Winning a customer costs advertising. Keeping them costs almost nothing. Yet most stores pour their entire budget into new customers. Five ways get first-time buyers to come back, from a simple reorder reminder to a subscription.
The five ways
1. A great first time
The second purchase is decided by the first: fast delivery, nice packaging, a thank-you card, a shipping email that doesn't sound like a machine. Customers who are delighted come back without you having to nudge them.
2. Reorder reminder
If you know how long a product lasts, send a reminder in time. Coffee after four weeks, cosmetics after two months. A simple email with one click back to the cart.
3. Subscription
For anything that's used up regularly. The customer saves themselves the reordering and usually a few percent, and you get predictable revenue. Shopify Subscriptions is free and enough to get started.
4. Loyalty program
Points for purchases, reviews and referrals, redeemable on the next order. Worth it if customers could naturally buy more often. For a mattress store, probably not.
5. Existing customers first
New products, clearance items, limited editions: first to those who have already bought. It costs nothing and makes customers feel like they belong.
FAQ
How can I see how many customers come back? Shopify's reports include analytics on returning customers. Look at what share of your orders comes from existing customers, and how that develops.
Subscription or loyalty program? Subscription for consumables with a fixed rhythm. Loyalty program for stores with a broad range, where customers keep buying something new.
Can I just send reorder emails? They count as marketing and require consent. More on that in part 1 of the series.
Do you implement this? Yes: email flows, subscriptions and loyalty programs, tailored to your product range.