subject: 3 Ways You Can Use Your Point Of Sale Software To Improve Customer Loyalty [print this page] Here's a secret that may surprise you: it takes five times more to attract a new customer than it does to sell something new to an existing customer. Did you know that you can use your point of sale software to improve your customer loyalty and your bottom line at the same time?
Your customers are creatures of habit, they love shopping at the same shop when they feel that their needs are being met and when they are being properly looked after. They actually like to be treated as if they are special even when they know you are only after their money.
POS software offers you unprecedented opportunities to gather information about your customers spending patterns and personal details like birthdays and income levels. You can use this information in a variety of ways to make your customer feel that they are being noticed and listened to.
So, with that in mind, here are four things you can do with your point-of-sale software to maximise your customer loyalty, decrease your advertising costs and make more money every month.
Spending Patterns. You can perform a really simple analysis on every customer you have on your database to discover the items that they are purchasing most often. Can you imagine how they will feel if you write them a personalised letter which offers them a discount on a bulk purchase of their favourite item? It doesn't take much to create a heightened level of loyalty when a customer feels that the retailer has actually noticed something about them. It adds a personalised element that many retailers ignore.
Personal Information. What do you do with your customers personal details? It may seem trite to consider that a birthday card could be seen as anything more than an impersonal gesture. But what if you were to offer a special gift, even a sample of something that you know this customer particularly likes? Even better, what if you offer them a discount or a two for one offer so they can send a gift to a friend or family member? Using the information you have gathered like birthdays can be used in a productive way that benefits not just you but the customer as well.
VIP Cards. Why not treat your customer to an elevated status by offering them a VIP card once they reach a certain spending level. You could make the offer shortly after they have established a spending pattern and encourage them to keep on spending until they reach a certain level after which they will get access to discounts and special previews of new products that you know they will like. Belonging to an exclusive club is an excellent way of generating interest in your store whilst at the same time increasing customer loyalty.
Let's face it; customers are used to being treated like numbers by most retail outlets around town.
But by using your POS software you have a wonderful opportunity to take your customers to a new level of loyalty, meaning you can not only add to your bottom line but give something back to your customers who after all are the reason for being in business in the first place
