---
title: A 12% Customer Retention Rate – How I did it.
description: A guide to creating a 12% customer retention rate on my Shopify ecommerce store.
image: https://marketingevolved.co/hubfs/12%25%20retention.png
---
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December 12, 2024
# A 12% Customer Retention Rate – How I did it.
 By Sharon Herrman · 1 minute read
A 12% Customer Retention Rate – How I did it. 🔥
Too often, when ecomm businesses develop their product, brand messaging and marketing strategies, they tend to overlook how important it is to at least consider how and why a customer would not only return to buy again, but also, would choose to become an advocate of the brand.
Understandably – there are a lot of moving pieces involved in executing a go-to-market plan. But assuming all goes well, the following question is “What’s next?” – and having a plan to build on that early adoption via customer loyalty and retention initiatives can monetize that momentum.
In 2012, I launched a line of pet-themed jewelry, both in customizable and in stock designs, manufactured and assembled here in the US. 🐶🐱🐾
The product resonated well with the market. Within a few years, my customer retention climbed to 12% - certainly a healthy metric in anyone’s book.
*By underpinning customer retention to all my strategies, this outcome was nearly effortless.*
Here’s how I did it:
**1. Quality and turnaround -**
It almost goes without saying that the product has to exceed the customer’s expectation, and you do what you say you’ll do.
**2. Direct customer communication -**
With custom orders we took advantage of every opportunity to communicate directly with the customer as well as with follow up after shipment.
**3. Customer input drove new product development -**
Customers were invited to participate in prototype opportunities, then we used their reviews on social media and in email to support the new product launch.
**4. Featuring personal stories about customers and their pets in social media, paid social media advertising and email.**
5\. Donating product to grass-roots animal welfare organizations across the country that my customers supported.
Granted, once a company starts to scale beyond a certain point it isn’t easy to maintain an on-going personalized relationship with individual customers.
But this is where larger companies miss out. The surrogates for real-time customer interaction – review platforms, paid influencers, chatbots – aren’t going to find or recognize that insight unique to your business…the one that keeps customers coming back.
What would it hurt to TALK to a couple of customers? 💁♀️💁🏽♂️🤷♂️
How have you personalized outreach to your repeat customers and how has it helped in creating your customer retention programs? Please share!
#CustomerLoyalty #BrandLoyalty #CustomerExperience #MarketingEvolved
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