How to turn one-time clicks into repeat purchases

Pressy Sankaran

18th Jan 2017

It’s no small secret that the relationship between customer and retailer can have profound effects on the success or failure of a business. What people may not understand is how impactful these relationships can be.

Building this network of returning customers has the obvious boon of a network of people who consistently return to purchase your product, but there are even more benefits lying below the surface. It creates brand advocates, opportunities for feedback, a competitive edge and most importantly, happy customers. But creating these relationships relies on more than just click-through; conversion at the point of sale is the ultimate goal.

So how do you convert a one time click-through into repeat purchases?

The power of personalisation

2017 is shaping up the be the battle for the customer, as marketers across industries are turning their attention to creating more personalised, cross-channel advertisements. In fact according to the recent report by WBR Digital, more than four in 10 companies will spend between 40 to 60 per cent of their budget on these cross-channel campaigns.

In order to build a strong foundation, brands need to learn about their customers from the first time they install an app, sign up to your service or even visit your site. The more you know about your customers, their preferences and habits, the more likely it is that you’ll be able to provide a meaningful, valuable user experience.

Emphasise opportunities for data capture in the onboarding experience, making it clear how sharing this information will benefit the user. For instance, knowing a customer’s favoured means of receiving messages, favourite brands and personalised shopping recommendations all put the power of personalisation into the hands of your customer.

In learning about your customers habits you should also be investigating how their shopping journey changes across platforms. We’re living in a multi-platform environment and the shopper’s journey no longer follows a linear path as it once it did.

Embrace mobile

With more than 15 million phones in use everyday in Australia, mobile is an established channel for online transactions in Asia. Smart retailers need to ensure that their online advertising campaigns and buying experience reflect the fact that the majority of users now visit them from multiple devices – in fact, nearly four-in-10 eCommerce transactions now involve multiple devices before the purchase.

As 2017 begins to rear its head, marketers are turning their attention to creating more personalised, cross-channel advertisements. In fact, according to the recent report by WBR Digital, marketers in Australia are predicting growth in a number of key channels in the next 12 to 18 months. The most commonly cited growth channel was mobile and cross-device advertising (75 per cent).

The next 12 to 18 months will be critical to marketers, particularly those looking to build a base of loyal, returning customers, who appreciate not only the brand, but the service the brand offers. Brands need to learn to listen to their marketers when it comes developing not only their cross-channel tactics, but also when it comes to understanding their customers.

Pressy Sankaran is ANZ Commercial Director of Criteo.

This article first appeared on sister site, Inside Small Business.