Let’s be honest; nobody likes to put more effort into something, when he can have same results with less. This state of proceeding with something with little difficulty, we know as convenience, is therefore something that is instantly appealing to the widest amount of people, which could be otherwise divided by the myriad of other classifications. So, since we established that convenience is “The Great Equalizer”, it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise that it can be very effectively used as a marketing tactic, aimed to increase customer loyalty. Let’s see how exactly we can made customer’s lives easier and increase revenue in the process.
Decrease customer response time
Online stores are not that unusual these days. We can even say that they have become the common place, regardless of the size of some business. Still, between having an online store, which is theoretically open for 24 hours and actually answering to customer’s demands 24/7, exists a great void, which can be easily filled by your company. Timey reactions can sometime make huge difference, especially if there is a weekend or holydays ahead of you. Use your ability to ship the products in the shortest possible time frame in your marketing campaign.
Solve the customer’s problems
You can put a price tag on virtually anything, but is there really need to do that? If you find a solution to some of your customer’s common problems or provide it with some useful, free material (various how-to’s, tutorials, guides, etc.), you will generate loyalty and start very positive word-of-mouth whose value will outweigh the gains you would get if you charge such conveniences. Ability to meet customer’s demands, not only with quality product, but the solutions as well will raise you high above the competition.
Make buying easy
Every time you discourage some person from spending its money, you are losing a potential loyal customer. Obstacles may be everywhere. For instance, your online store may not be mobile-friendly and easy to navigate, which will immediately redirect visitors to some other, better conceived website. It is also worth mentioning that online commerce introduced huge amount of new paying methods, like the ones of Promise Pay. Be sure to cover the widest possible amount of them, in order to turn something that would otherwise be a chore into pleasure.
Offer something your competition doesn’t
You may, for instance, offer free shipment for all the purchases exciding some amount of money. If you own an on-site store, providing some distraction for the kids will come as a blessing for the parents who must make some on-the-fly purchases. Being present on social media will make you more visible, and therefore more opened for all the questions out there waiting to be answered. You don’t even have to spend too much money. Most of these efforts are actually entirely free, but they do make a difference in your customer’s eyes.
Be open to suggestions
Finally, if you are completely out of ideas how to make your customer’s lives more convenient, ask them for opinion and find out what they desire. There are numerous ways to pull this off. Polls, inquiries, message boards, they will all do the job. You can even organize a social media contest for the most innovative idea, and present the winner with the adequate reward. You will be surprised how many good (and obvious) ideas you will get. Furthermore, you will show that you care about the problems of common people, and that you are willing to listen to them.
With all the things said, we can only conclude that convenience can be not only useful, but very powerful marketing asset too. No matter how your products or services are good, and your marketing campaign well devised, if you don’t make the very purchases convenient, all of your efforts may amount to nothing.
About the author:
Nate Vickery is an entrepreneur and business consultant with years of experience in giving small businesses and entrepreneurs financial advice. Nate writes for bizzmarkblog.com
