Often the cost of acquiring new customers is the highest one that many businesses will incur. From ad expenses, to marketing, sales, emails – it’s not only monetarily expensive, but timely too. So, it makes sense that you would want to make the most out of the customers you’ve gained and, to ask them to buy from you again, making them a repeat customer.
Of course, you want to do this, as always, in a way that come across as genuine and not needy. The way you make your offers t your current customers is vital to avoid being that business who asks too much of its prospective customers too soon!
So, what are some ways in which you can turn your customers into repeat ones?
The Upsell (or Cross-sell)
The first way in which you can turn your customer into a repeat one is to simply offer an immediate upsell. Even if you’ve never heard the word before, you’ve likely come across it and even been upsold to. Ever walked into McDonalds and asked for just a burger and walked out with the full meal because you were asked and thought, hm, might as well? Well, you’ve just been upsold to. In fact, this is a really common tactic in retail, and once you start sitting down and thinking about it, you’ll find it’s likely happened to you, a lot. Let’s just say, I walked into the Disney Store once for a cheshire cat plushie and ended up walking out with a mug to go with him – oops.
Amazon is another company that often uses upsell and cross-sell methods to create repeat customers out of us. If you scroll down after placing an item in your bag, you’ll likely come across the “Frequently Bought Together” or “Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought”. These sections exist to increase your basket size and of course, sell you more. Usually, Amazon will do this in bundles, sometimes tripling your purchase amount if you go ahead with it.
Upselling and cross-selling is a great way of creating immediate repeat custom, though watch yourself, as sometimes if the sell isn’t entirely relevant it can seemingly come out of nowhere for your customer. Also, if the list of “items you might also like” starts feeling increasingly long, your customer may get annoyed and just switch off altogether. Cross-sell with caution and ensure you’re still offering your customer value if you want them to return again.
Bundle Up!
Bundles are another great way to immediately upsell to your customers. Bundling is taking one of your standalone products and combining it with other, usually similar, items. For example, if you sell make up you may have a bundle that includes an eyeshadow palette with all the essential items needed to apply it with a few added extras to “complete the look.” This kit would cost more than the eyeshadow palette on its own, which would in turn increase your revenue per sale. Can you think of any products or services that you could bundle together on your website?
Take on a slack adjuster!
Now we’re not talking car parts here, no, in marketing a slack adjuster is a product or service that you offer at a much larger price point than your typical offerings. Usually, the price of this is 10 to 100 times the price of your other products or services. Whilst of course this will only appeal to a very small portion of your customer base, those that do make the purchase will have a dramatic impact on your revenue.
A good example of a slack adjuster in action is at Starbucks. Whilst we all know that Starbucks sells tea and coffee, they also sell coffee makers. Whilst the coffee maker is far more expensive than the coffee, and most people will ignore it and stick to their usual beverage, some won’t. Because the coffee maker is that much more expensive than the core offering, only a small proportion of these slack adjuster sales need to be made to make an impact.
Recurring Billing
Nowadays we’re very familiar with this from of repeat custom, as pretty much all of us are probably now doing it. Often called a continuity offer within the digital marketing circle, this kind of offer typically takes the form of a subscription, membership or perhaps even a club and usually payment is periodic, either yearly or monthly.
You’re likely most familiar with this offering with Netflix or Amazon who offer Prime with not only their streaming service, but also the ability to receive free next day delivery. This is also common with magazine or newspapers, where you may only get access to certain articles if you subscribe to them monthly. Even theatres and cinemas too, where you get presale opportunities and even awards.
Recurring billing can be tricky, especially in today’s climate where it’s practically everywhere, as not only are you asking your customers to make a commitment to you, but you’re also having to compete with the various other subscription service snow out there. The average Brit now pays £500 a year on subscription services, with the average subscriber being signed up for 4 monthly services. You’ve got to convince them that you’re worthy of being one of those 4.
To overcome this issue, clearly communicate the advantage provided by the recurring billing offer and lower the perceived risk by clearly communicating the cancellation. For instance, that they can cancel any time, without any fees!
So, can you find any instances in which these upsells could help your business? Is there a potential bundle just sitting around on your website? Could you perhaps further monetise your work via Patreon with a monthly income? Why not sit down and see how you can create a repeat customer out of your current group!
