I have been considering sending a 10% or 20% off reward to customers to try and entice them back and just wondered if anyone already does this and do they see a benefit from it?
I can’t decide whether just to give a bigger discount to customers who have already returned once or something smaller to everyone who buys. Or maybe both!
Any advice?
Thanks!
I think it depends how you want to tell people.
If someone buys something from you, and you say include an offer code within their parcel for next time then fine.
I wouldn’t recommend sending emails to people who have ordered from you before though. For most people that’s a total turn off as they haven’t actually given you permission to use their email address for marketing, and most people will just delete without reading the content because it’s annoyed them. (I do this.)
I don’t do anything like this personally, I’m one person & making my artwork takes a fair length of time & I’m unable to constantly create- so I maybe maybe one type of print a month. So I can’t afford to run offers. I did experiment once with running a 20% off offer on here & Etsy at the same time. I promoted it on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram and while I sold a couple, it was of my cheaper work anyway & I’ve sold more in weeks with no offers at all- so for what I sell, It doesn’t seem to make a difference. I often wonder why small sellers run discounts- is it because they can’t sell their work at the current prices?- that’s why I experimented, to test the water to see if my prices were too high. So maybe that’s what people think- which may have a negative effect? After all, big shops simply have sales to get rid of stock they don’t want any more. 
I would always say experiment! No harm. It can be interesting as well to see what works & what doesn’t.
I am thinking of adding a note in with their purchase rather than an email. I think the same as you regarding spam.
I think because I sell cards that are obviously a low price point and that cards are something one buys often, it might entice someone to come back who may forget about me! I agree it’s not so relevant for prints like yours because they are more of a one off purchase anyway.
Also I do have customers who come back again and again which is lovely but deserve a bit of a loyalty gift. It’s just I can’t afford for them to then buy everything at 20% off. So it’s how best to manage it!
Emma
It could be quite difficult to manage as if you add a discount code to your shop then anyone who had access to that code would be able to use it until you deactivated it which would mean people could pass it on to friend and family to use as well. You could ask them to add a note with the code and you could then refund the 20% via paypal but it seems a bit of a round about way of doing it and if I had a discount code for a shop I would generally expect the code to be applied before I paid rather than paying and getting a refund. Don’t know if that makes sense. If you think of a good way of doing it let me know!
I don’t offer discounts to repeat customers as I think it makes the items look over priced in the first place.
My customers do come back, because they they love the product and the service.
I do always try to acknowledge that I recognise them as returning customers (not always easy on here)
At one point I had a postcard with a good picture of my work on that I included , I will do that again when I get around to it.
How about something as simple as a handwritten note? It would be a way of acknowledging loyal customers without offering either a discount or anything extra. Personalised handwritten thank-you notes are so rare these days that many people really appreciate them.
I enclose a “Thank You” note - though not handwritten because my writing is truly dreadful. It requests that they complete the feedback for the benefit of other customers. It also offers returning customers a 5% discount using the coupon code. This is an ongoing discount and I don’t care if they pass it on to someone else, if it gets me another order 
I don’t give discounts either. I always put a hand written message in the parcel thanking them for their purchase…usually I just write on the bottom of the receipt.
I have had customers, mainly near Christmas, who bought quite a few items at once, and then came back for a second lot…so I included a little freebie in their parcel, which they seemed to appreciate.
Kim
x
Ideally…when you have an item on offer/discount, you should be able to cover all your costs at the new, lower price. If you are able to do that, then it’s worth trying. I can’t do that often as knitting takes quite a bit of time.
I offer free shipping for next order from time to time when there is a good opportunity (returning customer a few times, etc), but not for every purchase. I would like to attract customers who choose to buy from me not only based on price. Also, regular discounts might not look good on a business, especially Handmade. Some customers see low prices as low quality.
Good points everyone. I don’t want to come across as bargain basement and I do always write a handwritten note thanking the customer for their order - Mmmmm food for thought!
Every customer that I have ever had, since I started painting and selling in 2006 has always received an extra painting for free. I don’t advertise the fact, as it is not a sales ploy…I just DO it.
I have been popping a discount code into my etsy packages for 10% off any future orders, I’ll have to make a folksy code, thanks for reminding me 
Just to add, it works well in my Etsy shop. I make a little artwork in Photoshop to print off the code and hand sign it, so it looks pretty and goes with my ribbon tied packaging 
For about the last 6 months, I have included a 10% voucher in every parcel that goes out, valid for between 6 and 8 weeks on a return purchase. Not one used so far, bit depressing when I think about it!
@plumporridge, someone will probably use it eventually, I give them out far more than I get orders from them xx
I have also tried including a loyalty discount code in the little note I send off in all packages. No-one has ever used it 
I enclose a handwritten note with my cards and mention if they visit my shop again aNd spend £ 7 or more they will receive a 15% discount (not incliding p&p) which I will refund through paypal. The coupon system doesnt offer a discount over a certain mount so thats why I refund through Paypal. A lot of my returning customers dont take advantage of the offer , either because they havent spent enough or they have forgotten
Diane