If your brand can't retain a customer, to replace that customer's business you'll need to spend 6-7 times more than you would have to retain it, according to Frederick Reichheld of Bain & Company. So how do you keep your customers coming back for more?
Customers who engage with a brand through multiple channels exhibit deeper loyalty than single-channel customers do. Those loyal customers are the ones who will be advocates for your brand.
Smartphone penetration is at more than 50% in the US market, and the people who use them expect their favorite brands to have mobile-optimized websites. From my experience, a quick look at Google Analytics shows it's not uncommon to see 10-20% of visitors accessing the brand website via mobile.
Brands can't afford to ignore mobile users; instead, they should wow this significant portion of their audience by serving up a great customer experience, especially considering that they may be among a company's most loyal customers.
Prioritize your mobile marketing efforts by focusing on the following three areas within a mobile app that, if done well, can promote customer loyalty and help brands retain their most valuable customers.
1. Make mobile payments easy
If your payment process is simple and intuitive, the likelihood is greater that your customers will complete their purchase—and then come back to do it again and again.
Dunkin' Donuts, for example, makes it easy for customers to pay at the register with its mobile app. The attendant simply scans the QR bar code from your phone, which instantly updates to reflect the purchase.
Here are some questions to ask when trying to improve the mobile-payment experience:
- Do customers feel they can load and reload funds securely within the app using their credit card, and is it a simple process?
- Is it both quick and easy for customers to pay at the point of purchase?
- Can customers view the remaining balance without much digging?
2. Offer location-based alerts and offers
A customer who is shopping at a mall where your store is located is much more likely to take advantage of a coupon or gift card than someone who isn't as close by.
Apple's Passbook app makes short work of storing and redeeming loyalty cards, coupons, event tickets, and more.
