In 2016, Crystal Landsem joined Lulus, a 10-figure style model, and greater than doubled the corporate’s development potential. This was due to the staff’s deep connection to its core prospects and Crystal’s dedication to giving them precisely what they needed—together with a model new retail retailer.
Prioritizing the customer experience has at all times been entrance of thoughts for Lulus. This outlook has been part of the model’s general mission since inception, and one of many causes it’s been in enterprise for greater than 25 years.
Forward, Crystal breaks down the 4 foremost customer retention methods which have saved Lulus thriving.
Do not miss an episode! Subscribe to Shopify Masters.
4 professional buyer retention suggestions
When rising a enterprise, buying new prospects is a crucial a part of your marketing strategy. Nevertheless it’s cheaper to retain prospects than purchase new ones. And constant prospects turn out to be ambassadors in your model as you develop. Listed here are Crystal’s suggestions for investing in buyer retention.
1. Be as constant as doable
The primary option to maintain prospects coming again for extra is to ship in your guarantees constantly—even when which means going above and past. Crystal and the staff have gone so far as making final minute journeys to the put up workplace to hurry a bride’s cargo earlier than her large day.
The belief you construct along with your buyer if you ship constant outcomes will solely enhance their lifetime value, and produce in additional income over time. “In case you get any individual their product on time, and in high quality situation each time, that’s what’s going to gas your development,” Crystal says.
2. Spend money on your buyer
It is advisable prioritize the place you’re spending your cash, particularly early on. Crystal suggests occupied with it this manner: If it doesn’t drive worth to your buyer, you don’t want it.
After receiving repeated suggestions from passionate prospects for an in-person buying expertise, Crystal and her staff launched a bridal boutique on Melrose, a well-liked buying vacation spot in Los Angeles.
This funding may not make sense to an outsider, however it’s what the loyal followers needed and was subsequently a stable determination for the model.
Regardless of rising the corporate to triple digits, Crystal nonetheless takes the same outlook on any new selections she makes for Lulus. “We have been very scrappy early on, and we nonetheless are to today,” Crystal says.
3. Ignore temptations
Begin utilizing your free time extra effectively so you may grasp reasonably priced software program earlier than investing in expensive expertise. This will provide you with extra money to put money into options that drive direct worth again to your buyer, like a retail retailer. “There are a whole lot of actually horny software program instruments on the market; issues that declare to automate and make your life simpler, however don’t be drawn into all of the attract of those set-it-and-forget-it automation instruments,” Crystal says.
See the place you’ll find cheaper alternate options that can can help you maintain working prices low, so you may spend additional income creating a better high quality buying expertise. By ignoring temping expertise early on, you’ll have more money to put money into the shopper.
4. Add private touches
Consumer trends regularly level to the significance of authenticity—folks prefer to really feel that they’re shopping for from actual people, not only a touchdown web page. Crystal’s staff nonetheless writes handwritten notes for orders, so prospects can really feel a connection to Lulus’ workers.
Lulus additionally evaluations each single buyer exit survey that comes by means of the system. These surveys are reviewed by the management staff, letting them make fast pivots if wanted. “It’s not aggregated, it’s not streamlined. It’s only a uncooked buyer suggestions knowledge dump that comes into our e-mail each morning,” Crystal says.
As Lulus demonstrates, placing your prospects’ wants first and specializing in driving actual worth, your small business will at all times have a strong community of shoppers who help your small business.
To find out about Crystal’s retail pop-up guidelines and uncover extra of her buyer retention methods, tune in to the complete Shopify Masters episode.