Part 5
in a Series on Loyalty Retailing
From
Melody Vargas
Friendship is the
most effective branding a store can ever use. It isn't
loyalty programs that set retailers apart from their
competition, it is friendships. How can retailers build
friendships with their customers?
Friendships are forged from
human interaction. Getting rid of the cold and
impersonal, and adding the personal touch is the way to
recognize every shopper as an unique individual. By
valuing their customers' feelings, tastes, needs and
desires, retailers create friendships and build customer
loyalty.
What are retailers doing to
interact with their customers? Gwen Moran, president of
Moran Marketing Associates, explored several ideas for
Entrepreneur Magazine, including one from a
florist friend, who "keeps a card file on each of her
most frequent customers, recording the colors of their
home décors, seasonal flower preferences and so on, so
she always delivers the perfect arrangement."
Just because a retailer is
based online doesn't mean they can't create one on one
contact too. Sherri Breetzke, owner of The Creativity
Zone sends handwritten thank you notes to her customers.
"I have developed relationships much beyond that which
automated replies can do," she said.
Gift basket and florist
retailer, BZ Riger-Hill, of Charlotte's Garden , also adds a personal touch to
online shopping. Stressing unique gifts that are
organically grown, created, and packaged right on their
Martha's Vineyard farm, custom orders are no problem for
this e-tailer. Their newsletter offers articles, tips,
recipes and "mailbox specials" -- offers that appeal to
their customers -- to keep their friends coming back.
Another great way to get
customers back into a store is to offer classes and
workshops. Fantastic for both interaction and showcasing
products, these hands-on activities are big hits with
customers. Michaels
, an arts & crafts retailer,
offers classes on everything from floral designing to
tole painting. In addition, they offer project
worksheets, demonstrations, and make-and-take projects
to get their customers, and their customers' kids,
excited.
Home improvement giant,
Home Depot, offers project information on
their Web site. They also give their customers a chance
to come in and participate in projects like building a
deck, at the store before tackling it at home.
Many retailers, large and
small, brick-and-mortar and pure-play, have found ways
to build friendships. From letting a customer try a
product in the store before they buy it, to soliciting
feedback on products and giving customers a way to share
their experiences with other customers, retailers are
treating customers like friends, not just guests.
Retailers find that as
friendships develop, great things start to happen. The
increased loyalty brings referrals and new friends into
the store. Customers start stopping by more often just
to see what's going on and what's new. Both retailers
and customers benefit from the interaction.
Next week starts the wrap
up of the retail loyalty series with an exploration of
how respect plays a large part in creating loyalty.
Then, the week of Christmas, we'll tie the series
together with a number of useful links you can use to
improve loyalty and build friendships in your business.
For the remainder of the
article, press
here.
Tech 
