There’s plenty of dialogue about implementing artificial intelligence, virtual and augmented reality into business strategies to improve customer relationships. However, the latest tech innovations aren’t the only ways e-merchants can win customers.

Creating customer loyalty is crucial for an e-commerce business to be successful. The easiest way to accomplish this is to create loyalty by building customer relationships. Technology is making it easier for organizations big and small to connect with their customer base, but it doesn’t replace the personal, authentic experience that businesses can still offer.

Here’s how e-merchants can win customers without tech.

Personal Customer Service

A goos place to start is giving customers a personal sales representative to be your single point of contact. Make this sales representative responsible for answering any questions your customers may have, as well as catering directly to their needs.

A subtle way to improve customer relationships is through incentivizing them to set up profiles. According to Total Retail, when your users contribute information to their own accounts, you can create individualized content experiences guided by their interests and desires. With individualized content and other offerings like personal discounts, you can give shoppers more reasons to return and make repeat purchases.

Be Sincere with Your Customers

One of the easiest ways to show your customers you care is simply thanking them. This form of appreciation can be as simple as a handwritten note with an order. Emails and other electronic messages often go overlooked or into the spam folder, so a handwritten note shows your customers you really do appreciate their business. If your goods don’t require physical delivery, like website themes for example, you could offer discounted or free web hosting to complement their purchase as your way of saying thanks.

Another way to demonstrate sincerity is hosting a series of events in your largest markets. This could have a variety of benefits. First, it would show your current customers they’re more than just a number or a transaction. Events can also spread positive word of mouth through your customers’ networks, which might result in new referrals. All of which will serve to strengthen your brand awareness and identity in the public eye.

Offering Customer Loyalty Programs

Customer loyalty programs can have a profound impact on your bottom line. Special offers or prizes will give your customers reasons to come back and make additional purchases.  

Business Insider cries the following to demonstarte how crucial returning customers are to an e-commerce business:

• Returning customers convert roughly 82 percent more often than new visitors.
• Repeat customers have an average bounce rate near 24 percent, compared to around 34 percent for new customers (lower bounce rates can also improve search engine rankings).
• Customers who return for three years provide more than 60 percent of the revenues for the top 25 percent of e-commerce companies.

Whether customer loyalty programs are set up as a point-based system or just perks for being a frequent shopper, repeat customers give businesses greater long-term benefits. According to Kissmetrics, customers are looking to social networks, personalized messages, partner programs and mobile apps as a way to get more of the products they enjoy from the brands they love. This presents the perfect opportunity for e-commerce businesses to seize opportunities that would slow down more traditional retail outlets.

While e-merchants don’t have a storefront to see every customer face to face, they don’t need to invest heavily into technology to boost their customer service efforts. E-merchants can win customers without tech. Providing personal customer service, being sincere and offering loyalty programs will demonstrate you’re there to help in any way possible—and it’ll likely result in them coming back for more.