In today's fast-paced world of business, it's easy to focus on the next sale and the next customer, without considering the long-term impact of your customer relationships. But customers aren’t just a sale, they’re part of your community and the foundation of any business. By investing in your customers and building those strong relationships, you can create a sense of belonging that goes beyond a simple transaction. And cultivating a loyal customer base leads to repeat business, positive reviews, and word-of-mouth referrals.

At Experify, we believe that investing in your people is the key to success for any e-commerce brand. Here's our best practices to help you build and maintain successful long-term customer relationships. 

Make people feel good about being your customer 

Shoppers want to feel like they're part of something larger and more meaningful. This means buying into a larger mission, joining a community, and feeling like they're contributing to a greater cause. Be transparent about your values and share what you stand for to build trust with shoppers and instill a desire in them to support you. FOMO (fear of missing out) can also be a powerful motivator in building a sense of community, whether that’s offering exclusive deals or opportunities to engage with your brand.

Make it easy for people to engage with you

Customers want to feel heard and valued. Make sure your brand is present on social media, email, and other channels where your shoppers are likely to be, and be responsive and accessible when they reach out to you for help. Set realistic ETAs when it comes to response times, and actively repost and engage with user-generated content to show your appreciation. 

Additionally, building out proper feedback channels to make customers feel like their opinions matter and are valued is critical for maintaining positive long-term relationships. This can be done through post-sales surveys, support-specific emails or forms, or on-site feedback widgets.

Invest in a CRM tool

It’s 2023 and everyone should have a good customer relationship management tool in place, but we still want to stress again how much of an invaluable asset CRMs can be when it comes to building long-term customer relationships. It allows you to keep track of your customer data and preferences at scale, stay proactive when it comes to issues or concerns, and proactively engage with customers. We love HubSpot, but do your research and find a CRM tool that fits your needs and the specific demands of your business and industry. 

Keep the bigger picture in mind

While first impressions and new customers are certainly important to every business, it's equally important to think about how you can engage with customers throughout the entire funnel and after the sale. This means thinking about ways to solicit reviews and testimonials, incentivize repeat customers, and provide top-notch customer service when it comes to replacement, warranties, and other CX issues. 

‍How Experify can help

Investing in long-term customer relationships is critical for building a successful e-commerce business. By making customers feel valued and connected, providing top-notch customer service, and investing in the right tools and technology, you can build a community of loyal customers who will continue to support your brand over the long term. And at Experify, we're here to help you do just that.

We built a platform that delivers a unique, community-driven shopping experience that helps customers feel connected to the products they're buying, and the people and brands who own them. Experify nurtures existing customer relationships by offering people a way to participate in a larger community and give back to others. By sharing their experiences and providing advice to undecided shoppers, these champions are able to play a critical role in a network of authentic, knowledgeable customers. This not only helps build customer loyalty, but it also provides a way for customers to feel good about being part of something larger. 

And for prospective customers, Experify offers a high-touch personalized shopping experience that takes into account everyone’s unique needs and preferences. By connecting shoppers with real people around the world who own the products they're considering, we provide unparalleled advice and authentic recommendations. This leads to a more informed purchase decision and ultimately, a more satisfied customer.

Contact us