In retail, first impressions are everything, and it's difficult to change a negative one. Giving the customer the best potential on-boarding experience is crucial in securing their future loyalty.
Once a new customer has signed up to become a member, whether they made a purchase or not, make sure they know they’re appreciated for more than just their money. That is what customer onboarding is all about. At the point in which they become members are usually the most enthusiastic and active the customers will be with your brand so use this time well. How you set the tone for the beginning of the relationship is what they will expect for the rest of your journey with them.
Create welcome automation with 3-4 emails that introduce your brand, your values, and why your products will be a good fit for them. Automation lets you decide when and how often a customer should hear from you. Make sure your automation plan goes with your general campaigns as well so that the customer isn’t inundated with communication from you, as this is likely to create email fatigue.
This is the time to set the ground for what the customer can expect as a member of your loyalty program. What does it mean to be a member? How do they earn rewards and what is the value of being a member? You have one chance to create a first impression for how you communicate so make sure it impresses them.
If a customer hasn’t unsubscribed yet it means they are interested in your brand and what you have to say. Let your contacts get to know more about your brand with some fun content, maybe you have a brand video your customers would like to see? Be clear about your brand values and maybe give a little quick backstory on your company’s history.
This is when you should start segmenting your contacts based on the data you have on them. If they have made a purchase, show some similar products they might enjoy with interesting content on how they are made. For example, you know the contact is a woman who has bought shoes from you. Send an email saying “Visit our shoe factory in Milan” with a video on where your shoes are manufactured. The customer will know that you understand what they’re interested in and will appreciate that you’re not just sending mass emails with all kinds of products.
Hopefully, the contact has made a purchase from you by now, but if not, don’t worry. If it’s part of your strategy you might want to give an offer to those who haven’t bought something, like a free gift if they spend a certain amount. Remember to filter out those who have made a purchase as they don’t need offers to visit your store. Show product recommendations they might enjoy based on your data, and explain which store closest to them has the item in stock.
A successful onboarding process is essential to build brand love. Create a strategy for how it should look and how you want your customers to be welcomed. Voyado lets you build intricate automation easily that is quick to set-up. And it’s especially useful if you don’t have the resources to create communication from scratch every time. This way your marketing department can focus on other fun tasks, such as personalizing the customer journey. Find out why this is just one of many ways Voyado makes brands easy to love by contacting us or booking a demo today!
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