Many eCommerce merchants focus on winning over new customers, which only makes sense. When you start selling online, every visitor is a first-timer. Much of your effort goes toward spreading the word about yourself and your products. Attracting users who have never entered your page before remains a priority, even as you get established.
However, although it can be easy to get stuck in that mindset, snagging new customers can’t be your only priority. Ideally, Amazon sellers should work to win the loyalty of their customers. So, how do you convert first-time buyers into regulars? Check out this guide to learn everything you need to know about getting repeat orders from Amazon users.
Before we dive into how you can get repeat orders from customers, let's first discuss why you should seek them out in the first place. After all, Amazon is the biggest online retailer in the US. With over 300 million active users within your reach, couldn’t you just focus on converting newcomers for years and never run out?
As logical as that idea may seem, there are plenty of great reasons for making an effort to encourage repeat orders. Here are some of the benefits:
The main goal of any business venture is, of course, to make money for the owner and employees. Every new visitor to the site presents an opportunity to close a sale. If you win that loyalty, more sales may follow in the future. It’s an investment that pays off over time, rather than just once.
If this logic seems good on paper, rest assured that statistics validate it. This study from Bain & Company claims that sales could skyrocket by 25% or more with as little as a 5% increase in customer retention. It just goes to show that even a few return customers can make a big difference in your revenue.
“It takes money to make money” is a time-honored proverb. You will learn this as you try attracting more first-timers to your business. Between paid advertising, promotional campaigns, generous discounts and more, the push can be quite costly.
Luckily, retaining the customers that you win can be much cheaper in comparison. To be precise, Harvard Business Review reported in 2014 that the price difference is between 5% and 25% less. When you already have a base of customers, enticing them to return for more is an economical expense with a potentially greater reward.
Word-of-mouth is the best form of publicity, and not just because it costs the business nothing extra. People tend to trust the opinions of friends, family, and people they know on a personal level over advertisements and media. They offer the kind of intimacy that a business, by default, cannot.
When people only shop once at an online store, they are less likely to recommend it. After all, they decide against going back for a reason. If you give them a reason to come back for more, they may share that story with others — all to your benefit.
What does it mean to get a repeat order? Often, it means a customer who had never shopped at your business before was happy with their first order. They were so happy, in fact, that they wanted to do it again. Repeat orders don’t just show loyalty. They show how many customers trust you and appreciate your products.
In other words, the retention metric is a good indicator of customer satisfaction. Having regular customers proves that, at least to some extent, everything you’ve done with your business is working. It follows that to boost the number of repeat orders you get, you must take actions and make changes that please your visitors and buyers.
Customer satisfaction is its own reward. When combined with repeat orders, though, it can be financially rewarding as well.
Now is the perfect time to get into selling on Amazon, if you haven't already. Over a million new sellers were joining Amazon each year, and that was before the Coronavirus pandemic.
Ecommerce of every kind has been blossoming in the wake of lockdown and quarantine from Covid-19. That means the interest is there, but so is the competition.
To grow your online business, you need to build your own online store outside of Amazon. Here are some ways you can skirt around Amazon's restrictions so you can bring in more repeat customers to your online store:
Creating an Amazon storefront is an easy way to help your business stand out from your competition. It's also free for people who've registered their brand with Amazon. And while you can't explicitly tell customers to visit your website, you can list your business information on Amazon.
You'll want to make sure that your Amazon storefront matches your own website’s brand. You should also include the name of your store in the product description. This way, it'll be easy for people to deduce your website's URL.
Enclosing a discount code with each order is another great way to score repeat customers. Everyone loves a good deal, and a promo code can be just the push a customer needs to make another order.
We suggest making discount codes that apply to entire orders rather than ones that apply to specific products. People are more enticed to shop with a business again if they know they'll get a discount no matter what they purchase.
Adding a package insert, such as a thank-you note or free gift, is another great way to get repeat customers.
A package insert is always a pleasant surprise and it shows your customers that you care and that you're willing to go the extra mile for them. If you choose to include a note, try to make it handwritten, as this adds an extra special personal touch.
If this isn't possible, then at least make sure that the note is personalized.
Amazon has strict guidelines when it comes to contacting customers. Because of this, it can be hard to build brand trust and acquire repeat customers.
One of the biggest restrictions involves customer ratings and reviews, as Amazon does not want its sellers to make any attempts to inflate them. While you may ask for a review in a neutral manner, you may not:
Having said that, Amazon does allow sellers to send follow-up emails to customers asking for feedback.
However, we suggest that you only ask for a review once. Otherwise, the customer may get annoyed and be tempted to leave a negative review. But, if you offer a great product and great customer service, many people will leave reviews without being prompted.
Positive reviews help boost your listing's ranking and provide your brand with social proof. Many users make purchasing decisions on reviews alone, so make sure you do everything in your power to provide a great customer service experience so you can bring in more five-star reviews.
If you're not already sending follow-up emails, you should be. It's an invaluable opportunity to continue interacting with your customers after they made a purchase. It's also an invaluable opportunity to get feedback on your products and services to see how your business is performing and areas that can be improved.
Follow-up emails don't have to be reserved for people that have made purchases, either. As you transition visitors to your website, there are ways you can track customers that are abandoning their shopping carts or subscribe to your mailing list.
There are many email automation tools that can make this easy to implement without any additional effort.
There has never been a more exciting time to be in business! The internet has created countless new opportunities for businesses of all shapes and sizes to flourish and thrive! It's just got to be handled in the right way.
Now that you know how to get repeat orders from Amazon customers, it's time to put these tips into action. Before you know it, you'll have a ton of new loyal customers!
