There are many benefits to having repeat customers, but it’s not enough to assume that if a customer’s bought once they will buy again. You need to put effort into retaining your customers, and it’s key to do this after their first purchase. You can’t just sit back and wait for them to buy again; you need to be proactive.

Why do repeat customers have more value? 

A repeat customer has a lot more value to an ecommerce brand than a one-time purchaser that goes beyond the extra revenue generated by their additional purchases. They have lifetime value for brands, and this is why:

1. Repeat customers are more likely to shop with you again 

   It may seem obvious, but it’s important to remember. If the same customer buys from your brand twice, there’s a 45% chance they’ll make a third purchase and if they do, there’s a 54% chance they’ll buy from you a fourth time.

2. Repeat customers are easier to sell to 

   Repeat customers is the subsection of your audience that is the most likely to take advantage of promotions you’re offering, to purchase a wider range of products, and to spend on key holidays such as Black Friday.

3. Repeat customers spend more money

    In addition to buying more often, a repeat customer also spends more money per order, and this increases almost every time they make another purchase. If they’ve bought once, they already have some idea of what to expect and therefore have more trust in the process and the products. They’re willing to spend more money because there are less barriers to conversion— they already know what to expect.

4. Repeat customers are more likely to refer others

   Customer referrals are quickly becoming the most effective way to grow the customer base of ecommerce businesses, and the most likely group of people to refer products, services, or brands to their friends are repeat customers. 

How do I encourage my customers to be repeat customers 

There are many different ways you can encourage your customers to make repeat purchases. The methods you use and what level of success you achieve will depend on what products and services you offer, but if you’re creative enough, any of these can apply directly to your brand.

1. Create a pleasant online shopping experience

   The best way to encourage customers to become repeat customers before they even make their first purchase is by creating a positive shopping experience for them. 

   No matter what products or services you provide, consumers want a purchasing journey that is quick, easy, and leaves them feeling good. Anything that prevents your customers from enjoying the experience is a barrier to them completing their purchase. You want to make sure you’re not turning off your potential customers because your website is slow, makes your brand feel cheap, or takes away from the shopping experience. 

   Use pleasing imagery that makes your consumers understand your brand story and feel included in it. Delight your customers with fast shipping and packaging that continues the positive experience once they have the products in their hands.

   If you can get your customers excited to be a part of your brand and enjoy the act of buying your products, they will return for more.

2. Foster trust and be authentic

   One of the most forgotten but most important elements of creating a great user experience is creating trust and being authentic. The more a consumer trusts your brand, the more likely they are to return. The more authentic you can make your brand feel, the more trust consumers will have.  
   

   User-generated content, such as customer reviews and photos, has been shown to feel more authentic than brand-created or influencer content because it gives consumers an idea of what to expect from their purchase and it’s hard to fake. Product-specific reviews are the easiest way to authenticate a product’s quality (if the reviews are good).
   

   Good customer service is also key to developing trust with your customers. Being available to answer any pre- or post-purchase questions or concerns makes consumers feel like real humans are involved in the brand and that they’ll be able to get help if needed, which makes their investment in your brand less risky. 

   
   Poor customer service can also directly lead to people not making repeat purchases. 71% of consumers have ended a relationship with a company due to poor customer service.

3. Use email marketing

   Email marketing is one of the least expensive ways you can reach out to customers after they’ve purchased from you, and you can easily create email marketing campaigns designed to encourage repeat sales. 

   Reaching out to customers after they’ve purchased can make the customer feel genuinely important. It makes them feel noticed and part of the brand’s journey. It also gives you a chance to reward the customer for their purchase and incentivise them to return. 

   Sending a “thank you from the CEO” email after a purchase is becoming an increasingly popular way to reach out to first-time customers to help convert them into customers for life. Everyone likes to hear thank you, and hearing it may be the extra push needed to get someone to come back.

   Email marketing can also be used to deliver discounts or other offers to customers, or to showcase other products that they may be interested in based on what they’ve purchased already. Emails can help keep your brand top of mind and keep them in the loop on any promotions you’re running or any news that adds to your brand’s story.

4. Product frequency / subscriptions

   Some products and services lend themselves to repeat purchases better than others, and if yours does, you need to be taking advantage. 

   If you sell in quantities that are related to a time period (i.e. a month’s supply at a time) or that lends itself to repurchasing after it runs out (i.e. skincare) you can be leveraging this to win repeat purchases. 

   If you know how long your product lasts for the average user, you can automate email marketing campaigns to remind them to buy again when they’ll be getting low. If they’ve bought a month’s supply of tattoo ink, send them an email reminding them a week before the month’s up tha  it’s time to stock back up. 

   Subscription services are also a great way to guarantee repeat sales in advance. Even if you allow users to cancel at any time, subscriptions are a great way to get new customers hooked on your products and encourage repeat sales. If getting repeat sales is a priority for you, get creative and consider different ways you could offer a subscription service to your customers. It doesn’t need to be traditional to be effective. 

5. Reward customer loyalty 

   If you already have a group of customers that make repeat purchases now and again, there are ways you can squeeze more regular purchases and higher purchase amounts from them.

   How do you do this? By rewarding customer loyalty.

   Customer loyalty programs are one of the easiest ways to secure a customer for life for your brand. A customer is much less likely to purchase a product from your competitors if they’re being incentivised to buy it from you instead. 
   

   Customer loyalty programs and campaigns can be as simple as offering exclusive discounts in targeted email campaigns or punchcard systems (i.e. buy 10 of something and get the 11th free). This type of campaign is highly customisable so you will always be able to find a way to make it work for what you’re selling.

6. Encourage customer referrals 

   When you’re talking about repeat customers, you cannot afford to ignore the power of customer referrals. Referrals have a lot of value for businesses. Referral campaigns, on average, result in a return on investment ten times higher than a typical acquisition campaign and referred customers are 5x more likely to refer others and usually spend 11% more on their first order.

   The best part about referrals is that the new customers being referred to your brand are likely to be interested in what you’re selling because their friends are! It’s like building a lookalike audience but skipping the step where you have to go out and find the new users. You’re getting your existing customer base to find new customers for you.

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