All businesses want loyal customers. They help your brand grow and thrive in the long haul by spending more, spreading the word, and choosing you over competitors. But how exactly do you make this happen? If you’ve been looking for actionable ways on how to build customer loyalty, you’re in the right place!
In this guide, we’ll walk you through practical strategies to help increase customer loyalty in your online store. By the end, you’ll have a clear set of ideas you can apply to keep your customers happy, engaged, and excited to return.
Why Is Customer Loyalty Important?
Your business’s ability to keep customers coming back directly impacts your long-term success. When learning how to build customer loyalty, it’s worth knowing just how much of a difference it can make. Let’s explore some of the biggest benefits of building customer loyalty:
Reduces marketing costs
Acquiring new customers can cost up to 7 times more than retaining existing ones! By focusing on building customer loyalty, you make the most of your marketing efforts. Since existing customers already know and trust your brand, they’re more likely to convert, spend more, and return without the need for constant promotions.
Loyal customers spend more
Existing shoppers who trust your business are more likely to make bigger purchases and try out new products. In fact, according to industry insights, existing customers spend 67% more on average than customers who are new to your brand.
They promote business growth
Having a steady stream of loyal shoppers who keep coming back creates a more predictable revenue for your business. They create stability for your business, even during slow seasons or unpredictable market shifts.
Loyal customers are amazing brand ambassadors
Happy customers talk! They’re more likely to refer your business to others, leave positive reviews, and share their experience on social media. This helps you acquire new shoppers without extra ad spend. According to insights from Harvard Business Review, referrals not only make more purchases, they also bring in 30-57% more new customers!
How To Build Customer Loyalty: 7 Simple Tips
While there’s no one-size-fits-all formula for building lasting customer loyalty, you can implement proven strategies that can help deepen customer relationships over time. The tips we’ve laid down below don’t require a massive investment or complex systems–it’s about making your customers feel heard, seen, and valued.
1. Share your brand values and story
Modern customers are conscious and value-driven–they seek brands that align with their personal values. According to industry research, 82% of shoppers want a brand’s values to align with their own, and three-quarters have parted ways with a business when those values don’t line up.
By sharing the “why” behind your business, you give customers a reason to choose you beyond competitive prices or convenience. This can be a lot of things, depending on your brand. For instance, you might highlight sustainability, ethical sourcing, or community support. Letting customers know your story and what you stand for makes them feel like they’re part of something meaningful.
Take a look at this example from Ben & Jerry’s:
Ben & Jerry’s highlight their commitment to human rights, social and economic justice, and environmental restoration on their website, helping build a strong emotional connection with customers who share the same values.
📝 Pro Tip: Not sure where to start? Consider creating a dedicated “About Us” page or share behind-the-scenes posts about your values and initiatives through email or social media. These touchpoints build connection and make your brand feel more personal and relatable!
2. Leverage personalized offers and messages
Behind every purchase is a person. And for the most part, learning how to build customer loyalty is about recognizing this–making shoppers feel seen, not just sold to. Personalization is an effective strategy to achieve this. By sending out tailored offers and messages, you show customers that you care about their preferences, buying habits, and experiences.
Here are just a few simple examples you can try:
- Offer birthday discounts
- Recommend complementary products based on their past orders
- Celebrate customer milestones (like their 5th order or anniversary with your business)
These thoughtful offers help engage customers and encourage them to keep coming back, knowing that their loyalty is rewarded.
📝 Pro Tip: WooCommerce store owners can use plugins like Advanced Coupons to create tailored offers. This plugin extends the default coupon features of WooCommerce, allowing you to create coupons based on conditions like total customer spend, number of customer orders, customer roles, and more.
3. Encourage reviews and feedback
If we’re talking about how to build customer loyalty, we can’t miss mentioning the importance of listening to your customers. Asking for reviews and honest feedback gives your customers a voice, making them feel heard and seen. This also helps them feel more involved in your brand, especially when you act on their suggestions.
Reviews are also powerful forms of social proof! A whopping 98% of customers read reviews before making an order and trust brands with a higher volume of reviews. To encourage feedback and reviews, make the process as easy as possible. For example, you can set up automated post-purchase emails that include a direct link to your review page.
