Auntie Kate The Resale Expert

No, it doesn’t involve gift packets of Metamucil with each purchase. It DOES, however, mean paying attention to all the little things that keeps a loyal customer loyal. To do everything you can to RETAIN your regulars, while also increasing the reach of your shop to potential new clients.

Recently on Sharing, several Sharers expressed excitement at the idea of sending their clients a birthday card.  A greeting card is such a little thing. A postcard’s even littler. But it’s a way to keep your regulars coming in and to increase their satisfaction with your shop.

Other Sharers are treating their regulars to a taste of resort and cruise wear in this month’s Swing Shop and reporting increased enthusiasm in a traditionally slow shopping period. That would be a great broadcast email message…or a postcard. Giving a loyal customer an extra punch on her Frequent Buyer Card  “because you came out in 10-degree weather!”…another easy way to keep your regulars regular.

There are many more ideas for keeping your consignment or resale shop in the minds of your most loyal customers, and more ideas that will turn occasional shoppers into regulars, in each and every Product for the Professional Resaler.

Statistics say that a mere 5 percent increase in customer retention translates into a 25-100 percent increase in profits.

That means, if you can entice one of of 20 regulars to come in today, and another tomorrow, and so on, you can look at some healthy cash flow growth. Isn’t that better than sitting around praying for a customer to come in?

So now, when it’s slow at the shop and maybe gray and gloomy outside, is a good time to read about and think about how to keep your everyday folks… every day shoppers.