Running a KBB retail business is a bit different to many other sectors and industries. There are no straight forward purchases, and unlike buying a cup of coffee (a purchase that is given little to no thought by the consumer), each and every step of buying a kitchen, bedroom or bathroom is thoroughly thought-through and researched by the purchaser.
This leads to a very complex and drawn out buying process. People in the market for a kitchen often stumble at the many obstacles placed in front of them: budgets, knowledge, trust, indecision and taste to name a few.
And all this leads to a very long, complex and often stuttering buying journey.
If we were to breakdown the buying journey, it would look very much like this…
Awareness: This is where people are realising that they need a new kitchen and are starting to look at images online to gain inspiration. They may be checking out some of the local retailers too.
Consideration: In the consideration phase, your prospects will be going a little deeper into their research. They’ll know what colour schemes they like, what style of kitchen they want, their must-have appliances and some of the finer details.
Evaluation: The third part of the process is the evaluation phase. A time when people know they need to get a kitchen and have made a shortlist of companies they want to contact. These people will know what sort of kitchen they want and will be looking further into your company, probably carrying out research like checking your online reviews.
Purchase: This is the final step in the process and is self-explanatory. Here, your prospects will have gathered some quotes and will be making the final considerations before making a decision.
The overriding factor here is that a customer can spend anywhere from a week to two years before they actually make a decision on their new kitchen, and that’s why it’s so important to make sure these people visit your website multiple times during their consumer journey.
Here at Flo we talk a lot about ‘Returning Visitors’. This is, simply, the number of people who come back to visit your website who have already visited before.
So, Why Are Returning Visitors So Important?
There are many numbers that are regarded as important when you’re at the helm of running a business; turnover, profit, average transaction value and cost of acquisition to name but a few. Many don’t perceive ‘Return Website Visits’ as being important, but because of the drawn-out buying journeys in this industry, Return Visitors should be a stat that you are familiar with. It can give you clues as to how effective your whole marketing operation is.
Secondly, and more importantly, someone visiting your site for a second time is starting to build more familiarity with your brand. Their levels of trust will be increasing, and they will be FAR MORE LIKELY to enquire with you than a first-time user (we’ve got the data to prove it). Returning visitors are a by-product of a solid digital marketing strategy. If your marketing strategy is effective and is covering the four areas noted in the infographic above, you should start to see increasing numbers of return visitors, and that’s a sure sign that you’re building better relationships and engaging with the right people.
How Do You Know How Many ‘Returning Visitors’ Are Coming Back To Your Website?
All of the information on returning visitors is in your Google Analytics accounts. Now, many analytics programmes are available, but we’ll explain it in the language of Google Analytics as it’s the most popular and widely-used.
Step #1: Log in to your Google Analytics account.
Step #2: In the menu on the left, choose ‘Audience’ and then click ‘Overview’.
Step #3: In the top right corner of the screen, click the date range to adjust the time range that you want to view. We recommend having a look at the last calendar month for now.
Step #4: At the top of the screen click where it says ‘All Users’ (see below). A menu will pop up of lots of different stats to choose from. Uncheck the box that is currently selecting All Users and scroll down to find ‘Returning Users’. Check the box and click the blue ‘Apply’ button at the bottom of the menu.
Step #5: Simply scroll down to see how many returning users you had in the selected time frame. Now compare that to other times, such as the same month a year previous.
How To Increase Your Number Of Returning Visitors
So, now you’ve found how many people are returning to your site for a second or third time, how do you improve this number? How do you start to get more people back to your site? Well, the good news is that there’s a number of marketing techniques you can use to really amplify these numbers and to get more qualified enquiries into your business. They’re not overly tricky to implement but will need a few hours of your time to set up.
Get Good At Remarketing
Remarketing is a modern marketing method that is embarrassingly under-utilised by most KBB retailers. Everyone has experienced remarketing, but few understand it. Many smart marketers use remarketing to show ads to people who have already viewed certain pages on a website. For instance, when you head online to look for a new wristwatch, for instance, you start to see adverts for that particular wristwatch everywhere you go online, and this is remarketing.
You can show adverts on Facebook, YouTube or through the Google Display Network to people that have already visited your website.
The advantage of using remarketing is that you can start to establish yourself as the biggest and most authoritative brand in the market place for a very small cost (advertising via remarketing is charged per click, so you only pay for the people who click your ads making it very cost effective).
The other advantage is that many KBB retailers don’t use remarketing, so you’ll most likely be the only brand appearing in front of people whilst on their buying journey, making it a complete no-brainer to invest some time and energy into remarketing.
Haven’t Got The Time?
If you haven’t got the time to get remarketing campaigns live for your business, feel free to talk to us and explore how we can help you ramp up your returning visitors and enquiries. We’re available on info@flo-marketing.co.uk or 0121 405 6780.