5 Ways to Show Customer Appreciation
Customers are the lifeblood of your business. There’s no question that you appreciate their business, but do you go out of your way to show them how much you value them?
Research has shown that 68% of customers will leave if they feel unappreciated. Showing your customers a little love can go a long way in improving brand loyalty and boosting sales growth.
Here are five ways to show customer appreciation.
1. Loyalty Program
One of the simplest and most effective ways to show customer appreciation is to implement a loyalty program with tiered rewards. Programs with multiple incentives and rewards tend to work best. They make customers feel appreciated, but they also encourage them to continue doing business with your brand.
Loyalty programs also offer other benefits. When customers sign up, it allows you (and them) to track their purchases. Through the program, you can collect valuable customer data.
When creating your loyalty program, make sure that you give away great value to your customers.
2. Offer a Free Gift with Purchase
Department stores are famous for this strategy: give away a free gift with purchase. Typically, there are stipulations, like having to purchase a particular product or spend a certain amount of money. But you don’t necessarily have to follow these rules.
Why not just give a little swag to any customer who makes a purchase in your store? It doesn’t have to be an extravagant gift. It can be something as simple as a water bottle or lip balm.
3. Give Gifts
Let customers know that you care by giving away customer appreciation gifts. These gifts can be given at random and purely for the purpose of showing appreciation, or you can send gifts to existing customers on special occasions, like birthdays.
Beauty retailer Sephora gives free gifts to customers on their birthdays every year. Customers look forward to it, and they’re more likely to make a purchase when claiming their free gift.
4. Host an After-Hours Sale
Treat your valued customers to an exclusive, after-hours sale. Let these customers come out for an hour after you close to shop a very special sale.
Hosting such an event also gives you an opportunity to meet and get to know your customers better.
5. Follow Up
It’s one of the simplest things you can do, but it’s also one of the most important: follow up with customers.
Ask your customers if they got everything they needed, and let them know that you’re interested in their feedback.
Following up shows that you care, but it also gives you a chance to collect valuable feedback that you can use to improve your products, business and services.
There are many ways to show your customers that you care. Try implementing several of these strategies into your overall customer appreciation strategy. Let customers know that you value their time and business. You don’t necessarily have to give extravagant gifts or steep discounts to show customers how much you value them. Sometimes, a simple thank you can go a long way in making your customers feel appreciated.
