3 Essential Ways to Ensure Custom Loyalty During This Time of No-Contact

With no warning, recent events have driven an undeniable and daunting wedge between companies and consumers. Now, rather than popping to the shop, customers have to actively seek the brands that they want to connect with. And this is inescapably changing the face of customer loyalty as we know it. 

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At least for the time being, it’s no longer enough to assume that the customers who have always been around will still be there. Worse, as they seek alternatives through this no-contact period, they may well end up turning away from you.

That’s terrible news, but it doesn’t need to happen if you develop an action plan. After all, eCommerce companies have been managing contactless loyalty for years now, so it is possible. But, how exactly do you implement those loyalty focuses when we’re amid a lockdown? 

Think forward

Thinking forward right now allows you to continue offering value to consumers, even if you’re unable to sell products as it stands. Things like future discounts or even gift vouchers that don’t come into play until later could prove invaluable. All you need to do is think outside of the box to consider how you can keep revenue and customer interest strong during this challenging time. As simple as that, consumers who would’ve otherwise gone elsewhere should stay on your side through lockdown and beyond. 

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Find news to connect

You can’t chat face-to-face with your consumers right now, but, as the many eCommerce success stories reveal, you might not need to. In fact, online techniques like video chat could see you connecting more efficiently in brand new ways. You could even take this downtime to learn how to make a QR code that connects consumers directly to anything from your social media pages to your website. Without requiring them to leave the house, this effort alone will see them finding you across the internet, and staying in touch with what you’re doing that way. 

Get on camera

Video marketing has long been rising in the popularity ranks, but it’s become even more prevalent recently. After all, if your current loyalty is built around a small, personally run business, then seeing you is likely one of the best parts of the shopping experience. And you know what they say, out of sight = out of mind. So, think now about how you can get yourself seen still through video campaigns. You could document how you’re fighting to stay afloat, for instance, or make a comical series about your journey through lockdown. Then, you simply need to make sure you reply to all those comments, and consumers will feel as close to you as they did when they chatted with you in your shop.

No contact lockdowns are, undeniably, set to take their toll on small businesses across the map. But, rather than seeing this as a period of defeat, taking customer loyalty by the horns in these ways could just see you coming out on top, and even expanding your business reach as a result.