Loyal Customers

It's easy to get caught in this trap. You visit Starbucks every day, so you know what a "loyal" customer looks like (she looks like you).

Businesses that have loyal customers have an advantage. Not every business can have loyal buyers (I realize this goes against everything you've been taught). Brands that have loyal buyers tend to have three advantages.

• Customers "need" what you sell (i.e. a Pharmacy, Target).
• Customers "want" what you sell (i.e. Starbucks).
• The "need" or "want" must be replaced, often.

If you sell something that is purchased at Christmas, as a gift, you're gonna have trouble generating loyal buyers. The customer only "needs" or "wants" what you sell once a year.

People who don't understand how business works try to advocate that they have a "loyal" customer base when the products/merchandise they sell do not lend themselves to loyal customers. Vendors love preying on these individuals - if you only emailed your customers more often or gave them bigger discounts or hounded them all across the internet via display ads you'd have a loyal customer base.

Nonsense.

Try selling something that the customer wants or needs on a frequent basis, and you'll have a loyal customer base.

What you sell dictates whether you operate a business that is funded by loyal buyers. It starts with what you sell, not with your customers.