Popular Web Retention Techniques
The most popular site features that impact loyalty include: Saving money, time, free shipping and a wide array of inventory and selection. Along with key features, there are specific tools and policies that encourage return visits, including: free or flat shipping, order tracking, privacy policies and rebates and coupons.
Voting, Polls and Surveys
Voting, polls and surveys help generate future visits by creating user curiosity as to the results, and drawing them closer to the brand by providing a venue of interaction: Voting can be done by asking users to cast their choice for their favorite among two or more distinct items, files or ideas. Voting is usually not open-ended, but rather has a pre-set time limit after which a winner is declared, and in most cases, voting results are made public even while voting is still taking place. Polls are usually single questions, asked in a multiple-choice format Web sites that create polls typically ask questions that directly relate to a specific topic covered on the Web site. Polls do not determine a winner, and they allow users to see cumulative results throughout the life of the poll.
Contests
Contests are usually a strong method to bring new customers to a site, enticing them them with the possibility of winning cash or prizes. Contests will make people to come back and visit the site to see if winners have been posted, or, in the event that the contest requires public postings of video, pictures or other files, to see how they are stacking up to their competition. Because they require a winner to be named, contests exist only for a finite period of time. Although they may remain posted online indefinitely,they allow people to view the content and see the results.
Loyalty Programs
Loyalty programs incentivise visitors to return to a site often and engage in a specific activity, that usually equates means making online purchases. The most popular tend to be points-based systems, which award a certain number of points to consumers with each purchase, usually based on the total purchase amount point totals increase (consumers earn more by making additional purchases or taking part in limited time promotions, such as applying for a company-run credit card), users can “cash-in” their points and redeem them for rewards, such as free merchandise, discounts off future purchases, free travel, gift certificates, etc. Once enrolled and earning points, consumers will be motivated to make future purchases from the same site in order to continue
For a points-based loyalty program to succeed, it needs to have the certain features:
Ease of use: The more difficult a program is to understand and use, the less likely users will be to participate. The most successful and well know loyalty programs simplify the process by awarding one point per something that is easily measurable (such as one point earned for every dollar spent)
Realism: Earning points needs to be an obtainable endeavor. Stringent programs than do not award points until the fifth purchase or that have points that expire after a short period of a time create resentment in shoppers are unlikely to encourage further purchases
Value: Before enrolling in any points-based loyalty program, a consumer wants to know what rewards are available and how many points they will need to accumulate before being able to redeem them for something of value
Wish Lists
Wish lists allow consumers who are quite ready to purchase to keep track of the items and merchandise that they like and may consider purchasing in the future
These lists serve multiple purposes:
Encourage repeat visits: Users are likely to return to a site where they have a wish list because the initial intent in creating the list was to purchase those items at some point in the future
Ease of shopping: Users who create wish lists have an easier time shopping because once the list is created they no longer have to search for the products in which they were interested
Expand the consumer base: Items on a wish lists are not always purchased by the individual that compiles the list. Very often, links to those lists are sent to other people such as husbands, wives, parents or other people to encourage them to buy items as gifts for holidays or just for fun
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