Your growth as a retailer mainly lies on the shoulders of your customers. Transactions should not just be buying and selling but rather a long lasting relationship. A customer’s continuous relationship with you is what will determine the growth of your business. Undoubtedly, building relationships with your customers is a difficult task owing to the numerous options customers have now especially with the rapid growth of e-commerce. Retailers need to create stronger bonds with their customers to cause them to continually patronize them.

Personalize customer relationships

Every customer is an individual and as such requires to be treated with a personal approach. Every customer has a unique temperament and character and thus requires different approaches to them. Know the preferences and backgrounds of each customer to enable you to relate and suggest products to them. Customers will feel special if they are attended to individually rather than like all customers.

Rapid response on social media and blogs

In a business discussion in one of my whatsapp groups, a member complained of retailers who refuse to respond to questions on their social media platforms and even tagged them as either scam or unserious. Now, being tagged a scam or unserious by a retailer is bad for customer relationships. Responding to questions by customers on your blog and social media pages is a step to satisfying the needs of your customers which in a way paves way for a better relationship.

Stay in touch on special occasions

This is one way that financial institutions and telecommunication companies stay in touch with their customers. They do that by sending Christmas wishes, Easter wishes and holiday wishes to their customers serving as a reminder of their relationship with them. Retailers can also send birthday wishes to their customers and present them with special gifts like discounts. This act will encourage customers to always patronize you and even refer you to others because of the special treatment you gave to them.

Involve your customers in your product content

Your product represents the lifestyle of your customers so it is just right that you sometimes seek the opinion of your customers on new products or rebranding. This is because they are the consumers and their preferences and ideas really matter. For instance, you change the menu at your restaurant without consulting even a quarter of your customers, imagine how disappointed your customers will be when given the new menu. Apart from the dent it creates on your customer relationship, your business will also suffer the effects.

Customers are of great value to us, without them there is no business. Discover a healthier and realistic way to make your customers fall in love with your products, brand and services  to outmatch your competitors.