Web Design Perth Graphic Designers + eCommerce Website Designs & SEO Perth Australia

By: Dale Carter - September 20th 2008

Around Australia and around the world global fear is spreading of a possible oncoming recession. We've already seen a number of operators go out of business as a result of a downtown in the willingness of customers to part with their money and make buying decisions.

In any downtown it is critical to prepare for hard times by taking proactive steps to ensure that you have the marketing systems in place to continue to deliver customers despite times being slower.

Here is one key strategy to apply for those of you in a retail operation.

Firstly, do you have a database of your customers with whom you can market to inexpensively?

If your answer is no – you could be in big trouble so obviously, your first step is to start building a database. If you run a retail operation, and you have not been collecting the names, addresses and e-mail addresses of your customers then you need to start now! 

How Do I Build A Database?

You may well ask, how do I do this? In retail, the simple answer is to use an in-store competition. You can implement this by offering a prize of an in-store voucher of a few hundred dollars or offer an item that you sell or a package several items to make a great prize pack. Needless to say, your prize needs to be compelling.

You then need to train your staff to ask customers at the point of sale whether they would like to enter your in-store competition and receive your special offers email newsletter. Let your customers know that they can unsubscribe at any time.

Now, if even just 30% of customers fill in your competition form. Over time, you now have a large and growing database of customers with whom, you can communicate with cheaply via e-mail and occasionally by traditional post to bring customers back to your store for repeat purchases using specific targeted messages.

Record Your Database and Communicate to it

Step 2 is simply that once your customers have filled in your paper based entry forms, you need to get this information entered into your website's e-mail database. This should ideally be done on the same day or within a few days of the customer visiting your store.

If you have your website set up correctly, and your staff can enter the customer in via the websites competition form. Then an automatic response should be generated and e-mailed directly to your new subscriber, congratulating them on entering the competition.

Add in a Bonus for Your Customers

To add further impact to an immediate notification that they are in the prize draw, some e-commerce systems can provide your new customers with an auto generated discount voucher. For example, "Here is a $20 voucher to spend online or in store with us. * Please note that this offer is valid for a minimum purchase of $80 and expires within the next 14 days.

What this does is rapidly bring that customer back to your retail outlet and start to form within that customer a habit of visiting your store instead of your competitions. Ideally we also have the voucher also able to be used immediately on the retailer's web site so that you provide as much opportunity for a sale as possible.

The e-mail does not need to be anything fancy. Apart from a well-written text e-mail with an auto generated voucher code, a minimum spend criteria and expiry date. But of course a well designed HTML email will add greater visual impact.

If you can't auto generate the email through your web site then create an email template to use from your email program in order to email out your bounce-back offer promptly.

Work Your Database Over Time

Now that you have customers that have already purchased from you in your email database then its time to look at how you can effectively keep in touch with them to build a relationship and the repeat business required to survive the hard times. These questions entail, what do my customers want? What can I tell them about? What great offers can I give? And then working up a schedule of marketing communications to go out over the next 12 months keeping you firmly placed at the top of their mind when it comes to your product.

So get started on building your database, send a voucher out via email and stay in touch with your database to stay strong during hard times.

Dale Carter is an Internet Marketing Consultant based in Perth Western Australia. His company GTP Internet Commerce is a Perth web design and Internet Marketing agency established in 1996.