When I was going to college, I got a part-time job at Dillard's. Every year they would put on a customer VIP night. It was after the store closed for the evening. The store was dressed up extra with gift wrap on the doors, extra garland, and tables of drinks and cookies. There wasn't another evening like this, as we were opening the store to customers after normal hours.

Special deals were displayed in each department. Doc Martens and Ugg boots over 50% off on selected styles. Extra staff was invited to work so customers could have more attention and time to stock up on gifts for their loved ones. This VIP night was very popular for these reasons, but by the time the customers got to the second floor where customer service was, they told them the main reason they attended this annual event was because of the gift wrapping. It was free for them that night. It didn't matter if they wanted every purchase of nylons or pairs of socks wrapped separately from the outfits. They couldn't get enough of the thick paper and bows.

While customer service usually handled gift wrapping, during the holidays, we had to hire 5 times more staff and train them in seamless wrapping techniques. They also had to set up many different stations throughout the store to handle all the VIP customers.

There were always long lines for the gift wrap. But the shoppers didn't care. They would wait for those fabric bows.

So how did one receive a coveted VIP Night invitation?

It came inside your November Dillard's card statement. You had to have a Dillard’s card and you had to spend at least $2500.00 a year on that card. Looking back, it seems that goal would not have been that hard for me.

I loved wrapping these customers' gifts. It was something I was able to do year-round at that job. So when I was being trained, I was blown away but the history of gift wrapping and that it emerges after the war and around the great depression, as a way to cheer people up.

I never minded working these nights because I loved to see how excited the customers were when they picked up their purchases, perfectly wrapped in luxury wrapping paper and fabric bows. We went all out too, commercial double-sided tape is part of the Christmas magic for me.

There are big incentives for including your existing buyers to increase retention. The women would spend more on that night, knowing they were saving 5.00 to 13.00 a piece of high-end gift wrapping services.

Once you have worked with a customer, the relationship has changed. The expectations are settled and agreed upon. This is where it gets exciting. You know more about your customer, therefore you can customize much of the retention and rewards because you know what motivates them. This is the perfect place to evaluate what you can do to elevate that experience even more.

Think about the aspect of VIP and how you can implement it into your online business.

-VIP perks

-Invite-only networking opportunity

-Customer appreciation night

-Exclusive gifts

Making your customers feel important is a huge part of retaining your best buyers.

If you don't know where to start, begin by surveying your best buyers on what they might like as a VIP night. As you talk to them, take notes, see what common threads stand out, and remember: Inspiration leads to inspiration and inspired implementation leads to lasting transformation.

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