A loyal customer base is key to ‘competitive success’

Businesses should focus online marketing on developing a loyal customer base, according to Avail Intelligence.

Less than one third (29 per cent) of businesses in the online marketing agency’s survey believe customer retention is their most important objective.

However, chief executive of Avail Intelligence, Dr Rolf Elmer, suggests that customer retention is one of the best ways of remaining competitive during the current economic climate.

He told Precision Marketing: “E-commerce managers face a huge challenge to ensure their site stands out to the market.

“Harnessing the power of a site’s existing customers to produce the most relevant products for new customers with similar requirements, will encourage them to browse and buy on a regular basis.”

Marketing expert Chris Cardell recently commented in Startups.co.uk that direct marketing was one of the best ways to build online relationships.

Research by Avail Intelligence also found that less than half of businesses were planning on introducing a customer review strategy during the next year.

A further ten per cent will introduce offers for returning customers.