13 Types of Customers and How to Deal With Them

Today, we are going to talk about the types of customers you can get in contact with your brand. I will guide you through types one by one and provide hints on how to keep all customers happy.

Table of contents:

1. How can we establish types of customers?
2. What types of customers are there? Moreover, how can you make them happy?
3. Can you keep all types of customers happy?

The market is saturated like never before, in every industry most of the niches are overfilled with hopeful companies. New businesses starting every day and those that are already established grow at an alarming rate.

Some of those companies thrive on giving more workplaces and creating our reality. Others fall and are forgotten. They are fighting about diversified types of customers.

So, what decides about success?

There are many answers – strategy, good product, employee training. Sure, those are all super important.

However, after all is said and done, we are selling our products or services to people. Customers. What counts in the end is the way you treat your customers. How do you lure them? Moreover, keep them from leaving?

Do you know that guy in a nice suit that comes to your company and sits in the nicest office? He is not your boss. Your customers are.

OK, since we have established that, let’s dive in. Are customers all alike? Is it enough to have one solid selling strategy? I think you know the answer to those questions.

Humans are one of the most diversified species. We have different personalities and needs. Different things repel and attract us. There are different types of customers. Does it make things more complicated? In fact, it makes selling simpler.

Let’s say you are selling dresses. So women are your target segment. However, what types of dresses do you sell? Elegant and expensive? Frilly and colorful? For girls? Young adults? Mature women?

Answer those questions, and you can segment the whole market into groups. Some of them will be your target group. By recognizing customer types, you can provide more fitted options and better communication.

You no longer have to prepare an offer that suits everyone (which, by the way, is an impossible task). Offer can be perfectly fitted to the habits and needs of different types of customers.

How can we establish types of customers?

Of course, you can segment customers by age, gender, or depth of wallet; however, there is a more efficient method. This method can not only neatly divide types of consumers; it can also include essential factors like needs, frustrations, and behavior.

Companies can lure customers with an advertisement, celebrities, and discounts. However, there has to be some need on the customer side to make the sale.

What is vital for any type of customer while making a purchase?

Price – it can be important for two very different reasons. Some types of customers prefer products with the lowest price possible. They are interested in the proper quality/price ratio. Other customers are seeking expensive products to underline their material status.

Reliability – in most cases products are made to last. Customer cherries brands that deliver dependable products.

Compatibility – in today’s world, with the whole eco-system of smart things and technology around us it’s even more important for a product to fit in with previously bought goods.

Experience – we use things because we need them. That’s kind of obvious. Yet, when presented with two similar products, we are going to choose the one that offers a better experience.

Experience can be entitled to usability, ease of use, onboarding, or even sensory perception.

Functionality – market is so saturated that your product has to be better than the competition. This also means having all the features needed by customers.

Design – these days design is more than a good look and excellent materials. Products need to be easy and pleasant to use to be considered well designed.

Convenience – product or service needs to be easy to find and buy; nobody likes to look for what they need.

By knowing the reason for purchase or interaction with your brand, you can quickly identify types of customers. By serving the specific needs of any type of customer, you can get an edge over the competition.

It’s also easier to prepare the right offer when it doesn’t have to be all around type of deal.

You can’t please everyone. However, you can please specific types of consumers with the right approach.

What types of customers are there? Moreover, how can you make them happy?

Before customers buy something from you, they can have a different level of engagement with your company. There are those that never even heard about your brand.

However, they are looking for similar solutions.

If you allow them to get in touch with your product they can become potential customers. This type of customer needs careful leading and nurturing to become leads – customers that interacted with your marketing by signing up for a newsletter or engaging in a sales call.

In this group, you can find diverse types of customers, let me lay that out for you. First thing first, who actually should be considered a customer?

Is lead your customer? A stranger looking at your website? YES, they can be, so treat them as such.

Customer – brand relation is for life. Even if your product’s life ended, the customer still has a relationship with your brand. A disgruntled customer will haunt your brand for a long time, spreading angry words to his friends. You can easily monitor what your customers say about you by tracking brand mentions all over the internet and reply to them to build a stronger customer-brand relation.

Happy one can make you a few new clients. In the world of marketing and advertisement, we are seeing our friends and family as the most reliable source of recommendations.

We like to talk about good and bad things that happen to us with familiar people. Make sure your customer service or product is not one of those bad ones.

Types of customers to identify before purchase

Don’t make the mistake of ignoring potential customers before any purchase. If they came in contact with your brand treat them as customers, because with the right amount of nurturing and leading they can become one.

