Secrets of building a loyal audience on Amazon

We have written a lot about how to get loyal customers. However, we have never defined this term. On the one hand, everything is obvious: A “loyal” customer is one who makes more than one purchase.

On the other hand, it makes sense to dive deeper into this topic to understand the hidden motives of customers and their criteria for choosing a brand. We will tell you what the audience on Amazon values, what techniques and tools to use to outperform competitors and increase the number of repeat sales.

Why it is worth fighting for audience loyalty

First of all, because it is much cheaper and easier to sell to an “old” customer: they already have a certain level of trust in the company and probably received pleasant emotions and positive experience (satisfied with the attitude/quality of products/speed of service).

But beyond that, a loyal customer becomes an invaluable marketing tool for a brand:

• They are the ones who leave feedback and increase activity on social media with their comments;
• participates in promotions and helps draw attention to them;
• recommends the brand to their friends, family and acquaintances, sharing positive experiences and convincing others to buy from you;
• they are the ones who are ready to spend extra money.

In general, a loyal audience is Amazon shoppers who not only make purchases from your brand, but also actively support it by acting as advocates and agents, and launching a “radio”.

What Amazon customers value and what service they expect from your brand

Trust plays a key role in the formation of interpersonal relationships. And the seller-buyer contact is no exception. Therefore, before we talk about loyalty, we must master building trusting relationships. They are based on the following principles:

Honesty and transparency

Never hide information that may be important for making a purchase decision. Recognize the shortcomings, if any, and offer solutions.

Accessibility and speed

Provide different ways of communication so that customers can contact you with questions. Customers on Amazon are very “spoiled” and appreciate quick feedback.

Bonuses and privileges

Customers like to feel special: organize programs and promotions that reward “regulars”. For example: discounts on the second order, birthday promo codes, gifts to thank them for choosing you, etc.

Regular communication

Show your audience that you understand their needs and value their loyalty. Use personalized approaches in communication and offers. Provide up-to-date information about your brand and products.

Building trust is an ongoing process that takes time and effort. However, if you adhere to the principles of honesty, quality, accessibility, and regularity, you can convince your audience that you are a worthy and reliable partner.

Customer relationship management (MYCE)

Now let’s move on to the technical side of the issue. On Amazon, Manage Your Customer Engagement (MYCE) is an email marketing tool that allows you to

• customize emails to separate (individual) audiences;
• conduct targeted advertising campaigns;
• track success indicators (number of opens, click-throughs, etc.).

In fact, it gives us the opportunity to increase interest in the brand, promote promotions and new products, and communicate with certain segments of the target audience.

“What is so special and unique about this? ” you may ask. After all, this is a common set of features of any email marketing service. Yes, but MYCE works inside the platform and is free. Besides, it already segments your Amazon audience into 4 groups that you can interact with:

1. Customers who have ordered from you more than once a year.
2. High-spending customers (the system selects 25% of your brand’s customers who have spent the most money in the last 12 months).
3. Subscribers to the store.
4. New users (a sample of 5% of customers whose orders were made relatively recently).

We understand that for many sellers on Amazon, the top priority is to establish effective customer interaction. It is important not only to attract new users, but also to build strong and mutually beneficial relationships with existing ones. Email marketing is a powerful tool for achieving this goal, especially when using the Customer Experience Management feature.”(c) Benjamin Hartman, Vice President of North American Marketplace at Amazon

In order to use the Tailored Audiences tool, you must be registered in the Amazon Brand Registry and have at least 100 followers. You can learn more on this page.

If your brand meets the above criteria, you can immediately create an email campaign in Seller Central: select Brands in the main menu → Customer Engagement → Create campaign.