for the buyer? Can you share some other items that might make the gift even better?

Remembering that the first-time customers only found you because of a gift for their loved ones, make suggestions that the buyer may find interesting. With the data you’ve already collected by this point, you can segment your emails in new and exciting ways to reach them. And hey, maybe they’ll never need your products for themselves, but if you impress them enough, they may return later for other gifts.