How do I get more repeat customers on Shopify?
Wes Buckwalter, founder of Seattle Shopify agency SeaMonster Studios, says it starts with about three bucks. He'd rather put $3 of free samples in a customer's box than spend $29 finding the next new one, and a lot of the merchants he talks to never looked at it that way. Then say thank you like you mean it. One brand Wes works with has the owner handwrite a card for every order: "I'm the owner... I actually wrote this card, and thank you."
So if you're asking yourself "Do handwritten thank-you notes actually get customers to buy again?" or "Can my Shopify store get sued if it isn't accessible?", this episode is for you. And if you just want to know why Wes has an employee whose actual job title is Captain Accessible, same deal.
💡 KEY TAKE-AWAYS:
- Why Wes says "it's not about loyalty, it's about affinity," and what earns a customer's second order
- The rule I stole from the founder of Handwrytten about what never goes in your first thank-you note
- How one vitamin brand got Wes to buy five products he wasn't shopping for
- Why nobody brags to their friends about your $50 block of cheese, and what they talk about instead
- Why Wes calls accessibility overlay widgets "essentially placebo," and how they can make your store a lawsuit target
- The AI accessibility tool Wes figures gets a store 50 to 75% of the way there, and why a human still has to check its work
⭐️ Support the amazing partners who make this possible 👇
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⭐️ REWIND ⭐️
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⭐️ OMNISEND ⭐️
I personally use Omnisend for email and SMS on every Shopify store I manage, and for this show too! I've tried them all, and it's hands down the best way to run every email and SMS automation and campaign you need, segment to personalize them, and A/B test everything to optimize conversion.
PLUS, you can now connect Omnisend to ChatGPT or Claude and just ask “where can my email and SMS be making more money?” It reads your actual store data and tells you, then builds the campaign for you right from the chat. It even writes in your brand's voice. Fifteen years doing this and it's the closest I've felt to having a full-time marketer sitting beside me. (Plus most merchants report paying about half the price of Klaviyo.)
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🛠️ RESOURCES & LINKS MENTIONED IN SHOW:
Free store audit (performance, accessibility and conversions) from Wes for Shopify1Percent listeners: mention the show on the contact form at https://seamonsterstudios.com or email wes@seamonsterstudios.com
Got a question for the show? Hit Ask a Question at https://www.shopify1percent.com
