How to Get More Customers to Shop Online: A Practical Small Business Guide
Feb 10, 2026
If you've set up an online store but the orders aren't flowing the way you expected, you're not alone. Most small businesses find that building the shop is the easy part — getting people to actually buy from it is where the real work begins.
The challenge isn't that customers don't want to shop online. They do. UK online retail sales now account for over a quarter of all retail spending, and that proportion continues to grow. The challenge is that your online store is competing with every other option a customer can find in a few seconds of searching. You're not just competing with businesses like yours — you're competing with Amazon, marketplace giants, and the sheer convenience of whatever appears first on Google.
But here's what works in your favour: customers increasingly want to buy from small, independent businesses. They want to support local. They want to feel a connection to who they're buying from. The gap isn't desire — it's discoverability, trust, and a reason to come back.
This guide covers the practical strategies that actually move the needle for small businesses selling online — and how a loyalty programme ties them together.
Why Most Small Business Online Stores Underperform
Before diving into tactics, it's worth diagnosing the common problems. Most small business online stores struggle because of one or more of these issues:
Nobody knows it exists. You built a shop, maybe posted about it once on social media, and expected traffic. But unlike a physical storefront on a busy high street, an online shop has zero passive footfall. Every visitor has to be earned.
The first visit doesn't convert. A customer lands on your site, browses, and leaves. No purchase, no email captured, no way to bring them back. First-time conversion rates for small e-commerce businesses typically sit between 1% and 3% — meaning 97% or more of visitors leave without buying.
There's no reason to come back. Even when someone does buy, there's no system in place to bring them back for a second purchase. And the second purchase is where profitability lives — acquisition costs are already covered, and the customer is buying on trust rather than curiosity.
A loyalty programme addresses the second and third problems directly. But it works best when combined with the strategies that solve the first problem too. Let's work through them.
1. Turn Your Existing Customers Into Online Shoppers
If you have a physical location with regular customers, you already have an audience for your online store. Most businesses try to attract strangers online while ignoring the people who already know and trust them.
Your in-store customers are the easiest online sales you'll ever make. They already like your products, they already trust your brand, and they'll buy online if you give them a reason and make it easy.
Use your loyalty programme as the bridge. If you're running a digital loyalty programme through a platform like Perkstar, you already have a direct communication channel to your most engaged customers. A push notification saying "Our online store is now live — enjoy free delivery on your first order" reaches every loyalty member on their lock screen.
Offer online-exclusive rewards. If your loyalty programme includes points or stamps, consider offering bonus rewards for online purchases. A double-points promotion for the first month of your online store launch gives existing customers a tangible incentive to try it. The key is running a single loyalty programme in-store and online so customers earn rewards regardless of how they shop — one unified experience rather than two disconnected systems.
Include your website on every physical touchpoint. Your QR code at the counter, your loyalty card in their wallet, your business cards, your receipts — every physical interaction should mention that you sell online. It sounds obvious, but most businesses with both channels don't cross-promote nearly enough.
2. Build a Social Media Presence That Actually Drives Sales
Social media is listed in every "how to sell more online" guide, and for good reason — it works. But most small businesses approach it wrong, treating it as a broadcasting platform rather than a relationship-building one.
The posts that drive online sales aren't product announcements. They're the ones that build trust, demonstrate personality, and make people feel connected to your brand.
What actually works
Behind-the-scenes content. Show how products are made, packed, or selected. Introduce your team. Share the story behind why you started the business. People buy from people, and social media is where that personal connection forms.
Customer proof. When a customer shares a photo of your product, repost it (with permission). When someone leaves a glowing review, screenshot it and share it. Social proof from real customers is more persuasive than anything you can say about yourself.
Consistent posting with a low production bar. You don't need professional photography or polished videos. A well-lit phone photo and an honest caption outperform slick branded content for most small businesses. What matters is consistency — posting three times a week with genuine content beats posting once a month with something perfect. Done well, this kind of consistent, authentic posting doesn't just drive one-off sales — it builds the kind of social media customer loyalty that keeps people choosing you over competitors week after week.
Direct links to products. When you post about a product, link directly to where someone can buy it. Don't make people search your website to find the thing they just saw. Reduce every possible step between "I want that" and "I bought that."
Your loyalty programme supports social media strategy in a practical way. When a customer earns a reward through Perkstar, that's a moment worth capturing and sharing. "Our 100th loyalty member just earned their first reward!" creates social proof and promotes your programme simultaneously.
3. Use Email to Bring Customers Back (Not Just to Sell)
Email remains the highest-ROI marketing channel for small businesses — and it's one of the few channels you actually own. Your social media following lives on someone else's platform. Your email list lives with you.
The mistake most businesses make is using email exclusively for promotions. A constant stream of "20% off this week" emails trains your audience to wait for discounts or, more commonly, to stop opening your emails entirely.
A better approach
Welcome sequence. When someone makes their first purchase or joins your loyalty programme, send a short email sequence (two to three emails over a week) that introduces your brand, shares your story, and highlights your most popular products. This builds the relationship before you ask for another sale.
Value-first content. If you sell skincare, email tips on building a routine. If you sell food products, share recipes. If you sell craft supplies, share project ideas. Give people a reason to open your emails beyond "here's a discount."
Targeted promotions to loyalty members. Rather than blasting your entire list with generic offers, segment by behaviour. Perkstar integrates with Mailgun for email, allowing you to send targeted communications to specific customer segments — lapsed customers, high-frequency buyers, or members approaching a reward milestone. A targeted email to someone who hasn't bought in 60 days, offering a loyalty bonus to come back, will always outperform a blanket promotion. If you want to go further, consider testing unique customer reward ideas beyond standard discounts — early access to new products, surprise gifts based on purchase history, or exclusive content — which tend to generate stronger emotional responses and higher open rates.
