Guest Post written by SalesFire

Generating customer loyalty is fundamental to any successful eCommerce site.

There are multiple ways to do this - ranging from delivering a top-quality user experience to offering rewards and loyalty schemes.

By creating brand loyalty, customers will return time and time again.

Below, we will highlight just some of the ways that you can generate customer loyalty for your site.

Loyalty schemes

This might seem obvious at first, but offering a loyalty scheme or a rewards programme will help to generate customer loyalty.

Think of your standard high-street coffee shop; most of them offer a loyalty card or a points-based system to encourage customers to buy with them.

And this works, as usually after the 10th coffee, the customer will have ‘earned’ or will be rewarded for their loyalty with a free coffee.

You can introduce something similar on your eCommerce site - be it based on the number or frequency of purchases, a tier system of rewards or giving loyal customers exclusive access to launches or offers.

Loyalty programmes are essential for retaining customers - a staggering 84% of customers are more likely to choose a retailer that offers a loyalty programme over one that does not.

Free delivery and uncomplicated returns

A quick fix to generate customer loyalty is by offering free delivery.

9 in 10 shoppers say that free delivery is their main incentive for shopping online. With so many people preferring to shop online as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, offering free delivery cannot be ignored.

Having a simple returns policy is another advantage on any eCommerce site, with 92% of customers claiming that they would purchase from a site again if the returns policy was easy.

A straightforward delivery and returns policy helps customers to trust your brand and they will therefore rely on you for future purchases, creating customer loyalty by putting your site ahead of a competitor who does not offer such services.

Providing an exceptional user experience

Ensuring that you provide an outstanding user experience for your customers is essential for generating customer loyalty.

In fact, 88% of users say that they will not return to a site if they have had a poor experience.

Empathy and personalisation are two methods that both contribute towards an exceptional user experience. For instance, personalisation generates customer loyalty by creating a relationship between a brand and its customers, while empathy focuses on the customer’s values, over what will sell.

By concentrating on personalising a shopping experience for a customer, and targeting what they value, you will ultimately build customer loyalty because the customer will see that you are transparent with them and support their eCommerce needs and values.

Transparency in communication

Being transparent and honest with your customers is another method of generating customer loyalty.

An incredible 98% of shoppers have been dissuaded from completing a purchase because of incomplete - or incorrect - product descriptions.

Taking the time to write some top-quality product descriptions not only helps build trust in your site but also helps the customer and leaves them with no nasty surprises at the checkout when the item they have in their basket is not what they expected it to be.

Further, this also reduces the number of item returns you will have sent back to you, saving you time and money having to process them.

For more information on how you can generate customer loyalty on your site, speak to one of Salesfire’s conversion rate optimisation experts at enquiries@salesfire.co.uk or book a free demo.