You‘ve made it! You built an online business and you now have customers to please and serve. You will quickly learn, if you have ‘t already, that maintaining positive relationships with your customers will be the key to earning repeat business.
Improving and building positive relationships with your customers can, at first, seem tricky with your store being online. After all, you never get to see the buyers face-to-face. Heck, it‘s possible that you won’t ever personally meet or get to know your customers.
The nature of online shopping is convenient for sellers in the way that they are not responsible for physical customer service. However, this can be impersonal and even bad for business at times.
So, how can an online seller strive to make a personal connection with their customers to improve relationships? We have five essential tips to help you maintain and build positive connections with your online buyers!
Quick Responses
Nothing will instill a customer‘s confidence in you and your online business more than quick replies to their questions about your services or products. Not only will quick replies assist you in making a sale, but they will also make your customers feel taken care of and secure in their decision to purchase from your online store.
You can ensure your customers receive quick replies by hiring staff for the purpose of handling prompt buyer questions. Or, if your online business is small enough still, you can task yourself with the job!
In addition, there is specific software available on the market to assist you in building relationships with your customers. For more information on these programs, visit our article 7 Best Small Business CRM 2021.
Complete Descriptions
Even when you are not speaking or communicating with a customer there are things you can do to help that buyer build a positive relationship with your online store. Making sure each of your products and services includes a complete and clear description is an essential requirement in helping customers build confidence in what you have to offer.
Complete and clear descriptions will allow your buyers to make informed decisions and, as a result, they will feel good about the purchases they make through your business. If you have a knack for writing, you could create your own descriptions. Or, you can hire a freelance professional to flesh out the details for you!
Positive Emails and Surveys
You definitely don’t want to spam your customers with endless emails. However, sending a positive message along with the receipt is a sure way to leave your buyer feeling all warm and fuzzy about the purchase they just made.
To top it off, you could send out follow-up surveys to your customers requesting their feedback on your website, products, shipping, and customer service. You‘ll find that, in most cases, customers who have purchased from you will have lots of good things to say!
And, if they have feedback, these critical responses can be used to make your customers ‘ experiences more enjoyable. To entice people to complete your survey, you could offer an incentive discount that will increase your chances of each buyer becoming a repeat customer.
Buyers who see that you took their feedback and made essential changes to your online store will feel valued and heard.
Connect on Social Media
Some of the most successful online stores are the ones that have an impressive and active social media presence. Connect with your clientele by advertising various social media platforms and by offering exclusive discounts to those who follow your accounts.
More followers will equal more potential customers repeatedly seeing information about your online business each time you make a post. Social media is a great way to allow the world to get to know your business ‘ personality! Increase your business ‘ online presence and effectiveness by hiring a social media manager.
Or, learn more about the process and become an expert yourself. You can educate yourself and become an expert by reading Tips To Up Your Instagram Photo Game as well as The Ultimate Guide to Facebook Advertising.
As a reminder, the following social media platforms are popular for online stores seeking to connect with their buyers:
Fast and Cheap Shipping
Imagine the ideal customer for your online store. They click on your website, which is highly ranked on Google, and immediately begin to add products or services into their online shopping cart. Your ideal customer is enjoying your website graphics, and they appreciate the hard work you‘ve put into your clear descriptions.
They are now ready to purchase their items! They enter all of the essential information and, finally, make it to the shipping information page. What type of shipping options will they find? Are they going to be forced to click an overpriced slow shipping option? Or, will you offer them a cheap or free fast shipping option?
One of the worst ways to let down your customers is through crappy shipping options. In addition, it‘s one of the quickest ways to lose a sale that otherwise would have been a done deal. Build a bank of repeat customers by offering fast and cheap shipping options!
Closing Thoughts
There are a variety of ways to build and improve your relationship with your online customers. While quick responses are a sure way to make your buyers feel secure in their decision to shop with you, there are other methods to make them feel good about your online store.
Maintain a positive vibe across your website through service surveys, genuine “thank you” messages, a complimentary website aesthetic, and even attractive product photography. Visually pleasing websites and images will leave buyers thinking about your page. This will lead them to return to make more purchases from your online store.
You can take your own product photographs if you are knowledgeable in the areas of photography and image editing. Or, you can learn more about How to Hire an Amazing Product Photographer.
if you’re looking to increase your online conversion but still feel you are not sure where to start – check out these resources below:
