The pandemic has influenced many companies to adopt new business practices that appeal to the countless number of customers who now have changing priorities, like safety. That coupled with the fact that loyalty is becoming more difficult to maintain—with 70% of customers choosing the best deal over loyalty—means that today, businesses need to work extra hard to build customer trust.
While most marketing efforts are targeted toward reeling new customers in, the reality is, 80% of a company’s business comes from only 20% of current customers. For an auto repair shop, this is crucial because it means that retaining the customer base you already have can ensure longevity for your business. Here are 4 customer loyalty trends to help you do just that.
Member-Engagement is No Longer Solely Based on a Purchase
A taxing past year and a half has led many people to become more focused on smaller rewards and positive experiences. Therefore, companies are shifting their attention away from purchase-focused pursuits and, instead, are providing little incentives and engaging with valuable content.
- A points-based reward system- Traditional programs tend to focus on awarding points to customers after purchases. A points system gives a customer options as to how they will spend their reward. This also allows businesses to expand their horizons, indulging customers with rewards points for completing surveys, leaving reviews, and other activities that contribute to a more comprehensive brand engagement.
- Take to the socials- Nowadays, consumers are interacting with companies through social media and review sites. That’s why it’s so critical to develop your digital face so that the public can engage virtually by filling out polls, leaving comments and questions, and sharing your content.
- Spread your knowledge- With physical amenities limited, many have had to manage things like home and car maintenance on their own. Show customers you still care and are thinking of their well-being by offering tutorials and quick tips to give them a virtual hand through Youtube and other platforms–think a tutorial on changing a tire or the best oil to use.
Expanded Offerings Are Enticing Consumers to Make a Move
42% of consumers say certain incentives can make them stray from a current business to another (aka yours). This makes it crucial to create rewards and incentives that speak to your base.
Instead of solely utilizing products and services from your shop, consider teaming up with other community businesses–offering their products as a reward. For example, partner with a local restaurant, giving away major discounts or a free meal to your customers–when they are getting work done on their vehicles, they can grab a bite to eat.
There are a plethora of advantages that come with this technique, including:
- Sharing customer bases in order to attract new business
- Split marketing efforts, saving you money and time
- Introduce branding collaborations to excite existing customers
- Build relationships with other companies
These strategies work wonders by making the partnership mutually beneficial–both companies win.
A Strong Investment in Customer Analytics
New technological capabilities allow businesses to track customers in ways never thought possible. And you should take advantage of it. There are many ways you can benefit from analytics, such as:
- Personalized promotions- Harness customer data to provide individualized offers
- Improved customer retention- Consumer analysis can help identify what’s making customers stay, and equally as important, what’s making them leave enabling you to adjust your marketing efforts accordingly
- Increased sales- Studies show that a business that uses analytics is 131% more likely to be ahead of the market in sales because it can give you an understanding of your customer’s purchasing decisions. For example, you could test how different incentives appeal to your customers or promotions that bring more business through your shop.
Digital marketing platforms, like BayIQ, give you access to automated analytics and reports so that you don’t have to worry about crunching the numbers on top of everything else. They are seamlessly integrated into your current platform to eliminate any major learning curves. This allows you to start making meaningful changes, immediately.
Making It Easy Wins More Customers
This seems obvious. Make it easy for customers. A frictionless experience. But this is essential for both their experience with your shop and experience with your loyalty program. The basic concept is that if the experience is effortless, consumers are likely to buy more. For example, by simply allowing customers to use a credit card they will likely increase their spend by 100%.
Moreover, a loyalty program is supposed to be easy, simple, and even fun.The last thing you want is to make your customer frustrated over it. Remember; rewards should be easy to earn, not a headache. It’s about showing them that you value their business.
Making It Easy Gives You Time Back
Creating a frictionless experience for customers could mean painstaking tasks behind the scenes. That’s why many auto repair shops utilize BayIQ.
BayIQ is a marketing platform built by auto repair experts for auto repair shops. It provides built-in marketing outreach tactics, such as reminder texts, promotional emails, and reviews, that are completely automated giving you time back.
BayIQ automates your entire marketing strategy and simplifies the process of retaining current customers by providing a single system that encompasses everything. Whether it is creating an easy-to-use rewards program, reaching customers through email and text marketing, soliciting online reviews, or tracking your performance metrics, BayIQ was built with customer relations at the forefront. Their system can integrate directly into your current system meaning less time spent on training.
With BayIQ you’ll immediately be creating a seamless experience for your customers and for yourself. Make life-long and happy customers effortlessly.