4. Start a points-based program to make shopping rewarding
Brands with the most loyal customer base often have a rewards system in place that encourages customers to stick around. Take Starbucks, for example. Their customers earn “stars” for every order, which they can redeem later for drinks and perks. This model keeps customers engaged and coming back for more. You can recreate this rewarding shopping experience by launching your own loyalty program.
Reward systems work best when they’re simple, engaging, and effective. One of the simplest kinds of programs to start with is a points-based system. Let customers earn points for different actions like making a purchase, leaving a review, or referring a friend. Then, you can let them redeem those points for discounts, free products, or store credit they can use for future purchases.
If you’re running a WooCommerce store, this is pretty simple to set up with plugins like WooCommerce Loyalty Program. With this tool, you can easily launch a points-based rewards system, grant points for specific customer actions, and monitor everything from a single dashboard.
Interested in launching a rewards points system in WooCommerce? Check out our full guide here. 👉
5. Be easy to reach when customers need help
Providing stellar customer service is a must-include in any guide on how to build customer loyalty. According to industry insights, 88% of customers say good customer service makes them more likely to order again. It all comes down to being available and accessible when they need you the most.
Make it easier for shoppers to reach out by providing multiple support options, such as email, live chat, or contact forms. It’s also important to empower customers–give them the tools to resolve simple concerns and queries. One way to do this is by providing a knowledge base and a dedicated FAQ section that answers their most common questions.
🎯 Pro Tip: You can use tools like StoreAgent to automatically display a FAQ tab on your product pages. This gives customers instant answers to common product questions, helping them make more confident buying decisions.
6. Measure customer satisfaction and improve from there
Measuring customer satisfaction gives you a clearer picture of what’s working. Below are key customer satisfaction metrics you can track, along with easy ways to measure them:
- Product ratings: Most ecommerce platforms include built-in review systems to help you collect feedback on specific products. You can also use tools like StoreAgent to automatically summarize product reviews, giving both shoppers (and you as the store owner) clear insights into common themes and takeaways.
- Net Promoter Score (NPS): Survey customers on how likely they are to recommend your store to others, usually on a scale from 0 to 10. This can be added as a simple survey in your post-purchase emails.
- Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT): Ask, “How satisfied were you with your experience?” and let them rate it from 1 to 5. You can place this question after support chats, completed orders, or returns.
7. Offer hassle-free returns and exchanges
Even with quality products and clear sizing charts, there will still be moments when something doesn’t work out, especially if you’re selling online. Clearly outlining your returns and exchange policy early in the shopping process helps build trust. According to industry research, close to half (49%) of customers check a store’s return policy before making a purchase.
One way to improve your returns and refund process is by issuing store credits instead of full refunds. This is usually faster and less complicated than issuing a full refund, and it encourages customers to return to your store.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to increase loyalty in customers?
The key to building lasting customer loyalty is making shoppers feel supported and valued throughout their shopping journey. Some effective strategies include sending out personalized offers, providing stellar customer support, encouraging repeat purchases through a loyalty program, and collecting (and acting on) customer feedback.
Why is it important to build customer loyalty?
Learning how to build customer loyalty is crucial to the long-term success of your business. Happy, loyal customers spend more, refer others to your brand, and are more likely to keep patronizing your store. Focusing on building customer loyalty also reduces your reliance on customer acquisition and creates a stable revenue stream for your business. This is key to sustainable growth, even during slower seasons or uncertain market conditions.
What is a customer loyalty strategy?
Customer loyalty strategies encompass all your efforts to keep customers engaged and coming back to your store. Typical examples include launching a loyalty program, offering personalized discounts, and creating a smooth post-purchase experience.
Conclusion
Learning how to build customer loyalty might be one of the most important things you do as a business owner. By implementing the right strategies, you can encourage customers to keep choosing your store and build a thriving business.
In this guide, we shared seven actionable tips you can start using today:
- Share your brand values and story
- Leverage personalized offers and messages
- Encourage reviews and feedback
- Start a points-based program to make shopping rewarding
- Be easy to reach when customers need help
- Measure customer satisfaction and improve from there
- Offer hassle-free returns and exchanges
Start small: pick one or two strategies that feel right for your store and build from there.
Tools like Advanced Coupons and WooCommerce Loyalty Program can help you implement some of the strategies we discussed today. These tools allow you to craft personalized offers and launch a loyalty program in minutes.
Hope this guide helped you out. Want to learn more about how this works? Let us know in the comments. ☺️