There is more than a product or service to offer to a customer. You can provide much value before the customer makes any purchase. This can be done on many different levels from free knowledge to a social event or great community.

Lookers

They are just scouting, looking for nothing in particular. They will engage with a brand that’s going to capture and keep their attention.

How to make Lookers happy?

Take a good look at your website or on-site shop. Is the path clear and obstacle-free? Are there any problems that can disturb the customer journey?

The more seamless and curious the experience, the more chance that you are going to attract a Looker. Good landing page, attractive website look, or particularly interesting shop window, and Looker is hooked.

If they are going to like their first visit, they might be back for more. Ensure that by encouraging newsletter sign-up.

Bargain hunters

This type of customer is looking to score, so keep that sales signs ready. They are attracted by huge deals and sales. They are looking to buy a lot more than the average customer but at the right price. Make sure to keep sales items in sight.

How to make Bargain hunters happy?

Every customer likes to be treated specially, they want good, personalized deals. Bargain hunters want that even before they become your customers. They are not going to engage with a brand that has nothing to offer them.

It’s not healthy to start a price war with the competition, but even small brands can prepare exclusive deals. Buy 4, get one free. Light version to ease your budget. Free shipping for items over 50$. Those are only a few examples.

You don’t have to bleed to do it; discounts are not a sane conversion strategy. Do it smart!

Buyers

They are not here to mess around; they are on a mission – to BUY. Let them, is as simple as that. They know what they want; they need to shop regularly. Purchasing can be part of their job or household chore.

How to make Buyers happy?

Make buying a seamless experience. Don’t put pointless clicks on their path; keep it clean from start to the checkout. Consider 1-click checkouts and bulk goods.

Take a good look at your selling process. Are there any bumps on the road? Too many pop-ups? Adblocking view? People want to buy and become your customers; you just have to let them.

Researchers

They like to be informed, so make that research possible for them. Prepare comparisons, technical specifications, and detailed information. Indulge researchers, and in return, they will become your customers.

More and more customers are doing extensive research before committing to a deal. With a crowded market, it is your job to make sure they have all the data they need to make that decision with your brand.

How to make Researchers happy?

Prepare lots of data, frames with nice visuals and high-quality photos. Features comparison, white papers are going to shed some light on possible choices. That’s all there is to keep researchers happy.

Impulse buyers

They don’t need convincing but don’t be fooled; it’s not like they are just going to buy anything you sell. Impulse buyers don’t do any research; they don’t need to buy.

They do it on a whim or for non-material reasons. They are not loyal customers; however, in some industries, they can be a large part of the market.

How to keep Impulse Buyers happy?

Make your checkout easy to reach and instant, remove any obstacles on the path to purchases. In that regard, Impulse Buyers are a lot like Lookers, so apply the same rules to keep them satisfied. Time-limited, exclusive offers might appeal to Impulse Buyers.

Discount hunters

Those are tough customers. They won’t make a deal with you unless they get a discount. Right away. A substantial one. However, any entrepreneur knows that a discount is not a sound business strategy. They should be only offered after some considerable action on the customer’s part.

How to keep Discount Hunters happy (and is it even worth the trouble)

There are tricks to postpone discounts. Try to offer a discount but only with the second purchase. You can also prepare bulk goods, providing discounts only for larger quantities.

Offer discounted products without some features. This way you are not actually losing money and still keep Discount Hunters happy.

Types of customers on-board and how to keep them there

OK, so you managed to attract customers into buying your product or service. Do your current customers have the same needs since they are buying the same product? Nope, nope, nope.

First of all, you have new customers that just purchased the product; they are not really familiar with your brand and features. They are going to need a different approach than returning or active customers.

Those types of customers heavily rely on excellent customer service and the quality of the product. Moreover, of course, there are those you couldn’t keep happy even with all your efforts.

Let’s break it down.

New

Imagine when you get in contact with the brand. You’ve just purchased their product; it’s all new and shiny. Well, it’s nice, but you feel a little lost. Are there other products that compliment this one? Can you do anything extra with your new toy?

Additional guidance would be nice, right? It’s the same for your customers. If they are new to your brand and offer, they would need some assistance.

Don’t lose on any opportunity and offer them the easiest way to get in contact with your company.

 

Repeat

They are not using your subscription service, but they are coming back from time to time to buy a new product of a few months of your service. They can act as a kind of backup income; it’s not as dependable as with active customers.

They are coming back for more, does it mean you have given them more? Yes, products need to change with expectations and technologies. It means you spent more, but on the same side, you earn more.

How to keep Repeat customers coming for more?

