10 Proven Strategies on How to Get Repeat Customers

Getting new customers can feel exciting. It’s also expensive, unpredictable, and time-consuming.

As a business owner, you spend a lot of time focusing on acquiring new customers. But it’s your existing audience that drives growth.

They already trust your brand and are far more likely to make a repeat purchase. Therefore, retaining existing customers is more profitable.

However, the challenge is keeping them engaged. With countless brands competing for attention, even satisfied buyers can drift away without consistent communication.

In this article, we’ll explore a few strategies on how to increase repeat customers and create a steady revenue stream. You’ll also learn how the right SMS marketing platform makes it easier to engage your audience and keep them coming back.

1. Stay Connected With SMS

Many businesses focus on getting the first sale but forget that what happens after the purchase matters just as much. Regular communication is the foundation of fostering repeat business, which keeps your brand visible and builds long-term trust.

Conversational SMS marketing is one of the most effective ways to do that. Text messages are quick, personal, and nearly always read within minutes. It’s also a cost-effective marketing strategy and keeps communication consistent. 

Whether you’re sending order updates, limited-time offers, or quick thank-you notes, SMS helps you maintain a consistent presence that keeps regular customers engaged.

Using a bulk messaging service allows you to reach a large number of customers while still keeping the message personal. You can also segment your audience, customize offers, and time your messages for maximum impact based on customer data.

If you’re serious about building stronger relationships and encouraging repeat business, it’s time to upgrade your communication strategy. 

Sign up for a free trial or request a demo consultation with Textellent today!

2. Personalize the Customer Experience

If you want more repeat customers, you need to create an experience that feels personal to them. You can start by using the customer data you already have.

Your CRM, email lists, and order history reveal what your customers like, how often they buy, and what kind of messages they respond to. This information helps you encourage repeat customers by sending messages that feel relevant rather than random.

For example, if a customer buys a particular product every few months, you can set up a reminder when it’s time to restock. If someone frequently purchases a certain category, send them updates about new arrivals in that line to increase their customer lifetime value.

Including personalized promotional materials in your messages can also make your outreach feel thoughtful and exclusive.

Small touches like birthday text messages, anniversary discounts, or “we miss you” reminders can also make customers feel valued.

3. Deliver Excellent Customer Service

Good SMS customer service isn’t limited to problem-solving. It starts the moment someone lands on your website and continues long after the purchase. 

From answering inquiries to resolving customer complaints, it shapes how people view your business and influences their repeat purchase decisions.

Your team is the face of your brand. You have to equip them with the knowledge and mindset to handle every situation with empathy and professionalism.

Also, make sure to encourage them to listen first, understand the customer’s concern, and take ownership of finding a solution. Going the extra mile, even in small ways, leaves a lasting impression that customers remember.

4. Offer Loyalty and Rewards Programs

A strong customer loyalty program works because it creates a sense of value and belonging. When customers see that their purchases lead to rewards, they’re more motivated to stay with your brand.

The key is consistency. You have to make your reward system simple to understand and easy to use. They should instantly see the value of participating and know how to redeem what they’ve earned.

Every business is different, so your loyalty program should reflect your goals and audience. For example:

• Retail or e-commerce businesses can offer points per dollar spent or a discount after a set number of repeat purchases
• Service-based businesses can reward returning customers after multiple visits or through referral bonuses
• Subscription companies can provide exclusive upgrades or loyalty tiers to reinforce customer loyalty and maintain engagement

Once you create a loyalty program, you need to highlight it on your website, mention it at checkout, and remind customers through email or text messages. 

Using SMS marketing software helps build a loyal customer base that advocates for your brand through word-of-mouth marketing. 

5. Ask for Customer Feedback and Act on It

Your existing customers are your best source of insight. When you collect customer feedback, it helps you understand their preferences. It’s also key to encouraging repeat purchases.

SMS is useful here because it allows you to reach customers and gather instant responses. You can send short SMS surveys, post-purchase emails, or quick polls that capture feedback in seconds. 

This helps you gauge customer satisfaction and shows that you care about customer needs and their experience.

Feedback collection is only the first step. The real value comes from identifying trends and patterns in customer behavior and understanding what drives satisfaction or churn.

You have to look for recurring issues, repeated compliments, or consistent suggestions. These valuable insights help you identify how to improve service and encourage customers to stay loyal.

Also, when customers take the time to give feedback, don’t forget to respond to it. Acknowledge their input, thank them for sharing, and, when possible, let them know what actions you’ve taken.

Yet, not all feedback will be positive, and that’s okay. How you respond to criticism can determine whether a customer leaves or stays.

You have to address issues quickly, apologize sincerely when necessary, and focus on solutions. Turning a bad experience into a good one can transform an unhappy customer into one of your most loyal advocates.

6. Build Trust Through Consistency

When customers can rely on you to deliver the same consistent quality and experience every single time, they stop questioning whether to buy again. They simply do.

Every interaction you have with a customer either strengthens or weakens their trust in your brand. From your website’s ease of navigation to how quickly you respond to inquiries, every detail sends a message about how dependable your online business is.

But the fastest way to lose trust is to promise what you can’t deliver. Your marketing should set expectations that your business can consistently meet.

If you claim same-day delivery or 24/7 support, make sure those promises are upheld without exception. Over time, this reliability increases your repeat purchase rate and keeps your first-time buyers coming back.

Consistency in messaging also matters. Your tone and brand identity should remain uniform across your website, social media, emails, and SMS campaigns. It tells them you’re steady, and that matters for business growth.

SMS marketing allows you to maintain a reliable presence without overwhelming your customers. They’re brief, direct, and personal messages that remind them you’re there when needed.

When customers see that your business always follows through, they begin to associate your brand with stability, and that’s what helps retain customers and drive repeat purchases.

