It’s tough to keep customers coming back and purchasing from you. Today, they don’t have just three to five different choices…they have dozens or maybe even more than a hundred.

If they have a perceived negative experience with you, they either go to another store or shop somewhere online. And this will only accelerate because of how easy the internet makes it to purchase from across the globe.

So how do you keep customers coming back instead of hopping from you to the next retailer?

Here’s some strategies to learn from:

1. Figure Out What “The Extra Mile” Means to Your Customer

Many retailers give out candy or free pens. That’s not enough to impress your customer. Frequent Starbucks customers, for example, can get personalized gold cards (or any of another of dozens of customized rewards).

Customers always like it better when they can choose. So perhaps offering them choices of how they’d like to experience your appreciation would work best.

2. Exceptional Service

Every retailer says they offer amazing customer service. And when it comes to how things work in-store, customers evaluate every last interaction they have with your team.

So, does your team simply say,”Hello,” or even say nothing and walk on by? Or, do they hassle your customers to buy more without even starting a conversation to find out what they want first?

Train your employees to greet every customer and to ask them if they need help finding anything. They should also lay off the sales pressure and instead simply educate customers on differences between products so they can make the best decision for their needs.

Those are just small starts to exceptional service. You could also ask your customers,”What can we do to ensure you have a stellar experience today?”

3. Consider These In-Store Conveniences

Applebees began offering digital checkout experiences at each table. Wow! Now that makes eating there convenient.

Train your employees to build relationships. They’ll need an acute eye for detail to do this. But, for example, they might notice a customer holding a product from another local store.

So, they could say,”Oh yeah. I love going to Johnson’s. They have delicious cupcakes there.”

Small things like that build relationships and make customers feel special and appreciated. Plus, Amazon can’t copy those tactics!

Can you increase customer loyalty? Yes you can. You simply need to make the commitment, create a strategy, and test and refine to see what works best.