There are 7 steps to customer loyalty in e- commerce.

If you wanted to buy something, you used to be able to get the most competitive prices by shopping around in the town that you live in or visiting the nearest city.Retailers are playing in an arena in which competitors are never more than a click away because of the rise in internet usage and the dawn of social media.

It's difficult for retail sites to stand out with the likes of Amazon and eBay because the modern consumer is always looking for quality and service.Some customers are capable of incredible loyalty when they find a brand they like and are able to be brand advocates, spreading the word about your online store far and wide.

What do you have to do to make sure that your customers keep coming back for more of your products?It is not easy in such a competitive online marketplace, but with some clever branding, good use of social media and other channels and a clear plan, it is possible.

It is essential that you present a strong, recognizable brand that gives your visitors a sense of what you do.Consistency should be maintained across all online platforms such as social media.

Strong and consistent colors should be used for your brand.It is possible to use colour psychology to get your brand message across.

It is important that your logo and artwork reflect what your brand's philosophy is all about.

The voice's tone is very important.You should aim for a friendly tone when planning out your site and strategy.Since social media really took off, consumers expect to be treated as individuals, and as such leave the corporate terminology where it belongs, firmly in the past.

Brand personas can be used for all of the above.Make your brand a living breathing thing and people will connect with it better.

So that you can adjust tone, buyer personas should also be developed.To suit the target demographic, you are going to address an audience made up of retirees differently than you would that made of teenagers.

When consumers are spending money, they want an immediate sense that your site can be trusted.

Social media has changed the way we do business.It requires that etailers talk to consumers in a more personal way.If a company messes up on social, it is easy for it to go viral and damage a brand, but it can also give the company that deals with complaints and problems a huge boost.The internet has a collective laugh at the brand's expense when it comes to social, as it is common for even the biggest brands to get things wrong.If you want to boost customer loyalty, learn how to use social media properly.

One mistake I see being made all the time is social media reps parroting the same line over and over again.The person managing the account doesn't have the authority to act and just suggests that the customer contact customer service contact centre.It is almost certain that customers will never visit your site again if they are told about it.

You should protect your reputation at all costs because of the power of social media.

Special offers and discounts make it possible for customers to remain loyal.For special occasions and as incentives for customers to share your page and products on social media, use them throughout the year.

Remarketing can be used to target customers that haven't purchased anything recently, or have abandoned shopping carts.You can remarket to social visitors that have been to your site but have not made a purchase using tools such as Facebook Web Custom Audiences.

If you want to drill down on how customers are behaving on your site to see what changes can be made to encourage more purchases, you should use Google Analytics too.

When you visit Amazon, you will receive a mail detailing products similar to others that you have purchased or viewed.It works when it comes to boosting customer loyalty.Most web users are now sophisticated enough to know about first name fields and how easy they are to send out newsletters with, but they still appreciate personal emails that address their interests and offer discounts on the kinds of products they love.

People want to be treated as if they are in a physical shop.Give them what they want, so they feel valued and special.

The customer can get advice when they are on your site.It isn't a problem for many etailers if you are large enough to man it for at least 8 hours of the day.Once you have the customer in front of you making a query, there is a good chance that you will prompt them to buy.

You can engage with the customer on a one-to-one basis at the most important phase of the buying cycle with chat.You can give them advice on the product they want.You can talk to customers in real time and make sure they get what they want.

The rise of social has led many people to believe that email marketing is dead.Email marketing is one of the most effective marketing tools that the ecommerce site has and with today's technology allowing you to create campaigns quickly and easily, it is definitely not to be discounted.

Customer acquisition via email has doubled in the past four years according to a study carried out last year.

The rate of acquisition has been achieved by companies that use customer sign-ups to build a community into which members are turned into customers.