7 tips for recovering at-risk customers
Even with the best product, service and support, every store has difficulty getting customers to return — especially if that consumer hasn’t visited you for a long time and has a bond with your establishment. Considering that it is cheaper to recover this customer than to acquire a new one, we have put together some tips to bring each of them back.
1) Understand your customer lifecycle
The first step to knowing who the customers at risk are and why they disappeared is to know their life cycle very well . How often your customer visits your store and when they should be considered lost or inactive are essential information . Understanding how they buy and what need your product or service has in their daily lives is also important.
CRM tools can help you understand this cycle more easily. Through some research we did, we discovered that, for bars, the at-risk customer spends more than 76 days without visiting, while for clothing stores they spend 108 days without buying anything. Knowing your client and what their preference is allows you to know more about how to act in each case.
2) Find out who your at-risk customers are
We have already mentioned that recovering lost customers is cheaper than acquiring new ones. But, this only works if you have the contact details of these people to call them back. That’s why it’s so important to have data on each purchase and, therefore, know everyone who passes by your store.
Most management and CRM tools already offer this intelligence, presenting the list of customers with a survey of essential information such as: date of last purchase, number of visits and average spending. Group these customers and follow this list to create your action plan.
3) Find out why he disappeared
Listening carefully to customers and their opinions about your store means understanding in advance the reasons for inactivity. Implement satisfaction surveys and evaluations of your products and services post-sales and pay attention to each response received — always look for opportunities for improvement that you can implement.
Give, especially dissatisfied and lost customers, the opportunity to explain why they disappeared. All the details provided by them are the first step in your action plan to recover them.
4) Create a plan to solve the problems
Solving the problems that were discovered during your research is our main tip. Don’t just listen to what your customers have to say, but create actions that resolve these objections. Remember: the faster you attack these problems, the better for the recovery of at-risk customers.
Most stores follow two paths to win back their inactive customers: maintaining close contact and sending exclusive offers. These are cheap, easy and quick actions to implement in your business.
5) Always keep in touch
Your customers need to remember you. Today, with the number of stores offering similar products and services, it is common for people to forget that you exist. Don’t allow this to happen. Always get in touch with your consumers, telling them news, creating content and offering benefits — whatever makes the most sense for your business.
Furthermore, personalizing and segmenting this content so that it creates a feeling of exclusivity is a rule of thumb to recover your lost customers. Use the channels where your target audience is present, whether social media , telephone, email or SMS, intentionally. Send only what is necessary to create a curiosity and bring him back.
6) Offer exclusive offers
Everyone loves receiving discounts and benefits, even more so if they are exclusive. Create offers and campaigns focused on this audience and contact each one to keep them coming back.
7) Don’t forget active customers
In addition to bringing your lost customers back, you need to be aware of who is already loyal to your brand . Make sure their satisfaction level is good and that they also receive exclusive offers and interesting communications. The same tips for recovering those at risk serve to keep clients active and close.
Now, don’t waste any more time, create your action plan and start winning back your at-risk customers with our tips. Don’t forget to listen to feedback and rely on it to continually improve your store.