We often talk about “making the sale” as if it’s the end of the process, the one thing we were working for. There, it’s done, they bought.

Can we relax now?

Well, I’m all for “you do you,” but I’d suggest not relaxing…just yet.

No, I’m not a hustle guru, so I won’t tell you to roll up your sleeves because your work is just getting started. Instead, I’ll show you how to set up your systems and your processes to increase your repeat purchase rate with as little effort as possible.

Why Even Bother with Repeat Purchase Rates?

Glad you asked because I’ve been dying to share my favorite fact about sales: it’s 5 to 7 times cheaper to sell to an existing customer than to acquire a new one.

Retaining just 5% of your customers could increase your profit between 25% and 95%, depending on your industry.

The reasons are fairly easy to understand:

• Someone who purchased once is already in your system, so you can communicate with them without spending more money on ads or more time on outbound efforts.
• If they purchased once and they liked what they received, they already trust you, so you don’t need to go through all the hoops of proving yourself.

Before we dig into the tactics:

What Is Your Current Baseline and How Fit Is Your Product for Repeat Purchases?

A quick look into your NetSuite or Salesforce account should tell you how many of your customers make repeat purchases. Got that number?

Cool, store it somewhere safe, you’ll need to get back to it after a couple of months to evaluate the tactics below.

Next up, is your product fit for repeat purchases? There’s a food chain here:

• Food or cleaning supplies are at the top of the list, along with any other consumable products. If you sell something in this category, your focus should be on increasing repeat purchase rates rather than acquiring new customers.
• Next, we have any other items you can think of: electronics, clothing, accessories, decor items, and so on. Those don’t get purchased as often as the first category but you still want your customers to keep you top of mind when it’s time to change their phone or renew their wardrobe for an upcoming season.
• Finally, long-term use products. Think furniture, renovation materials, or any commodity that’s easy to find elsewhere or that we gift to someone when we’re out of ideas.

Depending on where you are on this scale, your repeat purchase rate will be higher or lower. Still, it should never be non-existent.

Let’s figure out how to increase it, whatever it is now.

3 Ways to Increase Your Repeat Purchase Rate

I promised you we wouldn’t do any of that nasty hustle, so let’s dig into the easy ways:

1. Segment Your Customers

Head on to your NetSuite dashboard and identify your best customers. You will have to create various segments depending on how/what they buy, so look for:

• Customers who already ordered from you more than once
• People who left you raving reviews
• Customers who used to order frequently, but stopped – it’s important to learn why they stopped.

Now that you have your segments, let’s target them with relevant email campaigns. You don’t have to import your segments manually, you can do so via the NetSuite and Mailchimp or NetSuite and Constant Contact integration. 

One-click is all you need to export those segments into your preferred email marketing automation platform and start increasing your repeat purchase rate. 

Check out how Thos Baker, a leading home decor and furniture company, uses the NetSuite to Mailchimp integration to ensure they target the right clients at the right time with the right offer.

2. Automate the Increase of Repeat Purchase Rates

Emailing the most relevant customer segments is just one piece of the puzzle. What if you could set up automated refill flows? This tactic can save you hours of work every week and it’s very useful for consumable products.

Here’s how it works:

• Most email automation platforms (Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign, Klaviyo) have an AI-powered predictive analytics feature that allows you to gauge with some precision when your customers will need a refill or are likely to shop again. 
• Use this feature to segment your customers.
• Set up automated campaigns that remind them they’re about to run out of a certain product.
• Use your NetSuite integration to assess the efficiency of these campaigns.

3. Use Cross-Sell and Upsell Tactics for Your Best Customers

Your SyncApps dashboard collects data from both NetSuite and your email platform, so it’s the best place to find out who not only bought a lot from you recently but also reads your email campaigns.

These are your biggest fans, the people who are more likely to order again and increase their order value with each purchase. Focusing on them is the surest way to get close to that 95% increase in profit by targeting loyal customers.

Create a new segment in your SyncApps dashboard that includes them and set up cross-sell and upsell campaigns:

• Did they buy a dress recently? Invite them to get the shoes that go with it.
• Are they placing an order? Add related products to their checkout page.
• Did they buy a new mattress? How about a discount coupon for new pillows too? You can send it to them via email, either immediately after the first order or after they receive the mattress.

See? I promised you no hustling will be involved in any of this!

Yes, it will take you a couple of minutes to set up everything using your NetSuite to email marketing integrations and probably a couple of hours to write the new email campaigns.

But after that, you’ll be set for months or years to come. Congrats, you’ve just automated the increase of your repeat purchase rate!

Not yet on SyncApps? Please don’t white-knuckle it and go through this entire process manually — that’s so 2005! Create your account for exactly $0 and start automating!

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