Launch to your repeat customers on Shopify

A few years ago we used to live close to a local coffee shop.

Not a big corporate one or even a franchise. It was one where the owner was at the counter half the time.

We'd go about once a week and each time the owner or her two employees would great us.

It got to the point where they knew exactly what we wanted when we walked in.

It was a typical local, small business who gave better service than their competitors.

Then once day the owner said something like:

I'm working on a new product that I think you might like. Each month I'll hand pick a set of coffee beans, roast them, and then you can pick them up.

My wife, being someone who loves her coffee, said yes and we signed up on the spot.

This happened back in 2008. Before Groupon. Before the recent monthly box craze.

The interesting thing was that the owner was experimenting with this new product but only with her best customers. She wasn't sure if it would sell well or even if the logistics of it would work.

Instead of trying to launch to everyone and risking a crash and burn failure, she wanted to work with people who she had established trust with first.

That's one of the benefits of repeat customers. Since they already know and trust your business, you can offer them experimental products and know that you'll get good feedback on them.

That's why it's important to know your customers. Without knowing who they are and their buying patterns, you can't figure out which group to experiment with.

Repeat Customer Insights can help you identify which customers are your best customers to talk about a new product with.

Eric Davis