In today’s marketplace, it’s not good enough to simply process sales. Small and medium-sized business owners in Canada have much more important tasks on their hands. And that would include locating ways to process sales over and over again with the same customers. It’s called brand loyalty. And to secure it, one must consider developing a way to encourage customers to keep coming back.
They say that “image is everything”. So over and above the products you sell, you have to consider the ways in which your company makes customers feel. Do they enjoy their shopping experiences with you? Are they likely to recommend your store to others? Are you giving them reasons to keep coming back?
Here are three simple methods of increasing brand loyalty:
1. Remember that you can never stop learning. You may be an expert in your field, but when was the last time you updated your knowledge base about your industry? Needless to say, things are always changing. But are you remaining the same? To be able to continually answer customer queries to their satisfaction, you’ll need to be up on the latest and greatest innovations in your field. One way to keep your business knowledge sharp is to attend trade shows and seminars.
“In today’s explosive markets, making the right moves is absolutely essential, there is little room for error,” says Bob Nelson on BusinessKnowHow.com, “Without knowing how to navigate through these fast-moving times, it can be a tricky and even a self-destructive experience. Because of the emotional and sometimes difficult decisions that must be made, the crucial difference is having fresh ideas with an impartial business position.”
2. Sharpen your brand image. Consumers like to know that the brands they support are up with the times and are continually introducing innovative ways to keep them interested. Resting on your laurels is no way to attract the modern day customer. It’s important that you focus on regularly updating your customer base with the new and exciting things that are going on with your company.
Nelson insists that you develop a distinctive image for your brand. “Your image is important and is a function of your marketing efforts and materials,” he insists, “Customers create their perceptions of your business from your name, web site appearance, store location, products, prices, visual merchandising, signs, displays, business cards, newsletters, advertising material, customer service and anything else that relates to your business.”
3. Highlight the fact that you sell gift cards. Gift cards make the entire shopping experience so much easier on the modern day consumer. Although sales go through the proverbial roof during each and every end-of-year holiday season, gift cards remain highly sought-after items all year round. To increase the number of customers who visit your store on a daily basis, you’ll definitely want to have gift cards available for them.
At Canadian POS Corporation, we offer Canadian business owners the ability to sell gift cards in their stores. Our gift cards have been known to help grow businesses by increasing sales and attracting new customers on a regular basis. For more information, call Canadian POS Corporation at 1-877-748-2884 or email us at info@localhost.