No one contradicts me when I say that collecting new subscriptions (read: potential buyers) is key for a fortunate email marketing campaign. But where a lot of marketers go over rather quickly, this brand stands still a little longer: how do I make sure that my customers come back? This example not only has a brand that’s impossible not to love, but they also have a remarkably low customer churn by their genius e-commerce strategy.
Dollar Shave Club is everything men need for a smooth lower jaw: razors, shaving gel and other shaving accessories. Cut out for men that are standing in front of the mirror each morning with a way too expensive razor and a way too great reluctance. Dollar Shave Club makes shaving child’s play. You order the razors that belong to your shaving needs and you get them delivered to your door every month. Dollar Shave Club doesn’t beat their prospects over the head with baselines like “best stainless steel blades,” or “soft rubber-grib handle.” Under the motto “Shave time. Shave money.”, it’s simply a way of avoiding the frustration and the inconvenience of a long walk to the supermarket without spending loads of money. After reading this article you have all the luggage to approach your prospects during different stadia in the purchasing process in order to seize your customer churn tactically.
Below you can see a couple of examples of Dollar Shave Club. If you like to see the images more in detail, then you can click on them for a larger view.
1 Geniuses buy from Dollar Shave Club and you’re clearly a genius. Right?
Dollar Shave Club addresses her prospects very early. Did a man create a profile in the clubhouse, but didn’t order anything yet? He is almost where they want him, so Dollar Shave Club tries to tempt him to the website again. How? With a simple email campaign as “Are you a genius? You could be”. Dollar Shave Club might just as well say to her prospects that they are stupid not to save money on razors. Of course prospects don’t want to feel stupid. They want to be smart and have the impression that they have taken a wise decision with the purchase. That is the feeling that you can transfer on your clients. Give them the idea that buying your product is the right, well-considered decision, without pointing the finger too much at them: you still want to send out a positive message. Think of a nice e-commerce action.
2 Abandoned shopping cart? Not for long.
Did a man put shaving equipment in his cart, registered his data, but did he leave the website without purchasing? These are hot prospects. He has registered and likes the product enough to almost buy it. Try to convince him with an email campaign. “We see that you have passed by, but your shopping cart is lonely waiting for you.” The more engaged the prospects are with your brand, the more positive this type of email will be received.
3 Toss a quickie in your box
Dollar Shave Club sees every transaction as a new opportunity to intensify the bond with her customers. Transactional messages are the strongest sales tools a marketer has. Did you manage to grab the attention of a lead or a customer? Clearly define a clever way to enforce your relationship by interacting with your contact more frequently. Follow the example of Dollar Shave Club: did a customer just buy a nice box with shaving equipment? Then Dollar Shave Club asks whether he likes to toss in something else in the box. Those are what we call association emails. Compare it to the action racks at the cash register when you go the supermarket. That way they try to seduce impulsive purchasers to a last bargain. It’s again the exquisite moment to contact your customers again.
4 Unsubscribe, why would you?
Which reasons customers have not to buy? Arguments such as “I don’t need razors every month” or “What if I dislike the razor I choose?” are beheaded by Dollar Shave Club with a smart unsubscription process. “Hey baby face, not so hairy?” That way Dollar Shave Club persuades her men to for instance deliver a razor every two months instead.
After a phenomenal growth in her customer base by recruitment campaigns at one hand, Dollar Shave Club wants to reduce their customer churn at the other hand by reactivating customers that want to unsubscribe. Dollar Shave Club always asks why they want to unsubscribe. They like to understand the reason in order to act proactively in the future and to encourage people not to cancel their subscription. Which obstacles do customers have not to buy your product anymore? Check with the people that unsubscribe, why are they unsubscribing and try to win these people back. Each customer that doesn’t unsubscribe means extra earnings for your product without having to invest in engaging another customer.
And the reverse counts as well. With the World’s Easiest Pop-Quiz they are looking for the shaving needs of their prospects. Suffer from ingrown hairs or red bumps? Via this quiz Dollar Shave Club will know. Based on that answer you get a free sample included in your monthly box. When they notice that you have tried the free sample, then you get a new mail to request whether you like to add this product to your membership. Make sure that you are one step ahead by putting into words the specific needs and just dare to ask your prospects.
So marketing team, gather around the table and think of this: how can we attract new prospects? If they have visited our website, how can we let them come back? How are we seducing customers again towards an abandoned cart? How are we taking care of combined purchases? Which reasons do customers have to stay? These are all questions that you can capture with email marketing. Dollar Shave Club is the living proof of that!
