Types of Customers

Customers are the fuel for any business. Customers are very important to any organization since they are the ones who buy your services or goods and help your business flourish in return. Hence it is important to make new customers. However, to manage the customers they need to be divided into different groups since each one of them needs a different approach to make them valuable and profitable.

Loyal Customers

These are quite less in number as compared to other types but also the most important as they promote sale and make a business profitable. This is so because they are satisfied customers who will come again and again to do buy your product and will also not refrain to put a good word about your product, hence, generating more customers. Thus, they need to be given special attention, time and effort. They must be regularly communicated with using telephone, mail or email. Their choices and feedback can and should influence our decisions and merchandizing efforts. It is thus, the best practice to give them the highest quality of service since the more you do for them, the more they will recommend you to others.

Discount Customers

These are also frequent visitors but generally buy the products when they are on sale or are given a discount. They tend to buy low costing products and so are associated with small businesses or companies that offer low marginal investments on products. They are also important to be taken care of well because they help the business to make profit and market its products.

Impulsive Customers

As the name suggests, these customers are those who buy on an impulse. They do not have anything particular to buy on their and so demand a display of all the best products a business can offer so that they can choose a product to buy as they see fit. These customers are difficult to handle since they are not pleased and satisfied easily. However, if handled well they can be led into contributing a high percentage of selling.

Need Based Customers

As opposed to the above, these customers have a specific product on their list and tend to buy only those products which they are habitual of, have a specific need for based on occasion or price range etc. They are also frequent visitors but it is difficult to satisfy them since they are not inclined to buy every time. They tend to look for their need to be quickly fulfilled or they may immediately walk away. These customers need to be handled very carefully as they can be easily lost if not satisfied. They can very easily get the product they are looking for from some other retailer or through an online store. They must be therefore, allowed to be handled by the best salesman you have and be patiently made to reason and test similar products or brands as well.

Wandering Customers

Wandering customers are the most common customers in a store but also the least profitable. They increase the overall traffic of your store but may not really buy anything. Although they generally inquire about different, it is mostly to confirm their needs. They do not usually buy any items. However, they also be not ignored completely since they are also a voice to convey about your products and/or treatment outside, which can generate more customers. Nevertheless, the time spent with them should be kept to a minimum.