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Glossary of Marketing Terms

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Customer Retention

Customer retention refers to the ability of a business to retain its existing customers over time. It is the process of keeping customers engaged with a brand or company and encouraging them to continue doing business with that company.

The ultimate goal of customer retention is to build long-term relationships with customers, so they continue to purchase products or services from the business, rather than switching to competitors. This is important because it is generally more expensive for a business to acquire new customers than to retain existing ones.

Customer retention strategies may includes:

  • Offering loyalty programs
  • Providing excellent customer service
  • Personalizing communications
  • Ensuring a high-quality product or service

What is customer retention?

Customer retention is the process of keeping existing customers engaged and satisfied with a company's products or services in order to encourage repeat business and increase customer lifetime value.

Why is customer retention important?

Customer retention is important because it is less expensive to retain existing customers than to acquire new ones. Moreover, loyal customers are more likely to make repeat purchases, refer others to the company, and provide valuable feedback to help improve the business.

Customer retention is important for several reasons:

  1. Cost-effectiveness: Acquiring new customers is generally more expensive than retaining existing ones. By retaining customers, businesses can save money on marketing and advertising costs.
  2. Increased revenue: Existing customers are more likely to purchase additional products or services from a business, increasing the revenue generated by each customer over time.
  3. Positive reputation: Happy customers are more likely to refer others to the business, resulting in new customer acquisition through word-of-mouth marketing.
  4. Customer insights: By maintaining long-term relationships with customers, businesses can gather valuable insights into customer behavior, preferences, and needs, which can inform future product development and marketing strategies.
  5. Competitive advantage: A high customer retention rate can give a business a competitive advantage over rivals who struggle to retain customers, creating a more stable and predictable revenue stream.
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How can businesses improve customer retention?

Businesses can improve customer retention with the following ways:

  1. Provide excellent customer service: Delivering exceptional customer service can help build trust and loyalty with customers, making them more likely to continue doing business with the company.
  2. Personalize communication: By tailoring communications to individual customers based on their preferences and behavior, businesses can make customers feel valued and appreciated, which can strengthen their relationship with the company.
  3. Offer rewards and incentives: Loyalty programs, discounts, and other incentives can encourage customers to continue doing business with a company and reward them for their loyalty.
  4. Solicit and act on feedback: By actively soliciting feedback from customers and using it to make improvements to products and services, businesses can demonstrate their commitment to customer satisfaction and improve the overall customer experience.
  5. Focus on product quality: By consistently delivering high-quality products and services, businesses can build trust and confidence with customers and increase the likelihood that they will continue doing business with the company.
  6. Provide ongoing support: Offering ongoing support to customers, such as technical support or customer service, can help build a long-term relationship with customers and increase their satisfaction with the company.
  7. Build a community: Creating a sense of community among customers, such as through social media or user forums, can foster a sense of belonging and increase engagement with the company.

What are some common customer retention strategies?

Some common customer retention strategies include loyalty programs, personalized marketing, excellent customer service, proactive outreach, regular communication, and product or service improvements based on customer feedback.

How can businesses measure customer retention?

Businesses can measure customer retention by analyzing customer data and tracking customer behavior over time. Here are some key metrics that businesses can use to measure customer retention:

  1. Repeat purchase rate: This measures the percentage of customers who make a repeat purchase from the business over a specific time period. It can be calculated by dividing the number of customers who made a repeat purchase by the total number of customers.
  2. Customer churn rate: This measures the percentage of customers who have stopped doing business with the company over a specific time period. It can be calculated by dividing the number of customers lost during a specific time period by the total number of customers at the beginning of the period.
  3. Customer lifetime value (CLV): This measures the total value that a customer will bring to the business over the course of their relationship with the company. It can be calculated by multiplying the average value of a purchase by the average number of purchases made by a customer per year, and then multiplying that by the average length of the customer relationship.
  4. Net Promoter Score (NPS): This measures the likelihood of customers to recommend the business to others. It is typically measured by asking customers how likely they are to recommend the business on a scale of 0 to 10.

By tracking these metrics over time, businesses can get a sense of how well they are retaining their customers, and identify areas where they need to improve in order to keep their customers loyal and engaged.

How to calculate customer retention cost?

