April is International Customer Loyalty Month. While customer loyalty should certainly take priority every month, we recognize this is a great opportunity to analyze your loyalty and retention strategy.
First, it’s important to know the difference between a customer who’s loyal versus one who frequents your business because it’s convenient in terms of location, services, inventory or pricing. Convenience-based customers only stick around until they think another business is offering a better deal. Loyal customers form a relationship with your business and are likely to stick around for years, if not a lifetime.
The idea of convincing a customer to stay loyal for life can be daunting, but it’s much more manageable if you simply focus on convincing them to come back next time. After all, 37% of consumers report they will make five or more purchases from a business before becoming loyal1. When considering your customer retention plan, ask yourself if what you’re doing for customers now will bring them back when they need tire services again.
Now that the majority of purchases begin online, you have the opportunity to build customer loyalty from the moment a prospect interacts with your business online, rather than waiting for them to set foot in your shop. To give you some inspiration, we’ve created a list of tools you may already be using that create a positive impression with customers and encourage them to come back:
The standards for a website have risen beyond just being responsive and up to date. Now it needs to serve as a digital hub for your customer service strategy. Here are some website engagement tools that can streamline your customer engagement:
Enable site visitors to make informed purchasing decisions by clearly displaying the services and brands they’re looking for. We recommend you include high-quality videos to supplement your catalogs, as video viewing will account for 82% of all internet traffic in 2022 – more than 4x as much as web browsing and email2.
Let shoppers take your wheels for a virtual test drive with an interactive online showroom! Offering a “try before you buy” experience is not only exciting to customers, but also saves them time researching tires and fitments. Many consumers can't discern a performance tire from an all-terrain tire, but they know it makes a difference in the look of their vehicle, and they’ll enjoy a memorable browsing experience choosing the right wheels for their ride.
Did you know that text messages have a 98% open rate3 – even higher than email? So, if you’re not already texting your customers, now is the time to start! Texting is one of the highest preferred communication channels because it’s fast, easy and low effort.
Texting is an opportunity to take your customer service to the next level and impress customers by using a versatile texting tool. Along with exchanging text messages, you can complete important touchpoint tasks like sending secure payment links, appointment reminders and a receipt of the purchase.
Many customers have turned to social media to interact with brands and share feedback. Businesses of all sizes should have an active social media presence so they can monitor post comments and customer reviews. Don’t hesitate to respond to a poor review if it happens, as complaints are your opportunity to reach out to that customer and save the relationship. Oftentimes, customers just need to feel their concerns have been heard, and they will come back to your store. In essence, social media lets you turn an unhappy customer into a loyal one.
Every strategy we’ve discussed so far has been digital, but we want to shine a spotlight on your team, who knows your customers better than anyone. While digital tools are great at capturing metrics and lead data to help you understand buyer needs, they can’t wholly replace your team’s combined ingenuity. Get a great discussion going by pitching these two questions to the group: “Why do customers choose us over other tire shops?” “Why do customers choose other tire shops over us?”
If you can make a positive impact on a customer at every stage of the buying journey, that customer is highly likely to choose your business next time, too. Digital tools handle the heavy lifting of a streamlined customer service process so that you can focus on delivering a great in-store experience. Remember, the goal of each online tool is to bring a customer back the next time. And the time after that.
Discovering the right digital tools for your business can be a tiring process, which is why we’re here to offer you a shortcut. Feel free to connect with TCS today.
About TCS TechnologiesTCS, an ARI company, develops and supports an innovative suite of point of sale and business management software, eCommerce websites, digital marketing services and data-as-a-service products designed exclusively for dealers, wholesalers, retreaders and manufacturers within the automotive repair, tire and wheel verticals. TCS is the industry's only complete technology provider, and our platform outperforms the competition through its seamless integration and superior functionality. For more than 20 years, we have provided our customers the best customer support in the industry, giving them the tools to build stronger, more loyal customers and ultimately a strong ROI.
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