Automated post-purchase follow-up. A simple email two weeks after purchase — "How are you finding your [product]? We'd love your feedback" — shows the customer you care beyond the transaction and opens the door for a review or repeat purchase.
4. Make Your Website Convert (Not Just Look Good)
Traffic means nothing if visitors don't buy. And for small online stores, the conversion rate is where most revenue is won or lost.
The principles are straightforward, but execution requires attention to detail:
Speed matters more than design. A beautiful website that takes five seconds to load loses half its visitors before they see a single product. Test your site speed on Google PageSpeed Insights and fix the biggest issues first. Compress images, minimise plugins, and choose a host that performs well.
Mobile is not optional. Over 60% of UK online shopping now happens on mobile devices. If your site isn't fully functional on a phone — easy to navigate, easy to read, easy to check out — you're losing the majority of potential customers. Test your own site on your phone regularly. If anything feels clunky, fix it.
Simplify the checkout. Every extra step in checkout costs you sales. Guest checkout should always be available. Payment options should include Apple Pay, Google Pay, and the major card processors. Delivery options should be clear upfront, not revealed as a surprise at the final step. Across all of these elements, simplicity drives customer loyalty more reliably than sophistication — every unnecessary field, confusing menu, or ambiguous delivery option is a reason for someone to close the tab.
Answer every question before it's asked. Product descriptions should cover sizing, materials, care instructions, delivery times, and return policies. If a customer has to go looking for information, they'll often leave instead. An FAQ section on each product page or a clear, comprehensive delivery and returns page removes the uncertainty that kills conversions.
5. Use a Loyalty Programme to Solve the Repeat Purchase Problem
Acquiring a customer for the first time is the most expensive part of online retail. The second purchase — where the customer already knows you, trusts you, and doesn't need convincing — is where profitability begins. A well-structured store loyalty programme gives customers a visible, ongoing reason to return — turning what would otherwise be a forgettable transaction into the start of a trackable relationship.
Yet most small online businesses have no system for encouraging repeat purchases beyond occasional discount emails. A digital loyalty programme changes this fundamentally.
How it works for online businesses
Points for purchases. A points-based loyalty card rewards customers proportionally to their spend. With Perkstar, you can set a custom earn rate (for example, 1 point per £1 spent) and define what reward the points unlock. This creates ongoing motivation to consolidate spending with you rather than spreading it across competitors.
Push notifications for re-engagement. When a customer hasn't purchased in a while, a push notification is more immediate and visible than an email. "It's been a while — here's a bonus 10 points to use on your next order" lands on the lock screen and costs you nothing to send. With Perkstar, push notifications are unlimited on every plan.
Referral programmes for acquisition. Your happiest customers are your best marketing channel. Perkstar's built-in referral programme gives each member a unique link to share. When a friend signs up and makes a purchase, both parties earn a reward. This turns your loyalty programme into an acquisition engine that runs on word of mouth.
Birthday and milestone rewards. Automated birthday messages with a small reward ("Happy birthday — enjoy free delivery on your next order") keep the relationship alive between purchases. These are configured once in Perkstar and run automatically from that point. Don't overlook the physical side of online orders either — thoughtful packaging builds loyalty by turning a delivery into an experience, giving customers a tangible reason to remember you and share their purchase on social media.
Google Review Rewards. Online businesses live and die by reviews. Perkstar's Google Review Rewards feature prompts customers to leave a review after a positive experience and rewards them with points or a bonus. More reviews means better visibility, more trust, and higher conversion rates for new visitors.
Modern Take: Why Online Loyalty Matters More During a Cost of Living Crisis
When customers are cutting back, they don't stop buying online. They become more selective about where they buy. They consolidate. They look for value. And they stick with the businesses that reward their loyalty rather than treating every purchase as a standalone transaction.
A loyalty programme gives price-conscious customers a financial reason to keep choosing you. If they're earning points toward a reward with every purchase, switching to a competitor means walking away from accumulated progress. That's not a penalty — it's a positive incentive that makes staying feel like the smart decision.
There's a psychological dimension too. During tough economic periods, customers appreciate being recognised and valued. A birthday reward, a push notification acknowledging their loyalty, or a referral bonus that lets them share a deal with a friend — these aren't big expenses for your business, but they create emotional loyalty that outlasts any price war. For high street businesses that also sell online, an online loyalty programme for local businesses bridges both channels — letting customers earn rewards whether they pop in on Saturday or order from the sofa on Tuesday night.
The businesses that thrive in a cost of living crisis aren't necessarily the cheapest. They're the ones that make customers feel like their money is well spent and their loyalty is noticed. A well-run digital loyalty programme delivers both.
Getting Started
If you're selling online and don't have a system for driving repeat purchases, that's the highest-impact change you can make. Everything else — social media, email, SEO, website optimisation — drives traffic. A loyalty programme turns that traffic into returning customers. If you're weighing up options, a comparison of loyalty card systems for small businesses can help you understand what features actually matter versus what's marketing fluff — the differences in cost and capability are larger than most owners expect.
Perkstar works for both in-store and online businesses. Digital loyalty cards save to Apple and Google Wallet, push notifications reach customers directly, and referral programmes, Google Review Rewards, and automated communications are all built in. Plans start at £15 per month with unlimited members, and you can try it free for 14 days with no credit card required.