Calculating customer retention cost requires taking into account the various expenses incurred in retaining customers over a specific period of time. Here are the steps to calculate customer retention cost:

  1. Determine the time frame: Decide on the time frame for which you want to calculate the customer retention cost. For instance, you can calculate the cost on a monthly, quarterly, or annual basis.
  2. Identify the costs: Determine the costs that are associated with retaining customers. These can include expenses related to marketing, customer service, loyalty programs, incentives, discounts, refunds, and other similar costs.
  3. Sum up the costs: Add up all the costs incurred during the chosen time frame. This will give you the total cost of customer retention for that period.
  4. Divide the total cost by the number of retained customers: Calculate the average cost per retained customer by dividing the total cost by the number of customers retained during that time frame.

For example, suppose that a company spent $100,000 on marketing, customer service, loyalty programs, incentives, and discounts during a quarter to retain 1,000 customers. The customer retention cost for that quarter would be $100 per customer retained ($100,000/1,000).

How to measure customer loyalty and retention?

Customer loyalty and retention can be measured using a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods. Here are some ways to measure customer loyalty and retention:

  1. Customer Satisfaction Surveys: Conducting customer satisfaction surveys on a regular basis can help businesses understand how satisfied their customers are with their products, services, and overall experience. These surveys can include questions related to customer loyalty and retention, such as how likely they are to continue doing business with the company.
  2. Net Promoter Score (NPS): As mentioned earlier, NPS is a measure of customer loyalty and retention that is based on the likelihood of customers to recommend the business to others. This can be a useful tool for businesses to track changes in customer loyalty over time.
  3. Repeat Purchase Rate: Measuring how frequently customers return to make a purchase can indicate the level of loyalty and satisfaction with a business. Calculating the percentage of customers who make repeat purchases over a specific period can be a good way to track customer retention.
  4. Customer Lifetime Value (CLV): Measuring the lifetime value of customers can help businesses understand how much revenue they can expect to generate from a customer over their lifetime. A high CLV can indicate a loyal customer base.
  5. Social Media Engagement: Monitoring engagement on social media platforms such as likes, shares, and comments can provide insight into customer loyalty and retention. A high level of engagement can indicate a strong level of loyalty towards the brand.

What is a customer retention rewards platform?

A customer retention rewards platform is a type of software platform that businesses use to incentivize and reward customers for their loyalty and continued patronage. These platforms typically offer a variety of rewards and incentives to encourage customers to continue doing business with a company, such as discounts, free products or services, access to exclusive offers, or VIP treatment.

A customer retention rewards platform can be a standalone application or integrated into a company's existing customer relationship management (CRM) or loyalty program software. They often use data analytics and machine learning to personalize rewards and offers based on individual customer behavior and preferences.

Benefits of using a customer retention rewards platform include:

  1. Increased customer loyalty: By offering rewards and incentives for continued patronage, businesses can increase customer retention and loyalty.
  2. Improved customer engagement: By providing a personalized and interactive experience, customers are more likely to engage with a company and its products or services.
  3. Enhanced customer experience: A rewards platform can provide customers with a better overall experience by offering exclusive benefits and personalized offers.
  4. Increased revenue: By retaining existing customers, businesses can increase revenue through repeat purchases and referrals.

How does Xoxoday Plum helps companies run an effective customer retention rewards program?

Xoxoday Plum is a powerful tool that can help companies run an effective customer retention rewards program in several ways:

  1. Personalization: Xoxoday Plum allows companies to create personalized rewards and incentives for individual customers based on their specific preferences, behaviors, and purchase history. This personalization can help strengthen the customer-company relationship and increase loyalty.
  2. Gamification: Xoxoday Plum provides gamification features such as points, badges, and leaderboards that can help engage customers and motivate them to participate in the rewards program. This gamification can make the program more fun and enjoyable for customers, encouraging them to keep coming back.
  3. Multi-channel integration: Xoxoday Plum integrates with multiple channels, including web, mobile, and social media, making it easy for customers to participate in the rewards program from their preferred channel. This ease of use can increase customer participation and engagement.
  4. Data analytics: Xoxoday Plum provides real-time data analytics and insights into customer behavior and preferences, allowing companies to track their rewards program's performance and make informed decisions on program improvements. This data can also help companies identify customers who are at risk of leaving and proactively engage with them.
  5. Customization: Xoxoday Plum allows companies to customize their rewards program rules and criteria to fit their specific business needs and goals. This customization can help ensure that the rewards program is aligned with the company's overall strategy and objectives.

Overall, Xoxoday Plum is a versatile platform that can help companies design and implement an effective customer retention rewards program that meets their unique needs and goals.

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