One of the most vital tasks of a website is the ability to bring customers back for future visits and purchases. Return customers signify satisfactory products, agreeable service and effective marketing. Unfortunately, the opposite is usually true, as well. So why aren’t your valuable customers coming back for round two? Here are ten reasons why customers don’t return and what you can do about it. With just a bit of forethought and preparation, your customers will visit your site time and time again.

Customers don’t return because:

1. There is no follow up. After every sale make sure to follow up with a thank you email or postcard. Consider introducing your other products in the follow up .

2. The product doesn’t ship in time. If a company doesn’t ship the product in the time frame  promised online customers will think twice before making a repeat purchase.  If they needed the item quickly and didn’t get it, they won’t rely on that company again.

3. The product doesn’t live up to claims. If a product doesn’t live up to the claims on the website then why should customers believe the rest of the product descriptions? If a product doesn’t perform as expected consumers are not going to try a second product from that company.

4. The company is unreachable. If a customer can’t get a hold of a customer representative when they have an “after question” sale they will lose faith in the company. Better to have additional staff answering phones so customers hear a real voice, because if not, they will turn to the numerous websites that let angry customers “air their negative opinions” about non-responsive companies.

5. The website offers poor selection. Customers doesn’t see a variety of products or services that meet their needs so they leave never to return.

6. The shipping rates are expensive. When the competition is offering free shipping with the same product it’s time to rethink your shipping offers and pricing.

7. There are no reminders. A customer needs reminders that your company still exists. Consider a promotional item with your company’s website address to be included in each order. Follow-up emails just to check in and see how the customer is enjoying the product are also appreciated and act as a powerful reminder that you open for business.

8. The customer service was poor. When the same customer services issues repeat themselves it is time to review the problems, retrain the staff and come up with solutions.

9. There is no cross-sell or up-sell. Make sure to offer related products for consumers who want to come back for the complete package or system.

10. There are no product guarantees. It is important to reduce the risk factor when visitors consider making a purchase at your store. If your competition offers a stronger money back guarantee then it is important to reword yours to improve confidence in your website.