It is the dream of every business to have customers do business with them again and again, as this keeps the business running for a long time to come. However, it is very difficult to have customers coming in droves to do business without knowing how effective your marketing campaigns are. The good news is, this information can be acquired digitally. The not-so-good good news is that brick n’ mortar businesses are almost always left in the dark in the race for customer information, by their online counterparts.
WiFi tracking technology
The only shot brick n’ mortar businesses have is to measure the foot traffic through their premises. And this is made possible by WiFi tracking technology. In the modern world, one of the most important things people need, besides oxygen and money, is internet connection. And so it is highly likely that customers will use your WiFi connection, if you offer it for free. Using free WiFi with an appropriate WiFi tracking technology can help you gather very vital information about your customers. Information that would enable you to create effective marketing campaigns to turn first-timers into regular, loyal customers. One of such information is the return rate of your first-time customers.
Return rate of first-time customers
This can be loosely defined as the rate at which your first time customers return to do business with you a second time. Ensuing visits aren’t taken into account because they are proof that these customers have become repeat customers. The WiFi tracking, as the name implies, tracks when a mobile device enters its perimeter and begins to tail it. The information from the mobile device is stored in a database somewhere. And when the same device enters the sensor’s range again, it recognizes and records it as a second visit. But why is a second visit so important, you might ask. This is because a second visit is a solid indication that that customer would bring repeat business.
So consequently, if your first time customers are returning at a high rate, then it’s an indication that you are taking all the right steps. Keeping this up is vital to the profitability and longevity of your business.
3 things you should do
To help you improve your first-timers return rate, here are 3 things you should do;
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Troubleshoot your marketing and business
Are you having a low first-time customer return rate on a consistent basis? Then perhaps it’s time to look into your marketing campaigns. One of the reasons you could be having a low return could be because there aren’t enough first-timers in the first place. Information garnered from guest WiFi access and WiFi tracking technology can give you an accurate figure of how many first-time customers you get at every given period.
Another cause of low return rate could be that you are getting plenty of first-timers, but they just aren’t returning after their first visit. Then there might be something that’s causing them not to return. You can always trace back to the period when you noticed the trend and look at what changes were implemented. They are most likely the factors putting your first-time customers off. A new policy, perhaps? Or maybe you introduced a product or service that doesn’t sit well with your first-timers? It could even be your interior decor or staffing. A mismatch between your marketing message and your customer experience could also be a factor. When you discover what it is, you should make the proper amendments to reverse the negative effect.
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Create first-timer loyalty programs
There’s no gainsaying that it is more difficult to keep new customers then it is to keep old ones. And the reason is simple: old customers are accustomed to your style of business and have derived satisfaction for a long period of time. This is not the case with first-time customers. Your goal would be to give your first-time customers the impression that they’ll always enjoy doing business with you.
To do this, you might need to give them an incentive to return. And one sure way to do this is to create loyalty programs. You can test this loyalty program for a while and then observe any changes in your first-time return rate. -
Different emails for different folks
Using the same e-mail notification or message for your regular customers and your first-timers is improper. Until first-time customers have become regular customers, you should keep their e-mails separately and send specially tailored messages to them. You can test out how they’ll respond to different contents, call-to-actions and also other kinds of incentives. Some first-timers may not respond to your e-mails until you offer them a sweeter deal or increase your initial offering.
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All-in-one platform
In conclusion, being able to monitor first-timer customer return rate is very important. Especially for budding companies who need a base from where they can convert first-timers to old-timers. Putting these three things into play in their business can see them improve their conversion rate. And this can be accomplished using free guest WiFi and WiFi tracking technology.
SpotOn provides an all-in-one platform. This platform houses plug&play hardware, social WiFi, manual and automated e-mail and coupon marketing, automated online review boosts, WiFi tracking tracking , analytics and more. Curious? Schedule a free online demo!
POSTED ON October 26, 2018