When I first started my entrepreneurial journey, I had three loyal customers. They were the first to purchase my products and always promoted my business to their friends and acquaintances. At times when I felt like giving up, it was their encouragement and belief in my vision that pushed me to achieve my goals and stay in the game.
No matter how you brand your business, or where it is located, you wouldn't have a business without your customers. They are your foundation and become part of your story. Retaining existing customers also costs less than acquiring new ones and helps increase your profit. Research by Bain & Company reveals that increasing customer retention by 5 per cent increases profits by 25 per cent to 95 per cent.
As many people around the world will be celebrating Valentine’s Day today, it is important to always show your customers you value them, and especially those who were loyal to your business during a pandemic. Though many businesses are mindful of their expenditures, there are ways to creatively express your gratitude and love.
Send them a personalised note
A personalised note from the founder of the business, expressing love and gratitude for their loyalty would go a long the way with customers. You can do this once a year, or on special occasions and holidays such as Eid or their birthdays.
Provide them with special discounts and benefits
Come up with a benefit programme for your loyal customers. It could include special discounts, sneak peeks of new collections, or a chance to test a product before everyone else.
Shower them with samples and freebies
We have a saying in Arabic that goes along the lines of “Even if they’re rich, they still would love a gift”. Send your customers mini gifts like a notebook, a sample of a product that you want to promote, or an experience with their purchase.
If your customer is a filmmaker, perhaps you could provide them with a chance to view something that you wouldn’t unveil to others and allow them to film it. Or if the founder of a business is someone customers aspire to be like, then you could organise a free and short mentorship webinar with the founder and provide an opportunity to seek his or her advice.
Listen to your customers
One way to show your customers appreciation is to assure them that their feedback is important and that you listen to them. You could acknowledge a customer’s advice by dedicating a social media post thanking for valuable advice.
You could arrange for virtual focus groups, or a simple questionnaire to improve their experience with your business.
Another way to show them that you are listening is to be active on social media, respond to their comments and answer their questions.
Your business’s profile on social media doesn’t need to be formal and a one-way communication channel, but you could humanise it and make it fun for your customers to connect and chat with you. For instance, fast food chain Wendy’s presence on Twitter is witty and funny, and many users interact with it.
Go above and beyond for them
The pandemic has affected both businesses and consumers. Your customers are going through a hard time, so it would be thoughtful if you provide an add-on to enhance their experience.
Depending on your line of business, you can offer discounted subscription fees, free exchange and returns, an instalment payment option, express deliveries at a standard price, or provide special promotions. If you are a service provider, then you could offer a free consultation, or waive certain fees.
Though just one day is dedicated to celebrating love in the calendar, business owners should incorporate expressing their gratitude to their customers always, especially during hard times.
Manar Al Hinai is an award-winning Emirati journalist and entrepreneur, who manages her marketing and communications company in Abu Dhabi
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
The Florida Project
Director: Sean Baker
Starring: Bria Vinaite, Brooklynn Prince, Willem Dafoe
Four stars
The specs
Engine: 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 380hp at 5,800rpm
Torque: 530Nm at 1,300-4,500rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Price: From Dh299,000 ($81,415)
On sale: Now
Three ways to boost your credit score
Marwan Lutfi says the core fundamentals that drive better payment behaviour and can improve your credit score are:
1. Make sure you make your payments on time;
2. Limit the number of products you borrow on: the more loans and credit cards you have, the more it will affect your credit score;
3. Don't max out all your debts: how much you maximise those credit facilities will have an impact. If you have five credit cards and utilise 90 per cent of that credit, it will negatively affect your score.
Tottenham Hotspur 3 (Son 1', Kane 8' & 16') West Ham United 3 (Balbuena 82', Sanchez og 85', Lanzini 90' 4)
Man of the match Harry Kane
THE SPECS
Engine: Four-cylinder 2.5-litre
Transmission: Seven-speed auto
Power: 165hp
Torque: 241Nm
Price: Dh99,900 to Dh134,000
On sale: now
Paltan
Producer: JP Films, Zee Studios Director: JP Dutta Cast: Jackie Shroff, Sonu Sood, Arjun Rampal, Siddhanth Kapoor, Luv Sinha and Harshvardhan Rane Rating: 2/5
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
The bio
Favourite book: Peter Rabbit. I used to read it to my three children and still read it myself. If I am feeling down it brings back good memories.
Best thing about your job: Getting to help people. My mum always told me never to pass up an opportunity to do a good deed.
Best part of life in the UAE: The weather. The constant sunshine is amazing and there is always something to do, you have so many options when it comes to how to spend your day.
Favourite holiday destination: Malaysia. I went there for my honeymoon and ended up volunteering to teach local children for a few hours each day. It is such a special place and I plan to retire there one day.
Scoreline
Switzerland 5
Three tips from La Perle's performers
1 The kind of water athletes drink is important. Gwilym Hooson, a 28-year-old British performer who is currently recovering from knee surgery, found that out when the company was still in Studio City, training for 12 hours a day. “The physio team was like: ‘Why is everyone getting cramps?’ And then they realised we had to add salt and sugar to the water,” he says.
2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.
3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
The two riders are among several riders in the UAE to receive the top payment of £10,000 under the Thank You Fund of £16 million (Dh80m), which was announced in conjunction with Deliveroo's £8 billion (Dh40bn) stock market listing earlier this year.
The £10,000 (Dh50,000) payment is made to those riders who have completed the highest number of orders in each market.
There are also riders who will receive payments of £1,000 (Dh5,000) and £500 (Dh2,500).
All riders who have worked with Deliveroo for at least one year and completed 2,000 orders will receive £200 (Dh1,000), the company said when it announced the scheme.
Racecard
6pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 Group 1 (PA) $55,000 (Dirt) 1,900m
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11 What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time. TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
