Selling to an existing client is easier and cheaper than selling to a new user.  Even though this may seem obvious, customer loyalty is usually overlooked in the WooCommerce world. Retention is key to having a successful eCommerce store. Loyal shoppers buy more and recommend your store to their friends and family. Therefore, they help you grow your business organically saving time and money.

Recent studies show that when someone buys from your store a second time, they’re more likely to keep shopping from you. That’s why it’s key to encourage a second purchase. This will bring more business to your site and increase the average customer lifetime value.

However, most sites put all their attention to acquiring new users and forget that their existing clients are equally important. You’ve already made the investment to convert them so now it’s time to keep them engaged and make the most of them.

Common WooCommerce customer loyalty mistakes

Many people think that WooCommerce customer loyalty is sending weekly emails to people that have bought from you and giving them discounts every once in a while. This couldn’t be further from the truth. 

Bombarding them with ads and emails won’t work either. To retain users you’ll need more than that, starting with a plan and a strategy. Having good products/services, the right prices, an attractive theme, and excellent plugins in your store is key. However, to boost customer repetition you need to make sure that you provide enough value to them. 

The good news is that if you do it well, it can have a huge impact on your business. That’s why today we’ll have a look at some tips to increase WooCommerce customer loyalty.

How to increase WooCommerce customer loyalty

Membership Programs

We know that forcing the shoppers to create an account to buy from your store can affect your conversion rate. However, if you give users good reasons to create an account, most of them will. Just remember to make the account creation process easy, by allowing Google and Facebook signups for example. 

By having a membership, customers expect to get some kind of benefit. Exclusive discounts, access to members-only promotions, free shipping, special return policy, and priority to buy new products are excellent perks that shoppers will value. 

The benefits you offer will depend on the type of product/service you offer. Additionally, make sure you get to know your audience and give them something that they value.

Memberships are a great way to increase your sales and boost the WooCommerce customer loyalty in your store. 

Some plugins to help you manage these membership programs are Gratisfaction and WooCommerce Memberships. 

Points and Perks Program

Complementing memberships, offering your users points and rewards for each purchase is another great way to improve retention.

The idea is that your shoppers accumulate points with each order, and then they use them to get perks or rewards. For example, you can let them use points to buy or get a discount on some of your products.

This way you’re giving the customers an incentive to keep buying from you. The more they shop the more points they get. It’s a win-win relationship because they’re getting something else from their purchase. 

Some plugins that will help you set up a Points Program and increase the WooCommerce customer loyalty are Reward Points, YITH Points and Rewards, and WooCommerce Points and Rewards. 

Great Customer Service and Return Policy

Users buy online because it’s faster and more comfortable. However, they also want to know that there’s someone there to answer their questions and help them out if there’s a problem. As a result, having amazing customer service is extremely important and can make a huge difference.

Even though you’ll want the customer service to help you increase your sales, you need to make sure that they provide value to the shoppers.

Additionally, one of the main reasons for shipping cart abandonment is lack of trust. Nowadays, dodgy websites and scams are becoming more and more common. That’s why shoppers are very careful and if they don’t trust a site, they won’t buy from it. 

To gain their trust and boost WooCommerce customer loyalty, having a great return policy is a fantastic strategy. Not only does it lower the risks for the users but it also provides a sense of transparency.

Referral programs 

Nowadays, word of mouth is one of the most powerful marketing tools. If a friend or relative recommends a specific brand or store to you, you’re more likely to buy from them. What if you could encourage people to promote your website to grow organically?

Referral programs are a great way to achieve this. One way is to reward current customers with discounts or points if they bring a new client. However, a more powerful approach is to benefit both the existing and the new user. That way, both parties have an incentive.

Referral programs will help you increase WooCommerce customer loyalty and also boost your sales organically.

Some good plugins that you could test to give referrals a try are Refer a Friend and ReferralCandy.

Reviews

Another way to gain shoppers’ trust is by having a review system in place. The more people you get to rate your products/services, the more trustworthy your site will be.

As users, we all have experience with platforms such as Amazon or Airbnb that rely on reviews, and we’ve decided to buy or not to buy based on other people’s opinions. Therefore, try to get a good system with honest reviews.

You can combine this approach with a membership or points program to encourage your clients to leave reviews.

WooCommerce Customer Loyalty: Final Thoughts

Gaining users’ trust and increasing WooCommerce customer loyalty takes time and work. First, you need them to get to your website and convert them. Then, put a system in place and give them incentives to keep buying from you, leave reviews and bring their friends. 

Providing useful information and sending regular follow-ups to create interest is also a good option. However, this doesn’t mean that you have to spam them with emails. The focus should be on creating value for them so then they’ll come back to you naturally.

Do you know any other ways to improve WooCommerce customer loyalty? What other tips can you share with us? Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below.