Why Your Comic Store Needs a Customer Database
Repeat customers are the foundation of any business, big or small. In the US, although repeat customers only account for 8% of visitors, they bring in 40% of all revenue.
Comic book stores rely on regular customers, so it’s important to track their buying habits and give them the personalized service they deserve.
The best way to do that is with a comprehensive customer database. Here’s how an online database like the one we provide with Manage Comics can help you improve your business:
Keep Track of All Customer Information
Maybe you think paper lists or spreadsheets of your customers’ comic orders are working fine for you now. But that’s all they are, a list of customers and their orders. And we need to do better than fine for our loyal customers.
An online customer database can link in customer contacts, keep track of conversations, keep track of customer requests, and assign tasks for team members to follow up on inquiries.
By knowing all there is to know about each customer at every step of the way, customer service improves and customers are happier as a result.
Product Availability and Online Payment
With an online customer database, customers can log in to their account and see what comics they have on order and what’s ready for them to pick up.
And for extra convenience, customers can automatically pay for their order quickly and conveniently through the site.
Product Recommendations
Repeat customers will often buy the same products time and time again. But that doesn’t mean that they’re not open to suggestions.
A customer database allows you to keep in touch with regular emails letting customers know what comics you’ve added to the store or a special edition they won’t want to miss out on.
You can also send customers targeted recommendations, such as related products based on what other customers order.
It’s been found that customers make two of every three spending decisions based on emotional factors. So, referring back to products they already enjoy validates their choices and emphasizes that positive feeling, making a sale even more likely.
Customers Can Change Their Preferences
It’s not always possible for customers to go to your brick and mortar store to make an enquiry or change an order.
These days customers expect to interact with their chosen brands and businesses when and how they want to. Allowing them to access their account with you via an online service makes your comic book store more accessible and convenient.
Customers will then be able to see previous orders and make changes to future orders, making your store run more efficiently and giving your customers exactly what they want.
The Bottom Line on Customer Databases
If you don’t have an easily accessible customer database at your fingers any time of the day, it is costing you money.
We’ve got a handy online guide that will help you get set up — Getting Started with Manage Comics, but if you’d like to just know more check out our blog, send us an email via NorthIQ, or get in touch with us on Twitter — @managecomics.
