There’s so much noise online about attracting new customers, however, customer retention is equally important yet often overlooked.

It doesn’t matter how you operate your business, whether it’s a shop, a website, a café, or a market stand, your priority isn’t simply to get a customer to visit your business, you want them to stay, and stay a long time. The longer they stay the more they see, the more comfortable they get and the more money they spend. They are also more likely to remember you, revisit and refer their friends.

When you offer an experience they enjoy, through atmosphere and great service, you earn customer loyalty and word of mouth advertising – the very best kind of advertising available.

Keys to Customer Retention

The following keys to customer retention will mean you spend less time, energy, and money on having to attract new clients every week.

1. Easy Access

Even if you don’t have the best location in the world, you need to be easy to find. Ensure your Google Maps references are accurate, add directions on your website if required, and place signage on power poles and lane ways for clues and guidance as required.

Easy access can also be literal. Have a big door that is easy to get in and out of, some sort of cover to protect people from rain while they open and close umbrellas, have access ramps for prams and wheelchairs.

If your business is online, your website links all need to work, your website name should be short enough to remember and your home page easy to decipher. Artwork looks great, but can a person figure out how to get to the pricing page?

2. Comfort

Nothing in the world is as comfortable as a quality chair and some high-end tea and coffee. Even if you aren’t running a café, offering beverages is a fantastic way for people to stay longer and feel at home- and cakes, why not! Coffee, tea and cake. The recipe has worked wonders for bookstores, gyms and offices around the world, yet is something many companies still skimp on. The smell of freshly ground coffee alone is bound to relax some people upon entering.

3. Ambiance

Ambiance is all about your character and atmosphere.

Options for ambiance are literally limitless. You don’t have to spend a fortune, you can achieve a lot with odds and ends and some creativity.

While art and cushion fabric is part of it, key ambiance factors are:

• Space – How you set up your space, use light and how much room you give each patron is important. The end result you want to achieve should be a big factor when you choose your business building. Be careful and diligent about your setup. A professional stylist can give you great advice on how to best use the space you have.
• Colour – Colours are big mood enhancers. The colours you pick will say a lot about how you want people to feel when they are there. Pick something that best reflects your business mood and values.
• Background Music – Music is a classic emotional anchor. It’s easily accessible, cheap and comes with variety, not just because there are so many songs to choose from, but the way you mix and match songs means you can create layer upon layer of ambiance using playlists. Foxtel Music recently launched a music and video service that gives you access to a huge library of music and playlists. Foxtel Music comes fully licenced and does not require a PPCA licence to broadcast, which you need if you want to play songs in your place of business using iTunes or Spotify. Foxtel Music songs rotate via internet feed so you don’t get stuck listening to the same run of songs over and over (your staff will thank you). You can also split your music selection into zones so that different rooms receive different playlists, and you can break up your songs with customised broadcasts.Invite your customers to settle in, relax and put their feet up. There is no place in the world they’d rather be, than right here, helping you hit your customer retention targets.