Converting One Time Buyers into Relationships

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This week launches the start of this holiday season. There are great specials to lure consumers in and one of the major challenges is engaging one time buyer – the shopper who comes in due to a lower price and then never returns.

Here are some tips on how to convert the one-time buyer into a regular shopper.

The first step is to thank them regardless of the number of past purchases. Second, focus on creating a dialogue to engage your recipients. Third, entice them to return.

1) Thank Them – You have to send the consumer a thank you email and do so in ‘near’ real time. This is good etiquette and also the foundation for your transactional receipt. The consumer is expecting this from you – in addition to a basic thank you - make sure that you include information about the transaction, & contact information.

2) Insist on Feedback – Ask for their feelings about the product/ service, ask for a quote and get them to rank your offers. When you get their feedback, make sure you thank them and remind them that their feedback helps you improve your process and find better products/ services for them.

3) Ask for Opinions – Request their opinion on related products or services, this is a way to remind them about your depth of offers and is a neat way to show that you could be their source for those products/ services going forward.

4) Offer a Two-Part coupon – Provide an instant use coupon and give them the second part to redeem within a certain number of weeks. If possible, send an email to remind them of the expiration of this second part coupon.

5) Don’t Forget Them – If they still haven’t come back to interact with you, send them a message after a few weeks – ask them how they are liking their product / service, solicit feedback, showcase new product, and offer an incentive to transact.

Recency is key, so be sure to leverage your bonding programs to create engagement and routinely offer email incentives to make one-time buyers more frequent. With a little luck, you can make the repeat purchase a little more likely.

Also, good luck this holiday season.