How to Grow Online Business Without New Customers

The secret to growing your online store without any new customers is to look after the ones you've already got. Does that sound too good to be true? Well, research actually suggests that trying to acquire new customers is the least efficient way to improve on your bottom line.

And Bain & Company found that boosting retention rates by just 5 percent, can actually raise profits by 95 percent! If you can't afford to miss out on those kind of stats, then check out how you can grow your online store, without the help of new customers...

Start by rewarding loyalty

See those people walking around with a barcode dangling from their keychain? That's because they've got a loyalty points system set up at their favorite store. It's a win-win situation as the store will get more sales, while the customer will get more discounts.

Top tip: Set up an individual code for each of your customers so that they can use it to collect reward points each time they shop.

Personalize the service

The great thing about a loyalty system is that it can really help with CRM. Using the customers assigned loyalty code, you can find out what they like to buy from your store, and then target them with the stuff they actually care about! This will help cut back on unsubscribers and will entice customers to come and shop with you again.

Top tip: Take note from Amazon and give customers recommended suggestions based on their previous purchases.

Work hard and go the extra mile

When was the last time you received incredible customer service? Truth be told, it doesn't happen often, but when it does, it really makes you appreciate that store. Going the extra mile may take more effort, but if you want customers to come back and stay then you need to show them that you value their custom.

When companies do try their hardest to look after their customers, it's often well documented. Just some companies that we can look for inspiration include, Trader Joe's, who, after receiving a call from a distraught granddaughter, delivered food to her snowed in grandfather and they didn't charge a penny.

Top tip: Tackle a hard and unexpected challenge on behalf of the customer and turn it into a great success story - for the customer and for yourself!

Take action when customers are vacant

When a customer hasn't shopped with you in while, there's no need to admit defeat and give up. You need to go and find out why not! Developing a way to attack this will really help your retention rates. It can't hurt to nudge them in the right direction by sending them an enticing 'we miss you' email with an attractive discount to spend on your products. Or if you've got some new stuff in that you want to shout about then be sure to let them know.

Top tip: Entice shoppers back to your store by sending past customers an email with a discount code.

Be the expert they came to see...

Remember that a customer has come to you because they trust your expertise, so you need to show them that you can still deliver. It's ok to be passionate about what you do and a great way to showcase this is via your blog. Think about setting up a weekly post with how-to guides, tips and advice or even features on new products. If you do this regularly your customers will start to come back time and time again to catch your latest post.

Top tip: Get each member of your team to write a blog post explaining their area of expertise, so your customers can get to know you as a company, and learn something.

Be open to change

There will be reasons why your customers will shop with you time and time again, but you can't just put all your hopes on that. As the digital world changes, you need to move with it. Make sure you implement a/b testing to find out what your customers like and what they don't like. Think about changing your design, or even switching up your copy, so that your customers have something new to read about when they come to your website.

Top tip: Implement a survey tofind out what your customer wants to see when they land on your website.

Let us help you!

Here at AmeriCommerce we happen to know a thing or two about building the perfect online store. So if you don't already use our service then why not give us a call? We offer plenty of benefits to go with our innovative features and all of which, come at an amazing price. We look forward to hearing from you very soon!