Branding and advertising work best when you are continually satisfying customers. If your orders are consistently delayed or unreliable your customers will be dissatisfied and hard to retain. Retention is key to success and is backed by your order fulfillment efforts delivering on your promises and making you stand out.
Consistent order fulfillment builds your relationship with your customers, while delays reduce your retention rate. From the moment your customers order your private label products to shortly after they receive it you have an opportunity to build your image and obtain their loyalty. You should use these touch points to boost positive impression and exceed the buyer expectations.
Your brand rests on the quality of these touch point including timing and personalization. You have your customers’ attention and should use it to deliver enhanced branding with short response times and top quality customer service in order to delight them. These are the attributes of quality order fulfillment that makes you stand out and boost your retention rate.
Exceed Expectations
Quality fulfillment builds your relationship with your customers enriching and prolonging their consumer life span, leading to better ROI and higher retention rate. But consumer expectations are evolving and fulfillment attributes that were perks yesterday are the norm today. One of these attributes is shipping cost and most customers are leaning towards sites where shipping is free. Delivery times are also shortening and half of the consumers are expecting never to wait more than 5 days.
Consumers have come to expect detailed timelines of their order processing and the ability to track their shipment in real time. They have also grown accustomed to key updates on their order. These key updates include an email with order confirmation, another with processing notification and third with shipment notification. And a follow-up email after delivery to give them the opportunity to express their impressions. In order to boost retention, you should also look beyond the status quo and invent new ways to delight.
Samples
The moment your customers open their package is a rare occurrence when you have their undivided attention. You should use this key touch point to delight them by offering them something extra. People love samples and when you personalize them based on carefully chosen criteria you are getting closer to their hearts. You can tailor your samples according to order history or you can promote a new product.
You can segment your buyers or you can offer samples of the same product they have ordered so they can share it with family and friends. Your samples can also be themed according to the season. In summer you can add sunscreen to their skin care package, in winter vitamin D with their supplements to boost their mood. You should be able to trust your fulfillment provider to execute your sample targeting so you can effectively boost the image of you private label products.
Enhanced Branding
When performed right your fulfillment efforts enhance your branding campaign and widen your audience. Consumers often share their experience whether they are bad or great. You should aim beyond great in order to ensure that your fulfillment efforts consistently bring delight. The more customers you bring beyond delight the more likely they are to share their experience and effectively help you build your positive image.
The key touch points can help you maximize the digital word of mouth that promotes your products to a broader audience. You should constantly aim to improve these key interactions bringing more value to customers as their expectations evolve. When strategic agendas are becoming more complex your fulfillment provider should be able to respond so you can keep adding value throughout the entire length of your consumer journey. This practice ensures customer retention and inches your brand towards larger market share.
Conclusion
One of the keys to successful private label products in the current marketplace is keeping your customers loyal. The only way to do that is to exceed their expectations and enhance your brand image. You should have an impeccable fulfillment provider that is at the forefront of best practices. And you should always think what is the next innovative step you can take to delight your buyers. The key to obtaining and maintaining consumer loyalty is improving the timing and interactions along the buyer journey.