Creating Customer Loyalty and Retention
Good customer relationship management creates customer delight. In turn, delighted customers remain loyal and talk favorably to others about the company and its products. Studies show big differences in the loyalty of customers who are less satisfied, somewhat satisfied, and completely satisfied. Even a slight drop from complete satisfaction can create an enormous drop in loyalty. Thus, the aim of customer relationship management is to createnot only customer satisfaction but also customer delight.
Good customer relationship management creates customer delight. In turn, delighted customers remain loyal and talk favorably to others about the company and its products. Studies show big differences in the loyalty of customers who are less satisfied, somewhat satisfied, and completely satisfied. Even a slight drop from complete satisfaction can create an enormous drop in loyalty. Thus, the aim of customer relationship management is to createnot only customer satisfaction but also customer delight.
The recent economic recession put strong pressures on customer loyalty. It created a new consumer frugality that will last well into the future. One recent study found that, even in an improved economy, 55 percent of consumers say they would rather get the best price than the best brand. Nearly two-thirds say they will now shop at a different store with lower prices even if it’s less convenient. It’s five times cheaper to keep an old customer than acquire a new one. Thus, companies today must shape their value propositions even more carefully and treat their profitable customers well. Losing a customer means losing more than a single sale. It means losing the entire stream of purchases that the customer would make over a lifetime of patronage. For example, here is a dramatic illustration of customer lifetime value:
Stew Leonard, who operates a highly profitable four-store supermarket in Connecticut and New York, says he sees $50,000 flying out of his store every time he sees a sulking customer.Why?Because his average customer spends about $100 a week, shops 50 weeks a year, and remains in the area for about 10 years. If this customer has an unhappy experience and switches to another supermarket, Stew Leonard’s has lost $50,000 in revenue
The loss can be much greater if the disappointed customer shares the bad experience with other customers and causes them to defect. To keep customers coming back, Stew Leonard’s has created what the New York Times has dubbed the “Disneyland of Dairy Stores,” complete with costumed characters, scheduled entertainment, a petting zoo, and animatronics throughout the store. From its humble beginnings as a small dairy store in 1969, Stew Leonard’s has grown at an amazing pace. It’s built 29 additions onto the original store, which now serves more than 300,000 customers each week. This legion of loyal shoppers is largely a result of the store’s passionate approach to customer service.
Stew Leonard is not alone in assessing customer lifetime value. Lexus, for example, estimates that a single satisfied and loyal customer is worth more than $600,000 in lifetime sales. And the estimated lifetime value of a young mobile phone consumer is $26,000.28 In fact, a company can lose money on a specific transaction but still benefit greatly from a long-term relationship. This means that companies must aim high in building customer relationships. Customer de light creates an emotional relationship with a brand, not just a rational preference. And that relationship keeps customers coming back
Growing Share of Customer
Beyond simply retaining good customers to capture customer lifetime value, good customer relationship management can help marketers increase their share of customer the share they get of the customer’s purchasing in their product categories. Thus, banks want to increase “share of wallet.” Supermarkets and restaurants want to get more “share of stomach.” Car companies want to increase “share of garage,” and airlines want greater “share of travel.”
Stew Leonard, who operates a highly profitable four-store supermarket in Connecticut and New York, says he sees $50,000 flying out of his store every time he sees a sulking customer.Why?Because his average customer spends about $100 a week, shops 50 weeks a year, and remains in the area for about 10 years. If this customer has an unhappy experience and switches to another supermarket, Stew Leonard’s has lost $50,000 in revenue
The loss can be much greater if the disappointed customer shares the bad experience with other customers and causes them to defect. To keep customers coming back, Stew Leonard’s has created what the New York Times has dubbed the “Disneyland of Dairy Stores,” complete with costumed characters, scheduled entertainment, a petting zoo, and animatronics throughout the store. From its humble beginnings as a small dairy store in 1969, Stew Leonard’s has grown at an amazing pace. It’s built 29 additions onto the original store, which now serves more than 300,000 customers each week. This legion of loyal shoppers is largely a result of the store’s passionate approach to customer service.
Stew Leonard is not alone in assessing customer lifetime value. Lexus, for example, estimates that a single satisfied and loyal customer is worth more than $600,000 in lifetime sales. And the estimated lifetime value of a young mobile phone consumer is $26,000.28 In fact, a company can lose money on a specific transaction but still benefit greatly from a long-term relationship. This means that companies must aim high in building customer relationships. Customer de light creates an emotional relationship with a brand, not just a rational preference. And that relationship keeps customers coming back
Growing Share of Customer
Beyond simply retaining good customers to capture customer lifetime value, good customer relationship management can help marketers increase their share of customer the share they get of the customer’s purchasing in their product categories. Thus, banks want to increase “share of wallet.” Supermarkets and restaurants want to get more “share of stomach.” Car companies want to increase “share of garage,” and airlines want greater “share of travel.”
To increase share of customer, firms can offer greater variety to current customers. Or they can create programs to cross-sell and up-sell to market more products and services to existing customers. For example, Amazon.com is highly skilled at leveraging relationships with its 88 million customers to increase its share of each customer’s purchases. Originally an online bookseller, Amazon.com now offers customers music, videos, gifts, toys, consumer electronics, office products, home improvement items, lawn and garden products, apparel and accessories, jewelry, tools, and even groceries. In addition, based on each customer’s purchase history, previous product searches, and other data, the company recommends related products that might be of interest. This recommendation system influences up to 30 percent of all sales. In these ways, Amazon.com captures a greater share of each customer’s spending budget.
Building Customer Equity
We can now see the importance of not only acquiring customers but also keeping and growing them. One marketing consultant puts it this way: “The only value your company will ever create is the value that comes from customers the ones you have now and the ones you will have in the future. Without customers, you don’t have a business.”30 Customer relationship management takes a long-term view. Companies want not only to create profitable customers but also “own” them for life, earn a greater share of their purchases, and capture their customer lifetime value
Building Customer Equity
We can now see the importance of not only acquiring customers but also keeping and growing them. One marketing consultant puts it this way: “The only value your company will ever create is the value that comes from customers the ones you have now and the ones you will have in the future. Without customers, you don’t have a business.”30 Customer relationship management takes a long-term view. Companies want not only to create profitable customers but also “own” them for life, earn a greater share of their purchases, and capture their customer lifetime value
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