Most of us were taught to say “thank you” as soon as we learned to talk. And after all those years, that simple phrase remains one of the most fundamental ways of acknowledging and connecting to others.
Saying thank you shows that we are human and that we value others.
Of course, showing our human side has always been important. But after the isolating experiences of Covid-19, human connection is in — big time. And this is also why today’s consumers crave customer experiences — not transactions — more than ever.
Why it’s vital to show gratitude to retail customers right now
Saying thank you doesn’t just show gratitude; it helps people to connect and build relationships, which is important stuff in AU and NZ retail at the moment. Expressing gratitude to customers is not just a nice gesture; it’s a relationship builder, a loyalty maker and quite frankly, a retail business builder.
Showing gratitude to customers and allowing them to feel valued, seen and heard does a lot to help create a positive customer experience. Not only that, when you make people feel good, they’re likely to reciprocate.
“Influence: the psychology of persuasion” by Robert Cialdini emphasises that the principle of reciprocity is powerful. If someone gives us something, we’re wired to give them something back. So, by showing your appreciation to a customer, they feel compelled to reciprocate by returning to your store or spreading good words to friends and family.
Thank you messages for customers don’t just benefit them, though. It will give you, the retailer, enormous dividends. For example, here are some of the rewards you can look forward to:
1. Better branding & WOM/WOS (word-of-mouth/word-of-share)-
People believe humans and what they say far more than any slick advertising campaign. So talk is cheap — and very good for business. According to a study by Wharton School of Business, referred customers are between 16% to 24% more loyal on average. And research company GWI says word-of-mouth is the fourth most cited method of brand discovery among global Internet users. In a similar vein, the digital versions: word of click or word of share work similarly.
“Acquiring a new customer is anywhere from five to 25 times more expensive than retaining an existing one.” – HBR
2. Increased customer loyalty-
New customers are expensive to acquire. They take time, money and effort while existing or old customers seemingly reappear. As Harvard Business Review quotes, getting a new customer can cost between 5 to 25 times more. This significant expense is why retailers should do everything they can to retain their customers. And, along with good customer service, this includesautomating their personalised marketing and loyalty campaigns with intelligent retail marketing software, CRM and loyalty tools. So if you’re not using them already, you must start — or run the real risk of being left behind in the post-Covid retail race.
3. Get more profit from customers-
According to researchers at Bain & Co, increasing your customer retention rates by as little as 5% can increase your profits by 25% to 95%. That’s quite an increase. Plus, the average repeat buyer spends 33% more than a new customer — which is also something to look forward to.
And things get better over time. According to Annex Cloud, “A typical return customer will spend 67% more by their third year of buying from a business than in their first six months.”
Hold on to your customers, and it’ll be much easier to increase your profits.
How to thank your customers: thank you notes, rewards & messages
We can thank customers in a variety of creative ways, such as:
- Thank you for your purchase (physical) card – This is included in the packaging of online orders. If you’re a small business, these can be quickly hand-written. However, you may need to adapt to preprinted cards that have a quick thank you note in a handwritten style font. Depending on time, your staff can always embellish with a quick, personalised note.
- Electronic thank you letter after an online store purchase – This purchase email is sent via email or SMS— after the order confirmation note (short and sweet, but still personable and relationship-building)
- Loyalty thank you note – An automated note sent after a specific value has been spent by the customer
- Gift with purchase – A small gift or free samples can be added to say thank you after a customer’s first order, any order or if they have spent a certain amount
- ‘Useful’ thankful note – Don’t just say thank you for your purchase. If a customer has just bought an eyeshadow kit, send them a short popular video on nine on trend looks they can create with the kit. If a customer has bought a bike, send them a video showing them how they can repair a punctured tire, or how to service their bike.
How to say thank you to retail customers
You don’t have to be fancy when saying thank you. It’s often best to keep it simple. A few tips:
- Write simply and authentically – Don’t write how you ‘think’ you should write.
- Be brief, relaxed and sincere - It’s more human, which is what we all want. And by being more human, you’re being personal and making a connection.
- Don’t waffle; get to the point – Avoid “I’m writing to tell you that we’ve been thinking that we should let you know that on behalf of our team, we’d like to advise you...”
- Don’t apologise – for your messy/horrible/perfectly reasonable handwriting
- Remember Spellcheck - “Your welcome” or “Where here to help” is not a good start to a loyal, trusting relationship.
- Don’t try to be hilarious (Amusing is fine — to a point — but stay on-brand.)
