Are Repeat Customers Part of Your Conversion Strategy?

Think about your favorite store for a moment. It’s the first place you go when you need to buy a particular item. You’ve probably got different favorites for clothing, electronics, groceries, etc.

Now, ask yourself what it is about those stores that keep you coming back. Is it just the price? Probably not—otherwise, the pricier stores would all be out of business. More likely, it’s one of three things: the quality of merchandise, the customer service, or the ease of shopping. At the really great stores, you’ll find all three.

Three Ways to Increase Repeat Business

Now let’s think about your website as a store. Those three aspects—quality, service, and usability—will be the things that keep visitors coming back to your site. By optimizing all three, you can increase repeat customers and maximize conversions overall. Let’s take a closer look at how you can improve in each of these three areas.

Quality

It’s not just the quality of your merchandise, but also the selection and your ability to cater your services to the needs of your target audience. If you promote yourself as a one-stop shop for fly-fishing needs, can you deliver on that promise?

Offer quality content as well, including how-to articles, informational articles, opinions, and reviews. Increase repeat customers by making your website the best place on the web to find information on your subject matter.

Service

Follow the Golden Rule for service. Treat your customers the way you want to be treated. This will result in things like using opt-ins for email lists to avoid spam, offering incentives such as special discounts for previous customers, and going out of your way to correct problems that may arise with an order.

If Customer Joe receives a broken fly fishing rod in the mail while he’s on vacation and returns it after the 30 day return policy has expired are you willing to work with him anyway? If you do, you’ll earn his loyalty for life, and he’ll tell all his fly-fishing buddies how great your company is.

Usability

Make your site easy to navigate. Fix broken links, eliminate distractions, make sure every link delivers on its promise, and use consistent layout to make things easy to find.

In order to increase repeat customers, you’ve got to make your site an enjoyable place to be, not only for purchases, but also for general browsing and information gathering.

Repeat business will not only increase your website’s conversion rate, it will also increase your referrals.  Happy, satisfied customers love telling friends and family about their favorite places to shop.

What are you doing to increase your repeat business?