What Camping Can Teach You About Customer Retention

Last year my wife and I decided to purchase a trailer and start camping with our young boys. To date this year we’ve visited somewhere around six different campsites in different areas, some of which we plan to return to.

It doesn’t seem to matter whether the campground is privately owned or publicly controlled (like a national park), the criteria for a campground that we want to return to is quite simple:

1. Easily accessible
2. Clean and well equipped
3. Friendly staff

It struck me that these are the fundamental reasons why customers return to a business, even if that business is virtual.

Consider Amazon for example, who has great customer retention.

• They are easy to find and search for.
• Their website is easy to navigate and use – purchases are simple with the one-click option.
• Problems (i.e. wrong products delivered) are quickly dealt with following a quick call to customer service.

When was the last time you shopped your own business? Is it easy for customers to find you? Is their experience positive including interacting with friendly and responsive staff?

[Tweet “Stop worrying about market research and start focusing on the fundamentals of your business.”]

Put yourself and your staff in the shoes of your ideal customers and you’ll gain significant insights into just how desirable your business, products and services are for customers to return to.