 Welcome to The Journey. Today we're going to talk about how to generate returning sales on your e-commerce store. I quite like seeing a rush of new customers headed to your business ready to spend money placing orders on your website but without a strategy in place for these fresh faces. Up to 50% of those new customers will never return to your business. So considering that it costs five to seven times more to acquire a new customer at your business versus retaining an existing one, some quick math, one-time customers are not very lucrative no matter how much you value their business. So you should be asking yourself, Emma, how do I retain those first-time customers that are browsing through my product page? You're in the right spot. We're going to go through customer loyalty tips to make sure that you keep them coming back. And don't get us wrong, providing quality service and products that they can't live without is important too. But one sure way to delight customers is to offer perks for buying from you and not your competitors. And I think one of the first ways you can do that is by embracing open and authentic communication. I mean, I can't think of a single time where I wish I was less informed about a service or product I paid for. So good or bad consumers don't know what's up. So keep the lines of communication open. This is also great in your personal life and respond promptly. Now, if that means hiring a virtual assistant to answer the phone, consider it. You can also use your unique voice to provide a window into how your business is operating. And if possible, create a separate page in your website dedicated to your processes alone. And make that page and your contact information front and center on your homepage to really enable quick and easy lines of communication. Link this page in all of your communications. And last year, encourage your customers feedback so that you know what you can do to be there for them. Implement processes to cater to their needs as they evolve. And look, let's be honest, you won't always know the answers. But my advice, admit that. And then you can direct customers to credible sources for all unanswered questions. And I think this is a beautiful segue into customer service. Provide great, you know, not great stellar customer service. Customer service is a total deal maker, no matter what's going on in the world. And think about it. Since you can't actually reach out and touch your customers right now, you'll need to be creative during this time. So knowing your market as you do, anticipate any issues that might arise because of the extraordinary circumstances we find ourselves in. Be proactive and provide customer solutions to respond to these pressure points. Also incorporate contactless delivery or switching to virtual sessions. I know I love the virtual sessions now because I talk to anyone in the world and it's kind of nice. But these are just two examples of creative adaptation. Also consider using personalized emails or phone calls to show your appreciation. I mean, I would love that. And maybe even ask, hey, how can I improve next time? With every order include a little freebie. I mean, please give me all the freebies. My email is no. But with a personal note that will reassure your customers that you're a caring individual behind that screen. It's not just a faceless company. You're there running it. But if you have a supply chain or staffing problems, be transparent. Let your customers know that there might be a delay before they have to ask or learn that there's an issue. If you're proactive with that approach versus them having to spend time out of the day just to find that out, it goes a long way in your customer's eyes. And remember, the smallest gesture can make a world of difference when customers are feeling vulnerable. I'd also encourage you guys to offer loyalty and rewards programs. I know it's one thing I love about having my Nespresso machine, the perks that I get with being a member. You get some free, free pods with each order and some free shipping. It keeps me coming back. So customer loyalty programs are successful because they do exactly what they need to be doing right now. They're strengthening the bond between your business and your customer. And you'd be surprised, loyalty programs are surprisingly easy to set up either through through-party apps or with WordPress and commerce extensions that really handle all those details for you. But you can offer perks and rewards based on products purchased or amount spent. And if the reward is out of stock, you can manually reward points or for discounts that could be applied for future purchases. But if you want us to make a video dedicated on how to create one for your business, drop us a comment below. Also create engaging keyword here, engaging social media campaigns. Social media, after all, is perhaps the best way to highlight your efforts and then interact with your customer base. It allows that two-way street and you can share user-generated content, your customers, rep in your products. You can also respond to comments to really build rapport so you can help to build an engaged following. So here are a couple of different best practices when it comes to social. The first one, I think this is most challenging to all of us, is just to be consistent. Posting on the same day and times reassures your customers that you are available and really when to expect your updates. And with this, I try to go back to the times before Netflix or Hulu when we waited until Thursday night at 8 p.m. for our favorite show. We knew what to expect every week at Thursday at 8 p.m. You can start to create that consistency with your brand and your followers of, I'm gonna post Monday at 3 p.m. It's gonna be my Inspiration Monday post. And on Thursday, it's gonna be an educational piece. It's gonna really solve their problems. And the more consistent you are, your followers start to know when you're showing up and actively start to seek out your content. I love that, Naly, when you talk about TV shows in certain times. Reminds me of that while you're younger than me. You're an old soul. Also, be sure to launch innovative social media campaigns for the purpose of keeping your customers engaged. I know one example is to schedule AMAs. Ask me anything. Those are so fun. I love when I see those pop up. And this is where you dedicate a little block of time, maybe just 30 minutes, maybe an hour, so then customers can submit their latest questions and then, of course, get your responses in real time. And last year, you can also create a special group on your Facebook page where customers can either share their experiences or challenges and support each other through community. And if you can, listen in and respond when appropriate. The goal is to start or deepen a sense of community among your clients, customers, and leads via social media. Also offer coupons and discounts. I know that's a great way to get my business. I recently purchased some sunglasses because I live in San Diego, so you just wear sunglasses every single day. Sorry for anyone who doesn't have as nice as weather, but it was a 10% off first time customers. You just had to give your email address. And so yeah, saved a little money on those sunnies, but coupons or discounts, they're just a good way to get people to try your service or purchase your products. And again, but again, rather, your goal is to keep those customers coming back. So beyond the impeccable customer service that you are delivering, and of course the quality of the items that you offer, give customers a financial incentive to continue using your services or continue coming back to buy sunglasses through you. Yeah. And you can do this by offering frequent or regularly occurring coupon codes and really help those who are safer savvy due to the current uncertainty. You can also create discounts on package deals of products and services that you know your customers will likely buy together and probably need multiple of. But lastly here, you can also offer payment plans to stretch out customer purchases, kind of like a layaway. And honestly, the best thing you can do is be available and be present with your customers. What you definitely want to be wary of is over automating things because if you do that for every step of the marketing funnel, it's going to take away from that human to human connection, which your customers value so much, it's going to help you to build those long term relationships and boost customer loyalty. So all you really have to do is remain focused to the human beings that are on the other side of that transaction. So that's a wrap. You just learned how to generate returning sales on e-commerce store. Be sure to like this video and comment below. While you're there, subscribe to this channel and ring that bell so you get these episodes first. This is The Journey. See you in the next video.