Consumer preferences are always changing, but once the pandemic hit, shopper expectations drastically modified and had sellers scrambling around just to keep up with demand. Now that retail is slowly going back to normal, some changes are here to stay and will be prevalent even into 2022.
According to research from Tidio, only 17 percent of consumers believe that brands listen to their feedback, and about 42 percent think that brands ignore their feedback all together. If a shopper has a bad experience, as many as 45 percent say this will cause them to stop purchasing from that brand in the future. In order to keep customers loyal, sellers need to ensure that shoppers are happy and if they do have a poor experience, you need to make them feel heard and look into resolving the issue.
Here are some ways that flea market and swap meet sellers can establish loyal customers:
1. Offer Fast Customer Service
Findings from the Tidio report revealed that almost 79 percent of shoppers would not complete their online order if the customer service was unresponsive. Whether your customers are trying to chat through social media messages, email, or over the phone, always be sure to have a customer representative respond as soon as possible. Fast customer service is expected to be a standard, not a luxury.
2. Map Out Your Customer Experience Strategy
By mapping your customers’ goals to touchpoints in the buyer’s journey, you can determine the purpose of each type of interaction to ultimately earn that sale. Start with awareness, where through word of mouth, ads, search, social media, and email, customers can come to know your brand. Next is consideration, in which shoppers become interested in learning more about your brand through awareness strategies. Then comes acquisition, where prospects are confident enough in your business that they make a purchase. Following that is service, in which customers have questions about products or policies that you must answer. Lastly is loyalty, where if all of the above steps are met, happy consumers will refer your brand and become loyal customers.
3. Regularly Offer Discounts and Rewards
New global research from retail experts at Emarsys found that almost half (45%) of shoppers only stay loyal to brands due to being regularly offered discounts, points, and rewards. If you think about many loyalty programs, sellers get consumers to sign up through special discounts and coupon codes that only members can enjoy. Businesses need to give customers a reason to be loyal to you other than through great shopping experiences, and price is always a great start.
4. Ensure Your Website is Performing Correctly
According to Tidio, 55 percent of online shoppers aged 18-24 will not buy from poorly performing websites, and this includes poor product photos and slow website loading times. They find these aspects much more frustrating than other customer segments, and patience seems to be thinning with each younger generation. If your business does not have the financial means to create a fast and updated website, then utilize online selling platforms such as Facebook, Etsy, or eBay.
5. Recognize Pain Points & Moments of Delight
No matter how hard you try, some customers will have poor shopping experiences, but this is not the end of the world for your brand. Use this as a learning curve to see what went wrong and how you can fix it to prevent consumers from having the same bad experience again. Also be sure to note positive feedback from shoppers, and continue doing what they love to keep them coming back for more.
The holiday season is the perfect time to gain new and loyal customers. Utilize some of these tips to help your business grow and make future sales.