There’s a huge possibility that your online business will lose customers in its lifetime. It might be due to poor service delivery, better competition, a lack-lustre product range or average online experience. The fact is, there are a lot of variables that might lead to the loss of existing and new clients.

However, it’s never too late to win them back. So here are five amazing ways to do so.

Let them know you still exist

Customers who have bought from you or visited your website before need nurturing. They might have enjoyed or had interest in your product or service, but have since gone to the competition. You need to win them back by reminding them you’re there.

Abandoned cart and reminder emails

A great solution is to send them a personalised email telling them how much you miss them. However, words won’t make much of an impact if there is no incentive. The email needs to contain products that are of interest to that specific customer, as well as a discount offer.

If they’ve been a prominent customer in the past, you can also lure them in with an exclusive offer. This can be in the form of new products that only a select few are privy to.

This can also be done if the customer has placed products in their carts, but didn’t make any purchase. This, however, is a short term solution, but still very effective.

Using retargeting

When someone visits your website and views specific products, they often leave cookie pools behind. You need to act fast with this solution, as it is only valid for 30 days. Use retargeting so that the consumer will view your product’s ad when they visit other pages showing similar goods.

Refresh your image 

You might have had a fallout with customers due to bad customer service or a PR stunt that went sideways. It happens. The important thing is what you do afterwards. A Stanford study found that, especially for small companies, negative publicity can be good for your business.

The first step is to acknowledge your mistake and apologise for it. This shows that you’re willing to accept responsibility for what you’ve done, which will win your customer’s trust. What’s more, respond to complaints in a timeous manner.

There are a few examples of how some companies have turned negative PR into something positive. These include:

  • JetBlue’s Valentine Crisis – The Airways Company suffered online outrage in 2007 that seemed to have dealt a blow to its image as a result of it cancelling flights on Valentines day. Instead of just apologising, however, its CEO took to YouTube to offer a heartfelt apology. Additionally, he introduced a customer’s bill of rights, and offered monetary compensation.
  •  Bodyform Responds – Although there wasn’t any wrongdoing on its part, Bodyform should be commended for how they reacted to a complaint from a man who felt deceived on the topic of women and their periods. In a show of support to women all over the world, Bodyform created a spoof video that explained how periods worked. It instantly went viral and undoubtedly won the company many customers.

However, it’s not always about bad PR. Sometimes your site can be just too hard to navigate, or just out of touch with current trends. For example, your site may not be responsive on mobile devices, which is a big mistake. It not only puts of the 80% who use mobile devices to access internet, but also knocks you down a few spots on certain search engines. In other words, you might need to improve the user experience of your website too.

It’s never a walk in the park. However, you can win your customers back. What’s of importance is identifying what exactly may have chased them away in the first place. Once you have identified it, take measures to ensure it is rectified, and let your customers know that it’s safe to come back.