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Got your first transaction in the bag?
That’s only the beginning.
The true mark of success in ecommerce lies in building lasting relationships with your customers that translates into sweet, sweet recurring revenue.
If you get it right, loyalty can count for a large chunk of your profits. It saves you time and resources from constantly searching for the next one-time sale and creates a more sustainable business model.
But how do you forge these deep connections and amplify your brand affinity?
It starts with leveraging technology and powerful strategies to increase customer loyalty in ecommerce and ends with creating a truly unique shopping experience.
Loyalty is the cornerstone of growth for any business. Here are the top strategies to increase customer loyalty in ecommerce that will directly affect your bottom line.
Generic interactions? So yesterday.
Personalization is a non-negotiable expectation from customers. 77% of customers demand it, and if you fail, you risk making your audience feel frustrated with an impersonal shopping experience.
The shift towards catering to individual needs and preferences isn’t only driven by technology like AI. There’s also an increasing desire to forge meaningful connections with brands.
With data-driven insights, you can create a web of personalized touchpoints that resonate with your audience on a deeper level.
The result?
An increase in customer loyalty and engagement.
The good news is you don’t need to rely on third-party data sources to add personalization to your ecommerce strategy. 83% of consumers are willing to share their zero-party data to create a more personalized experience.
Here’s an example:
Your customer is incentivized to fill out their profile about their interests and preferences to receive a reward. Combining that zero-party data with past purchase behavior, you’re able to:
These tailored interactions capture attention and demonstrate that you understand and value the individual.
Moreover, personalization goes beyond the digital realm. You can implement an omnichannel approach to create a seamless experience that spans across various touchpoints, leaving a lasting impression on your customers.
By embracing a tailor-made strategy, you enhance customer satisfaction and foster brand loyalty. According to a report by Forrester, 77% of consumers have chosen, recommended, or paid more for a brand that provides a personalized experience.
And in a world with so many options, that is the kind of brand affinity you need to grow your ecommerce revenue.
It’s not enough to offer “points for likes” anymore.
If you want to increase customer loyalty in ecommerce, you have to create a loyalty program your customers want and offer rewards that matter.
What does that look like?
Ditching the endless hustle for likes and offering valuable perks like:
Why do these rewards work so well? Because customers want to feel valued and get their hands on tangible benefits.
You’re building a strong incentive for customers to come back.
Once-off shoppers transform into superfans when their shopping experience transcends mere transactional experiences and builds emotional connections.
But to do that, you also need a flexible loyalty rewards program.
Give customers the option to buy their way into a membership tier or earn their spot.
By adjusting your strategy to go beyond superficial rewards and taking a next-gen loyalty approach, you’re gifting consumers the freedom of choice and curating experiences that
resonate and add value to their lives.
In turn, it cultivates a loyal fan base, boosts retention, and gives you a predictable recurring revenue stream.
Reviews, testimonials, ratings.
Each one is valuable online currency.
But how can you use each one to increase customer loyalty in ecommerce?
In a world where more of us are shopping online than ever before, and the options available are seemingly endless, we often have to rely on each other to decide which air fryer is superior.
It comes down to the psychology behind social proof.
People are social creatures.
Those around us influence our opinions, values, and decisions. When it comes down to making a purchasing decision, getting feedback from other shoppers is invaluable for finding the best solution and avoiding any buyer’s regret.
You're developing a sense of trust with your audience by displaying reviews, testimonials, and ratings on your website. You’re not just telling them that you have a great product. You’re letting your community show potential buyers why you’re the best choice.
But how can you incentivize social proof from your audience?
Easy.
Make it part of your loyalty program strategy.
With TOKI, you can easily create an Activity like “Post a review” and reward your customers with $10 in cashback.
You get high-quality customer reviews, ratings, and testimonials, and your customers get a meaningful reward.
It’s a win-win.
User-Generated Content (UGC) is a driving force in modern marketing. It reshapes how you interact with your audience and goes beyond a slick advertising campaign in a magazine.
Instead of a high-production shoot, you’re showing the authentic narratives of your real customers. It generates a sense of community, relatability, and trust and empowers your customers to actively contribute to your brand's story.
But in order to benefit from UGC, you need to create an environment that motivates customers to share their stories.
Let’s unpack an example.
SACHEU Beauty needed to develop marketing activations that would incentivize UGC.
The solution: Create a rewards activity inside TOKI rewarding customers for sharing Before and After photos of themselves using the product.
SACHEU promoted the activity on their post-purchase page, capturing users at the right time and offering in-store credit as an incentive to complete the task.
But you can take this approach a step further and create a challenge like:
Encouraging your audience to post about your brand 5x in a month on social media for a chance to win a $100 cash prize.
Both of these activities are far more engaging and rewarding to your audience. Plus, it shows that you value their time and appreciate the effort that goes into creating UGC.
Is your referral strategy hinging on a post-purchase call-to-action?
While that’s a good start, it’s where many traditional referral programs falter.
In order to capitalize on the full potential of referrals, you need an approach that’s fully integrated and allows you to activate your customers anywhere, anytime.
Introducing Google and Apple Wallet referral passes.
It gives consumers a convenient digital pass on their phone that supercharges your word-of-mouth marketing with seamless referrals via QR code or SMS.
Once the pass is set up, you can drive more referrals with TOKI by:
This approach not only encourages customers to engage with the referral program but also enhances the quality of referrals. When referrals are easy to make and seamlessly integrated into customers' lives, they are more likely to share them with genuine enthusiasm.
Referral passes are only the beginning.
A branded Google or Apple wallet also gives you another, more effective communication channel with your audience.
Skipping past the noise on SMS and email, you can send targeted push notifications and remind your members about:
With this integrated approach, TOKI helps ensure your automated messages aren’t annoying generic broadcasts.
Instead, you’re curating tailored interactions that contribute to the customer’s journey, use their data to deliver a timely and personalized experience, and ultimately drive the growth of your ecommerce business.
Cultivating brand loyalty isn’t an overnight success. The road to loyalty is built on a foundation of trust, authenticity, and meaningful connections.
It’s a journey that requires a commitment to meeting your customer’s expectations, fostering trust, and creating a personalized experience that consistently rewards your day ones.
With TOKI in your back pocket, you can create a customer-centric approach that’ll directly impact your revenue, turn your audience into an army of superfans, and impact your ecommerce returning customer rate.
Get started with TOKI for free today, and use the modern loyalty playbook to drive your ROI to the moon.
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