How to Retain Your Black Friday, Cyber Monday Shoppers

How often have you bought something during Black Friday or Cyber Monday and then never gone back to that online store? Or how often have you seen this happen for your business?

Too many times! As an eCommerce retailer, this is a huge problem. You’re losing out on customers that you could have year round. So, what can you do to retain those Black Friday, Cyber Monday shoppers?

We’ll cover four easy things you can do to retain your BFCM shoppers this year and for years to come!

1. Create a Follow-up Email Sequence

We know that sending a follow-up email is a tried and true way to retain customers and keep them coming back! Confirming the purchase and saying ‘thank you’ goes a long way in helping that customer to remember you and want to purchase from you long after BFCM.

Offering a discount on their next purchase or adding something extra, such as elaborating on your company's story, is a way for that customer to feel more connected to your company or find items they may want to purchase for the future.

There are many ways to get these emails out. You can use:

• Omnisend

• MailChimp

• Klayvio

• Kit (by Shopify)

2. Create and Implement a Loyalty Program

Many brick-and-mortar stores have loyalty programs, they keep customers coming back and help customers think about that particular store when they need something. For example, Shoppers Drug Mart has their Optimum points. You earn points when you spend at their stores and on gas, and can use these point to redeem free items. This program leads customers to shop more at their stores rather than their competitors, because there is the promise of points, discounts, and savings.

If you want to retain seasonal shoppers, try enticing them to stick around with a loyalty program. There is no right way to create a loyalty program, as each will vary from brand to brand, but there should always be some type of incentive. And remember, it is significantly more cost effective to get an existing customer to buy again, than it is to get a new customer. This is why when creating a loyalty program, we recommend you encourage your customers to:

• Refer a friend

• Engage and follow you on Facebook and Instagram

• Spend more to get points

If you’re looking for a way to implement a loyalty program, loyalty programs like Smile.io, ReferralCandy, and Loyalty Lion are great sites to look into! 

3. Plan Your Offers and Discounts

No one ever regrets planning or over-planning. It’s better to have written down an idea of what you want to offer for BFCM now, rather than scrambling in the lead up to BFCM. 

You want to ensure that your discounts and offers align with your profit margins as well as your customers’ expectations. Some types of businesses can be more aggressive with their discounts since they have a higher Lifetime Value (LTV) or better margins with their products.

4. Update your FAQs

Customers want to be able to find answers to their questions quickly and to utilize self-serve options when looking for these answers. So before the BFCM season starts, ensure that your FAQ section is updated and easily accessible. 

When searching the FAQs, customers want to know about or may have questions like:

• When will my order ship?

• How long will it take to receive my order?

• Can I use more than one discount code at a time? 

Remember, FAQs are a great way to answer questions with minimal resources!

When you plan in advance and have all your ducks in a row, Black Friday, Cyber Monday doesn’t have to be stressful or hard. You can get much of the prep out of the way long before November rolls around!