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Now your credit solution is live and the journey has begun, it’s time to engage your customers, nurture leads and ensure you’re making the most of every potential sale.
It could be that they have already taken out a credit agreement, or were just checking their eligibility for finance. Either way, you now need to keep that interaction going.
Customer engagement is crucial. Businesses who have a customer engagement strategy hold a definite advantage over those who don’t. So interact with your customers, or risk losing them to a rival retailer.
Fear not. These don’t need to be solutions that take days or even weeks to get done – many are simple to do, achieving significant results quickly.
In this article, we’ll run through some practical steps which can add to your customer engagement strategy to help you achieve just that.
1. Order completion reminders
Great news: a customer has filled their cart with products. But hold on – they haven’t completed their order yet.
The customer engagement solution is simple. Give them a heads up. This can be a simple ‘Hey – don’t forget to finish buying your new X’, or ‘Did you still want this?’
To give you even more chance of a completed order, you could even offer them an incentive, such as a coupon or discount, to give them that added push.
The trick here is not to bombard them with reminders, sales and discounts. But we’re all busy, and sometimes a quick reminder can be the difference between a sale or no sale.
This could be via an on-site chatbot that pops up to the customer, or, if possible, an email direct to the customer’s inbox offering a quick check-in.
Similarly, it’s important to put some thought into how to reduce shopping cart abandonment, with up to 80% of online shopping orders lost in this way. That can be due to the price changing the customer’s mind, checkout being too long and complicated, or inadequate shipping options.
From having a clear return and refund policy to reducing page loading time, we’ve put together this blog detailing nine ways to reduce cart abandonment and boost sales for your eCommerce store.
2. Credit eligibility reminders
Providing credit eligibility reminders is a simple but effective way to engage customers and keep them interested in making a purchase.
Merchants using the DivideBuy POS finance solution can offer our Eligibility Checker tool. Customers who use this are able to easily and quickly check whether they may be approved for the amount they wish to borrow – without affecting their credit score.
Following up with the customer after they have used this tool is essential. This extra steps reminds them that they are eligible for credit on their purchase, which may entice them to complete the transaction.
By including a quick breakdown of what they wanted to buy, you can show the customer you are invested in their interests and that you are committed to helping them make their purchase.
3. Upcoming payment reminders
When it comes to ethical lending and boosting customer engagement, sending out reminders ahead of payments is a must.
Many credit providers use Continuous Payment Authority (CPA) to collect instalments, and it is essential to give customers a heads up when a payment is due.
Not only does this help customers avoid late payment fees, but it also helps to build trust between the customer and the credit provider.
By sending reminders, you are showing your customers that you care about their financial wellbeing and that you want to help them stay on top of their payments, meaning they feel up to date, and are crucially more likely to consider your store for future purchases.
4. Requests for feedback
Inviting customers to share their views is an excellent way to keep them engaged and to improve the overall customer experience.
By sending out surveys or asking customers to leave a review, you are giving them a platform to voice their opinions and to provide valuable feedback.
This feedback can be used to improve your products and services, which can in turn help encourage repeat custom.
Your credit provider should take the initiative to solicit feedback regularly, as this is an important aspect of maintaining a healthy and long-lasting relationship with customers.
5. Relevant offers and promotions
Offering relevant promotions and special offers can help to keep customers engaged and interested in making a purchase.
Subject to opt-in, credit providers can send customers information on sales and special offers from their merchants. By letting customers know what’s on offer, you are giving them a reason to come back and make another purchase.
Additionally, offering promotions and deals can help to build customer loyalty and make customers feel appreciated and valued. Be sure to take advantage of your mailing list by sending out regular updates on promotions and special offers.
6. Tell your story with video
Video is a surefire marketing win for engagement on any platform. This could be a quick explainer selling your new product line, or a longer piece of video storytelling detailing a wider campaign launch.
Eyes on a page are drawn to video, and seeing a persuasive, interesting or emotional video on-page could be the difference between a sale or cart abandonment. These can then be utilised on social media giving you maximum value for money.
Put simply, if your business can afford it, then it’s worthwhile.
For more on how to truly engage customers, and other exclusive tips, visit our merchant blog.
Or, to find out more about DivideBuy and our interest free buy now, pay later solution for your business, get in touch with the team today for a demo.
