3 Personalized Customer Retention Strategies For Your Shopify Store

Running a successful business isn’t just about selling the most number of products. It isn’t about the thousands of customers served or the number of receipts and invoices issued. The modern retail market has evolved so much in the past decades to the point of conquering even the Internet. Shopify is one of the top e-commerce platforms that exist and if you own an online shop that runs on it, one key to achieving business success is to employ a customer retention strategy that truly works!

There is plenty of software, apps, and other tools that promise to boost your store’s customer retention rate but most lack one very important aspect, personalization. Attracting customers and keeping existing ones interested in your brand entails much effort. You’ll need to make sure that you’re providing what your customers really need and implement some strategies that will make the overall customer journey personalized.

You might already be familiar with affiliate apps, ambassador programs, or even those rewards software and customer loyalty tools that can be integrated with Shopify but did you know that your customers need more than that in order to stay in love with your business? They want to feel that they are an important part of it and they serve an integral part in your business success.

And if you successfully enlisted them as your ambassadors, giving them a personalized space where they can create their own unique identity is crucial. Personalization is king in today’s highly competitive e-commerce space and if your customer retention strategy is to succeed, it should include this one important component. If you’re out of ideas and need some fresh recommendations then here are 3 straightforward tips that you can start implementing to achieve an excellent customer retention rate for your Shopify Store.

1. Offer Personalized Rewards and Discounts to Loyal Customers

Your long time customers stay loyal to your brand because it was able to serve their needs well. But if you want to ensure that their loyalty stays, you’ll need to start offering incentives. One strategy that you can adopt is offering rewards for successful referrals that they bring in or discounts for every repeat order that they make.

But there’s a big chance that your competitors are already doing this so spice up your offer by adding a touch of personalization to it. For instance, you can offer rewards in the form of discount points that your loyal customers can use in purchasing the products that he/she loves. Another creative way of personalizing rewards is offering birthday discounts or vouchers. Offer your techie customers some tech discount vouchers or your sassy lady customers some beauty product freebies.

You may also assign certain days as “Techie Stuff Tuesday” or “Fashionista Fridays” for instance. There’s an unlimited set of options for you in this area and the great thing is you can combine them to ensure that your shop’s customer retention rate soars higher than your competitors.

2. Start a Personalized Ambassador Program

An ambassador program is another way of empowering those loyal customers and turning them into efficient promotion agents for your brand. There are several apps out there that can help you get started with an ambassador program for your Shopify store but only a few can actually implement a personalized one that will surely make your ambassadors hooked up.

Try something that allows the creation of a custom designed sign-up portal where your loyal customers can join to become a full-fledged ambassador. Once they become a member of your program, be sure to set it up in a way that allows them to choose their own discount or referral code (whichever works for your business model) so their identity is preserved as they start promoting your product in their own space.

For instance, you can allow ambassadors to put their website name as the first characters/words on their discount or referral code so they can share it to their audience and help boost their credibility as an influencer in their own field.

You may have seen some vloggers do this in YouTube. Some websites and blogs also do this same practice where discount codes for a particular product sold by a certain Shopify store which they are ambassador for are displayed on their website and it bears a personalized set of word or characters on it that is related to their own brand identity.

Being able to offer this innovative form of an ambassador program for loyal customers will surely boost your shop’s customer retention rate and skyrocket your sales. Never underestimate what loyal armies can do so better get them hooked up with your business by making sure personalization is being served in this aspect.

3. Communicate With Them On a Personal Level

Customers want to feel that they are an important part of your business especially as they spend more and more purchasing and using your product or brand. That feeling of entitlement is inevitable especially for customers who have been staying with you for quite some time now so be sure to know them by name and communicate with them on a personal level.

It isn’t hard to figure who’s the top customer in your shop especially on Shopify and there are plenty of apps out there that can help you find those who deserve to become part of your core ambassador team. Once you find them, you can start the conversation by sending them a personal email and telling them what you are up to and what’s in it for them.

Set clear terms and make them feel how much you appreciate their loyalty. Remember that existing customers have that highest chance of re-purchasing your products and even patronizing your new offers. And when these customers are impressed with how well you know them, they’re sure to turn into referral magnets especially when you offer them great deals or allow them to earn commissions for every sale that they bring in!

Statistics show that new customers who have been referred to your shop or encouraged to purchase your products by no other than your loyal customers have a greater chance of doing repeat purchases. The key is getting the message out and making sure that it is being received well. The best way you can do this is by reaching out to them on a loving and personal level!

Personalization is King!

Gone are the days of “spray and pray”! We are now in the modern era of personalization. Avoid the mistake of treating customers as milking cows or faceless agents whose sole purpose is to make your business grow because the truth is it won’t soar high towards the skies of success if you leave personalization out of the picture.

Your ambassador program won’t be as profitable as it should be if you just put it out there and wait for members to start signing up. You’ll need to embellish it with every possible form of personalization that’s available at present.

If you feel like you’ve got a great idea for personalization that doesn’t exist yet then be sure to get it implemented on your shop. Think creatively and find ways where you can innovate. After all, our world is now full of opportunities for business innovation than ever before. Start collaborating with some passionate customers and ask them what they think about your shop.

Many heads are better than one as they say and there’s always a good place of safety for your business if you’ve got ambassadors who are ready help. Loyal customers stay loyal and eventually turn into your very own ambassadors when you make them feel special through personalization. Start personalizing your ambassador program today; we’re always here if you need help!

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