Customer loyalty
When we first started our retail boutique, I would always do a lot of research on how to keep customers coming back to our store. Many times at the beginning, that would be all I thought about. For me, not only was the first sale from a new customer important, but I also wanted them to keep coming back on a regular basis. I must of been thinking almost too much about it because after a few months of opening the store, I started seeing my customers coming back 
What I learned is that I was so passionate about the products I was selling that to me when I approached customers, it was like talking to a friend. I really believed in the products I carried in the store so it came thorugh smoothly when it came to “selling” - or should I say, “not selling”. The key is to find products that you truly believe in and know the product inside out. Since our boutique specialized in bath and body, fragrances, and skin care, it was really important for me to know those lines and that industry. The same applies if you are selling clothing or jewelery or whatever it may be, it is always important to know the background and history of the lines you are carrying.
Many repeat customers would tell me that they came back to buy more from our store because they liked the service and the attention to detail with which I presented my products. Customers have to feel comfortable that you know what you are talking about and that they can trust your product knowledge - and if so, they come back and buy from you over and over again. I have built many loyal clients this way.
One of the best ways to approach this is when you first start talking to them, try to connect with them as a friend (not “pretend” to connect, but really do so.) Ask questions or try to find out what they like without coming of like you are desperate to sell to them something. Another way to say it is, just don’t be desperate to sell to them. People can smell that a mile away, and they don’t want anything to do with you if that’s the case.
I often approached them with generic conversations about something that had nothing to do with what I was selling. That way they would feel comfortable talking to me. After a few words of exchange, then I would show them one of our hot seller items. I can tell you that this was how I established new repeat customers 99% of the time.
As a side note: When we first launched, the products we sold in our store were often very new to the U.S. market so you can imagine how challenging it could be selling a line people have never heard of. In the sales process, there is a phase known as “Overcoming Customer Objections” and one very common, universal objection that retail salespeople across industries deal with is that of lack of familiarity with the product. Anyway, the line that emerged as our most popular, best seller was an Italian made line that had barely been introduced in the U.S.