Varos Glossary

Customer Retention

What is Customer Retention?

The term "customer retention" describes an organization's success in keeping its current clientele rather than losing them to the competition. It shows how happy your current consumers are with your product and service. In addition, it is essential to the survival of businesses and services that rely on recurring payments from their customers.

  • Businesses may increase their profits and the worth of their clientele base through customer retention strategies.

The process of keeping an existing clientele is distinct from that of bringing in new ones or even generating leads. Those who have previously bought from you or subscribed to your service are the primary target audience.

However, maintaining clientele requires more than simply satisfying their needs in the short term. As studies have shown, consumers think of their bonds with companies in the same way they think of bonds with family and close friends. Brands that customers can trust, that are genuine, and that understand their needs and values tend to do well.

Marketing to repeat buyers is a certain way to increase client loyalty. Customers like these will stick with your brand even if they have access to competitive alternatives. You should expect your brand to be more resilient to market fluctuations if you have such a dedicated fan following.

What makes retaining customers so crucial?

If you've put in the time and effort to attract new consumers, you want to keep them happy. There are several upsides to concentrating on client retention:

  • A higher general order value- Customers that stick around after buying from you repeatedly show their confidence in both your items and your business. That implies they'll be spending more money with you on each visit.
  • Buff up the earnings- Customers who have bought from a certain firm before are more likely to buy from related businesses. A rise in overall product line revenues is possible via improved customer satisfaction.
  • Improved connections with brand advocates- Loyal consumers are also advocates for your business. One of the most effective forms of advertising in the modern day is word of mouth.

How to measure customer retention?

The retention rate is the standard metric for measuring customer engagement, and it should be closely tracked at all times. Identifying the time period an organization wants to track is the first step in calculating this rate. This period of time may be one month or more, such as a whole fiscal year. Besides the abovementioned considerations, customer retention metrics may also be affected by:

  • the initial number of consumers (S), 
  • the final number of customers (E), and 
  • the cumulative number of new customers (N).

Once the data has been obtained, it is used in the following ways: 

  • Customer retention rate = (E-N/S) x 100

How to increase customer retention?

Businesses are discovering that customer profitability rises throughout the lifetime of a maintained client, making customer retention management and tactics investments well worth making. Here we have outlined a few of the most widely-used and proven methods for keeping existing customers coming back for more:

  • Customers are less likely to be dissatisfied if they know exactly what to anticipate from you, therefore it's important to set their expectations early, and set them slightly lower than you can offer.
  • Make it about the client- Customers' expectations and demands for individualized service are rising. Create a one-on-one connection with your brand by giving them a memorable experience.
  • Become a reliable resource for your clientele. In order to win clients' trust and keep their loyalty, you need to be the authority in your sector.
  • Construct trustworthy connections with clients by engaging in open communication and showing genuine interest in their needs. Create and nurture connections with your customers based on common ideals.
  • Approach customer service with a sense of initiative- Using anticipatory service, you can head off issues before they ever arise.
  • Establish meaningful connections with social media- Make use of social media platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook to build relationships with your consumers and give them a voice in spreading the word about your business.

It's not simple to keep track of all the information needed to maximize client retention. When it comes to sales, marketing, and customer service, having all the relevant information in one place is crucial. Start focusing your key performance indicators (KPIs) on customer success and happiness right away to improve your chances of keeping existing customers.