In retail location matters, and brick and mortar retailers spend a lot of time and resources in getting new customers to walk in their stores,  but that is just the beginning; keeping customers coming back is the key to operating a successful retail operation. Here are some tips on how to do that

Brand awareness

Let’s start here,  keep reminding them where they are – have associates greet them by using your store name “ Welcome to (store name);  Can I help you find something?” Remind them where they are whenever possible – Thank you for shopping at (store name); try to use shopping bags, digital receipts where your store name is prominently displayed. Whenever possible use preprinted hangtags or if you don’t want to invest in them – try a stamp or sticker with your name and logo.

Exceed expectations

Here is a low-cost value add for your customers, have associates be aware of surprising customers with random acts of kindness (I don’t mean give away free product or discounts) – taking time to carefully package items, spending a little more time to make sure the customer experience is curated for the customer.

Inventory transparency

Provide accurate information to the customer or product availability. Give associates the tools to know what’s in stock, what’s on the way in and when it can be expected.  Pay particular attention to your product mix and train your associates on complimentary and replacement product.

Value your relationships

Loyalty and club programs (especially experienced based ones) are the cornerstone of retail – Club programs can range from simple pricing discounts like grocery stores offer or experience-based ones that many airlines focus on. One of my favorite example of a club program is a neighborhood restaurant who has a point system for visits and once you get to a certain level – they guarantee you a table anytime – I’ve seen them set up temporarily set up tables for their top customers even when fully sold out – I’m sure that those customers feel the restaurant always value their relationship.

Last but by no means least

Get online

Consumers want easy access to their favorite stores, have an online site that has accurate information on products and inventory levels (ideally connected to your inventory system) and tied to your POS (so customers have one view into all their activity). This allows customers to view product, make purchases and even process returns at their convenience.

Keep the shopping process simple yet enriching is what will keep them coming back. Keep reminding the customer where they are (frequency of impression is real) and have your associates stay focused on providing a quality experience. These are some simple yet inexpensive ways in driving return activity.

Today, getting customers is very hard for most companies, but keeping them is very easy. Customer loyalty mainly focuses on incentives to your current customer base so as to make more purchases. This kind of interaction is aimed at building trust and the desire in the customers to maintain a relationship with you. Most companies today achieve this through customer loyalty programs.

Competition among businesses today has led to most companies putting in real energy and effort to maintain a consistent customer base. A great product does not mean that the customers will come back for more unless you gain the customer’s loyalty. Below are some effective ways to building customer loyalty.

• Implementing the point of sale system: The POS system is a system that rewards the buyers with some type of currency that they can exchange for goods or even services. This is used by many retailers who operate both online and in a physical location. Loyalty point of sale is very effective for your business.
• Giving away free digital products to the customers: This is easy and involves little costs. One can offer third party products such as kindle books or a report or in-house publications. Both Starbucks and Amazon use this strategy. Amazon allows customers to download a kindle book for free as a reward when they make a certain amount of purchases.
• Getting hyper-personal with your customers: This is an underused method that is remarkably simple. Your customers want to feel cared for. One can create a system that will recognize return customers to your business and sends them a message to make them feel more appreciated.
• Letting your best customers to the business skip the line: We all hate waiting. People who truly desire your products or services will stand in line as they wait. You should not punish your loyal customers by leaving them out in the cold or heat as they wait. You should recognize your faithful customers with advance purchases capabilities. This shows that you value them and their time thus they respond with fidelity and gratitude to your business.
• Running discounts and giveaways: You should give your customers discounts and giveaways. This can be coupled up with posting images of the winners, allowing the customers to suggest the prizes and other approaches that will help you in building customer loyalty. Discounts and giveaways will ensure that your customers come back thus building a customer loyalty base for your business.

All these are just some of the effective ways that will ensure you build customer loyalty to your business. The success of any business can be determined by the size of the customer base and building customer loyalty gives you a large customer base that the business needs.