How To Turn Seasonal Online Shoppers Into Year-Round Customers

Customers are the livewire of any business. If they do not patronise your services, you are as good as 'dead'. It is pertinent that you ensure that they always come back. However, there are a certain set of customers who are referred to as seasonal customers. They are shoppers who only shop during the festive period or when there is a big campaign-Black Friday. And obviously, as a business, you want to move them from being seasonal to year-round customers. Read on to know how you can make this possible.

Make the most of email

Email marketing is still one of the most powerful marketing tools you can use. It's convenient, affordable, and its response rate is better than direct mail. But it's important to capture customer information from the first purchase so that you can keep in touch going forward — and how you go forward is just as important. Your first email can simply be a thank you sent a day or two after order completion. Warm them up to your brand and messaging so that you can set yourself apart from the competition. Make sure to incentivize your seasonal shoppers to visit your store again and make a purchase using an included discount coupon with an expiration date to evoke a sense of urgency.

Offer special sales campaigns throughout the year

Rather than waiting for a Cyber Monday or Black Friday, create your own holidays and sales throughout the year. You should run a new campaign each month to drive traffic and increase sales.  Also, be sure to include an expiration date for each campaign, as consumers are more willing to make immediate purchases if they fear losing out on a great deal. Otherwise, they will wait to make the purchase, as there is no incentive to move forward right away.

Create new content

Engaging, useful content will not only drive traffic to your website but if you do it right, it can drive sales too. Create content that not only helps your target audience (which include the seasonal shoppers) but also encourages them to buy. For example, you can put together a list of tips to help readers get ready Easter and recommend some products from your online store that will help them. Make sure to add popups and opt-ins to your blog posts as well to encourage people to sign up for your email list.

Offer excellent customer service

Customer service is king when it comes to getting one-time customers to return. Being a retailer during the holiday season gives you a couple of options. You can either be stressed out like everyone else, or offer such a hassle-free, enjoyable shopping experience that customers will actually remember after the holidays. You can be different and stand out, and that's done simply by being pleasant, present, and proactive.

Customer loyalty programmes

Loyalty programmes are an effective way to increase purchase frequency. Customers can earn valuable rewards, which motivates them to make more purchases with you. That means that those seasonal shoppers are prime targets for a customer loyalty program. Start off by giving them welcome points when they sign up, so when they see how easy it is to earn rewards, they'll want to come back to your store to do it again. They get more value when they shop, and you get their repeat business.