7. Create Value Beyond the Sale

The relationship with your customers shouldn’t end at checkout. In fact, that’s where the customer retention rate improvement begins.

People buy from brands they trust, but they stay with brands that help them grow. You can share knowledge that allows your customers to make the most out of their purchase.

This could include tutorials, maintenance tips, case studies, or product usage guides that engage customers even after the first purchase.

For example, if you sell software, send guides on maximizing features or automating workflows. If you’re in retail, create quick tips on style recommendations that fit their purchasing patterns.

The more useful your content, the more your customers will return to you as a trusted source of information and not just a product provider.

Everyone wants to feel valued. You can recognize loyal patrons by giving them early access to new products, limited-time deals, or sneak previews of upcoming services.

You can also create membership-style programs that reward long-term engagement, offering them a sense of belonging within your brand.

8. Engage on Social Media

Social media is no longer just a place to promote products. It’s also where successful businesses focus on maintaining relationships with their audience.

Instead of treating social media as a sales channel, you can use it as a space for conversation. It gives you endless opportunities to educate, entertain, and inspire your audience. 

You can share tips that relate to your products or industry, publish customer success stories, or host Q&A sessions that encourage participation.

Many customers also prefer direct communication over public interaction. You can use private messaging, chat tools, or SMS integrations connected to social platforms to follow up with current customers or resolve inquiries promptly.

Finally, your most loyal customers can become your strongest brand advocates. You can offer customers incentives to share their experiences, tag your brand in social media posts, and leave Google reviews.

User-generated content builds credibility faster than traditional advertising and helps potential customers see real proof of satisfaction. It also turns satisfied buyers into trusted brand ambassadors, which creates stronger connections that encourage repeat sales.

9. Implement Re-Engagement Campaigns

No matter how great your product or service is, some customers will eventually go quiet. But losing touch doesn’t have to mean losing them entirely.

Re-engagement campaigns give you the chance to remind past customers why they chose your business in the first place and invite them to come back. These efforts help you recover lost sales and reduce overall customer acquisition costs.

You can perform SMS segmentation on your customer list. Look at purchase history, email engagement, and marketing efforts to find patterns in customer acquisition and retention.

Make sure to identify those who haven’t bought or interacted with your brand for a while, whether that’s 30 days, 90 days, or longer, depending on your business cycle. These are your “at-risk” customers, and they’re the ideal group to target with re-engagement efforts.

Not every inactive customer left for the same reason, so tailor your approach. Someone who opened your messages but didn’t click may need a better offer. Someone who hasn’t interacted in months may need a reminder of your value.

After sending your re-engagement campaign, you need to track how many customers respond, click, or make a purchase. Which messages worked best? Which offers resonated? Continuous optimization ensures that your next re-engagement effort is even stronger.

10. Always Show Appreciation

Your customers have choices, often hundreds of them. When they choose your business, it’s not something to take for granted.

Genuine customer appreciation goes a long way toward strengthening trust, improving satisfaction, and keeping customers happy.

Appreciation should be woven into every part of your customer journey. It could be as a personalized thank-you message after a purchase, a small note in their package, or a follow-up email expressing gratitude.

You can show customers that you notice their continued support. Celebrate milestones like a first anniversary with your brand or a customer reaching a loyalty tier. Small details like these improve your brand’s reputation and remind people why they continue to choose you.

Customers can tell the difference between a genuine thank-you and a sales text message disguised as one. Appreciation should come from a place of sincerity, not as a tactic to trigger another sale. You have to speak in a tone that feels authentic.

With bulk SMS platforms, you can do this efficiently, sending personalized thank-you messages to multiple customers while keeping the tone personal and warm. It’s a scalable way to maintain relationships without losing that human touch.

Strengthen Customer Loyalty With Every Text You Send—Try Textellent!

When you communicate with customers in a thoughtful way, you turn one-time buyers into lifelong supporters. Textellent gives you the tools to create genuine, ongoing engagement.

With advanced texting automation and customer segmentation, you can maintain relationships that go beyond the first sale. It helps improve customer returns through consistent, personalized communication.

Textellent lets you send follow-ups, loyalty rewards, appointment reminders, or personalized thank-you messages through one easy-to-use platform. When interactions feel effortless, customers naturally keep coming back.

If you’re ready to build loyalty that lasts, now is the time to take action. Sign up for a free trial or request a demo consultation with Textellent to see how it can help you strengthen customer relationships!

FAQs About Getting Repeat Customers

How to create repeat customers?

You need to focus on delivering an experience that’s personal and memorable. That means maintaining consistent quality, offering great service, and giving customers reasons to come back.

You have to stay in touch through text messaging or email, share helpful updates, and show genuine appreciation for their loyalty. You can also reward returning customers with special offers, loyalty points, or early access to new releases.

Ongoing value after the purchase builds trust and strengthens retention strategies that help your business sustain long-term cash flow.

How to increase the repeat customer rate?

You can boost your repeat purchase rate by improving satisfaction, maintaining engagement, and rewarding loyalty. Start by offering simple loyalty programs, sending personalized messages, and following up regularly through email or SMS.

You can share thank-you notes, reminders, or special deals that encourage future purchases from first-time customers. Also, invite them to provide customer feedback through quick polls or surveys to learn what they value most and how you can continue improving.

How to get the first 10,000 customers?

It requires a combination of smart marketing, excellent service, and strong brand visibility. Start by understanding your target audience’s needs, pain points, and preferences. You have to build trust early through social proof like reviews and testimonials.

You can also combine organic marketing strategies, such as social media engagement and content marketing, with direct outreach tools to stay connected.

Once you gain traction, you can focus on keeping those first customers satisfied, as they’ll become the foundation for long-term growth.