Keep your offer up to date. Follow market trends and competitors’ movements. Offer some kind of discount for returning customers or prepare exclusive deals only available for this type of customer.

Active

Active customers are money makers. However, they are also your most prominent critics. They already know your brand and product, they expect quality. Quality that doesn’t change.

Those two types of customers create a massive chunk of your customer base. They will be responsible for most of your income.

Remember, it’s always cheaper to keep your current customers happy than attract new customers or fight for those who already left.

How to keep Active customers happy?

Don’t be that kind of brand that only cares for potential leads. Prepare offers to give additional value to your active and returning customers. Maybe some discounts? New pricing plans? Exclusive training video materials?

Keep these types of customers well taken care of, and you can sleep soundly – your business is going to be safe.

Dissatisfied

No matter the type of consumer, customers are more and more self-aware. They are tired of advertising and marketing; they want genuine information and good customer service.

On top of that, if you fail to deliver a good product, customers will leave.

Not only that, they will express their frustration. With social media, any words of disgruntlement are going to be well heard by others.

1. At-risk/Unhappy

They are not ready to leave yet, but they are already signaling their disappointment. They may have lower their subscription, make fewer purchases, contacted your customer service.

Look out for warning signs and react. You don’t have much time at this point.

How to keep Unhappy customers?

Your business is not something set in stone; it has to improve and evolve. Monitor your customer service channels and social media for any signs of trouble.
Fix problems as they come, don’t wait. It’s cheaper to apologize and offer small compensation than lose a customer.

2. Lapsed

They have already left, but are they truly gone? Sure, you didn’t provide enough value, or your customer service was lacking. You made them angry, and they shut the door on your brand.

Don’t give up! All doors can be opened. You have one key advantage over the competition. They already know you.

We humans, we like familiar things. We hate changes in general. If you manage to eliminate any problems, your customers may return.

How to get Lapsed customers back?

Before you reach out to lapsed customers, make sure you fixed all problems and then some. There will be no third chance, so timing is crucial. Prepare some exciting sale or new product, make well known that your problems are gone. Then ask customers to join you once again.

Types of customers to take care of after purchase

After all is said and done, how do you want your brand to be remembered? If you manage to gather enough social trust, you can benefit from customers long after they made their last purchase.

Loyal

They are here for as long as you sell. They are not only customers; they are fans! Good job, kudos to you!

Your hard work and effort bore fruits. The loyalty of a customer is not an easy task to achieve in a saturated, crowded market.

The last two types of customers are pure gold. If you don’t realize that, you don’t deserve them. They are going not only to buy your product; they will refer you to friends and families. Moreover, they will even fight for you on social media.

Referring

They spread the news about your brand. Referring customers are better than any marketing strategy, even the paid ones. Their word has more value because there are no hidden motives. This is the most reliable social proof there is.

Advocate

Advocate customers go one step further. They spread the word about your brand, just like referring customers. Moreover, they engage in online and real conversations about a brand; they promote it through testimonials and case studies. Those types of customers, Advocate and Referring deserve most of your attention.

How to keep Loyal, Referring, and Advocate customers happy?

It’s all good, as long as you don’t lower the quality of your offer. Keep up the good work, innovate and evolve; you have a strong customer base that will be coming for more.

They won’t switch to competition; they like your product. So don’t make them. As simple as that.

They are with your brand because of your product, customer service, and most of all, your values. Build a community around shared values, take care of your customers, and your business will thrive.

Can you keep all types of customers happy?

The answer is YES! It’s easier when you know who they are and what are their needs. Get into their shoes and look at your website and product from their perspective.

If you have everything they need, all of those types of customers are going to keep coming back.

To do it right, you have to ask yourself, which type of customers are coming in regular contact with your brand? Do you attract many Lookers, but not that many Researchers?

If so, do you have a good-looking website? Content to attract attention? Are there enough sales for Bargain Hunters?

Ask those questions to identify areas that need improvement once you do that put in place procedures to monitor changes and deliver the best customer experience possible.

Let’s wrap this up!

There are 13 types of customers which you can identify before making any deals. Some of them come in contact with your brand before any purchase is made. Others stick as your active customer, creating your customer base. And there are those, who are the awesome ones – loyal customers.

Before purchase

• Buyers
• Lookers
• Researchers
• Impulse buyers
• Bargain Hunters
• Discount hunters

Onboard

• New
• Active
• Repeat
• Dissatisfied

After purchase

• Loyal
• Referring
• Advocate

 

Thank you for reading, we got types of customers covered. We have laid out your methods to keep types of consumers happy. Happy consumer means a higher conversion rate.

Successful selling and see you next time!