A lot of customer retention and analysis can get complex and confusing fast. But there’s one rule of thumb you can use to tell if you’re doing a good job keeping customers coming back: At least 1 of every 4 customers should be a repeat customer. If that’s not happening, you’re going to want to …
Tag: customer loyalty
Too busy for customer retention
I heard from a Shopify store that they are too busy for customer retention because all their time is focused on customer acquisition. They didn’t realize that they were the ones creating the problem with their business. When you ignore customer retention, customers will leave. Some might stick around but those will be the minority. …
Using product education to attract new and retain repeat customers
A couple of months back I happened across a native flower that only grows in our area. It’s also the main source of food for various butterflies, including an endangered one. The store I learned about it from wasn’t selling it any longer but they did list their supplier in their product description. Their supplier, …
Get 1 out of 3 customers to buy again
In Repeat Customer Insights I code in some industry statistics to make it easier to compare your Shopify store to ecommerce as a whole. The percentage of customers buying again (Repeat Purchase Rate) is about 27% which means an average store will get 1 out of 4 customers to buy again. Some stores are better. …
How a single bad customer service experience can lose a repeat customer
Today I received an email saying an order that was being delivered was cancelled and refunded with no option to get a replacement shipped out. The order was placed months ago. The product was in stock. The product even shipped and was halfway here. While talking with the store’s customer service they only offered a …
Should you ever take 0 profit on orders to build customer loyalty?
I was thinking about something the other day. Is it ever worth taking zero profit on an order for a repeat customer? For a new customer it’s different (e.g. loss leader strategy). It’s riskier as you don’t know if they’ll reorder or have customer service issues that end up costing you. It can work, but it …
Discontinuing a product line can cause customers to defect
Every year I have to buy a new phone case. Not because I’ve upgraded my phone, it’s because I’ve worn out my old case. Spending $20-$50 per year to protect a $600 device makes sense. But it’s a hassle because every year as it gets harder and harder to find the ones that fit. There …
How to identify, track, and retain repeat customers in Shopify
A Repeat Customer Insights customer was asking me last week how to identify, track, and keep their high-repeat buyers. My answer is specific to the app but you can still follow it if you have a way of measuring customer purchases and grading them by how recently and frequently they order. The app uses the …
Lying about fake purchases and traffic
A customer linked me to their Shopify theme where I found this gem: Fake counters real benefits! It’s all about perceptions! This Awesome fake counter and views helps you boost your sales. [screenshot of faking traffic, views, and orders] Ummm. It’s not all about perception. When a customer finds out that you were lying about …
What actions are you taking to bring customers back to your Shopify store?
When you start to improve anything, having a guiding question or two can help you focus on the important. If you’re trying to improve your customer loyalty, ask yourself: "What actions am I taking that will make customers want to come back?" Not what deals. Not what campaigns. What actions. Answer that and follow it …