- Don’t try too hard - Keep it simple; saying thanks is often enough.
- Don’t be too formal - “We thank you for your custom” or “We appreciate your business” sound stiff, unnatural and, well, out of date. Plus, this formality insinuates that these customers are simply transactions.
- Now is not the time to upsell - You have one message. And that is gratitude. (Avoid asking for their credit card; those sorts of transactions can come later.)
- Keep sustainability and the environment in mind – If you add paper cards to eCommerce orders, use copious amounts of paper or fancy gift boxes, it could be considered environmentally thoughtless. And today, more Australian shoppers are preferring recyclable, biodegradable or more sustainable packaging.
- Make the most of opportunities – include a thank you message in the email subject line or even pop a quick thank you phrase in the meta title of your thank you page.
Steal these: Swipe-worthy customer ‘thank you’ messages
To get you started with your purchase notes, we’ve given you a selection of swipe-able customer thank you notes. If it suits your retail business, feel free to steal any of these.
- “Thank you for shopping with us!”
- “Nice selection you’ve got there! Thanks for shopping with us. As soon as your goods are dispatched, we’ll be in touch with the tracking details.”
- “Hi <insert name>, We’re so glad you found what you needed. Thanks for shopping with us!”
- “Hi <insert name>, Thanks for your order. We deeply appreciate it during these crazy times. We know you’re excited to get your new <insert product/s>, so here’s what to expect. Once your order is shipped, you’ll receive an email with your tracking details. Plus, you can contact us on XYZ ABC... yada yada..”
- “Thanks for supporting our store. It means the world to us right now!”
- “Thanks for your order – and shopping local. As your neighbourhood business, this helps us so much.”
- “Thank you so much. We’re thrilled you love our homewares as much as we do.”
- “Thanks for shopping with us. We appreciate it during these difficult times.”
- “Thanks for choosing us. We’re chuffed! (And we hope to be in touch with you again, soon.)
Add some (more) personality-
If it’s suitable for your brand, add an extra dose of personality or (just a little) humour. For example:
- “You wonderful human, you! Thank you.”
- “Thank you, you beautiful banana. We just love people like you.”
- “Ooh. Great choice — and thanks for shopping with us, by the way!”
- “Thanks for your order. And hey, how good is that? You’ve just saved 25% off your total order price. Nice work! We’ll be in touch soon with a tracking number as soon as the courier starts his engine. (He’s winking at us now, so that’ll probs be soon.)”
- “Thanks for choosing us! We appreciate it. (Great taste, by the way.)”
- “Well, don’t you have great taste! (Thanks for shopping with us. We look forward to hearing from your stylish self again.”
- “Thank you for your order — and for helping us make the oceans a little more plastic-free.”
- “Thanks for buying our boots. Customers like you really give us a kick.”
- “Thanks for shopping at Pet Stores. We think you’re pawsome.”
Why automated software is critical to create customer loyalty
No one has time to sit down and write personalised letters all day. A handwritten thank you note by floor/dispatch staff is excellent, where possible, but to develop a flourishing customer relationship today, you need automation. And with a little imagination, you can still keep your messaging personalised and unique to really nail that customer satisfaction.
Retail Express has powerful retail marketing software, CRM and loyalty program tools to create loyal, lasting customers and increase sales. For example, after a customer’s first sale, you can send them an automated SMS and email to say thank you. But you can also do much more. Later, with retail marketing software, you could:
- Recommend products your customers are interested in based on their profile and previous purchases
- Reach out to customers using variables such as expiring loyalty points, lifetime value, birthday and customer type
- Build marketing campaigns that span the customers entire life-cycle, triggering messages based on their activities
- Create surveys for valuable customer feedback
As these services are automated, they are ultra-efficient. But they’re also quite sensational when it comes to creating loyal customers and increasing profits. You’ll be regularly touching base with your clientele, rewarding them for their purchases and making them feel part of something bigger than just a shop.
Retail Express’ POS software has marketing and loyalty capabilities loaded with potential for customer retention. For example, it can create:
- Buyer behaviour reports – revealing which products customers like, how often they purchase and how valuable they are to your business
- Targeted emails & SMS campaigns – for personalised messaging and better profits
- Expiry dates on loyalty cards – to maximise (and incentivise) redemption
- Multi-buy and benefit campaigns – to increase revenue
- Customer profiles, segmented customer promotional groups & product surveys
- Minimum spend thresholds for loyalty and promotions - to encourage sales and increase basket size
