Customer Referrals are one of the most popular and most inexpensive ways for businesses to get new customers. Customers are more likely to trust the recommendations of their friends, family, and colleagues, than they are to trust advertising. The reason why Referrals are so beneficial for business is they cost next to nothing to acquire compared to other forms of marketing.
However, gaining customer referrals can be challenging and is no easy task. In this blog, EasyVend has put together 5 proven strategies that your business can use to get more referral customers.
Let’s get into it!
1. Deliver an Experience Customers Want to Recommend
Referrals usually begin with an experience that is worth talking about. Customers rarely recommend a supplier just because the product is decent. They tend to recommend a supplier when the service has made their working week noticeably easier. In the food industry, word-of-mouth marketing often starts with a few practical things:
- Deliveries that arrive on time
- Orders that match the invoice
- A team that responds quickly when something goes wrong
A café owner placing an order on Friday night for a Monday delivery is not looking for anything dramatic. They simply want the bread to arrive on Monday morning, on the right pallet, with the right invoice. Getting that part right consistently gives them a genuine reason to mention you to the next café owner they meet.
Operational reliability sits behind most of this. A well-set-up online order management system can help your team avoid the small errors that quietly affect trust, such as duplicate orders, missed delivery windows, and incorrect pricing on invoices.
2. Build Strong Relationships with Existing Customers
Most referral customers in a food business come from long-term accounts rather than one-off buyers. A customer who has worked with you for two years has had enough positive experiences to feel comfortable putting their name behind a recommendation. A customer in their first month often has not had time to form that level of confidence yet.
The accounts most likely to refer others usually share a few qualities. They have a clear point of contact at your end, feel heard when they raise a concern, or receive timely replies to their emails. They also sense that you understand how their business actually works, not just what they order each week.
A simple quarterly check-in often does more for food business referral marketing than a polished marketing campaign. A short call or visit gives you the chance to ask how the service is working, suggest any new products that might suit them, and listen for upcoming changes in their business. Customers who feel that their supplier pays attention often talk about that supplier when the topic comes up at industry events or in casual conversations with peers.
Strong relationships also play a major role in customer loyalty in the food industry, which is why many successful suppliers focus on retention before acquisition.
3. Encourage Word-of-Mouth Marketing with Incentives
Even happy customers often need a small nudge to actually refer someone. A simple referral program gives them a clear reason to mention you. The structure does not need to be complicated. A discount on the next invoice, a credit on their account, or a free product on the next delivery all tend to work well in food and beverage settings.
A few customer referral strategies for food businesses worth considering:
- A credit on the referrer’s account once the new customer places their first order
- A small discount for both sides, so the new customer also feels welcomed
- A product upgrade or free delivery as the reward, which can feel more meaningful than a cash discount in B2B relationships
Partnership swaps with non-competing suppliers can also be helpful. A bread supplier and a dairy distributor serving similar café customers can send each other referrals without anything formal in place. Both businesses gain qualified leads, and the customers receive recommendations from suppliers they already trust. Nielsen’s Global Trust in Advertising research has consistently found that recommendations from people known to a buyer are the most trusted form of advertising, which helps explain why these informal channels often outperform paid campaigns.
The part that often gets missed is tracking. A simple field in your CRM or B2B eCommerce website that records how each new customer found you can help you see which referral channels actually work. Without that information, it can be difficult to know whether a program is worth keeping or adjusting.
4. Use Online Reviews and Testimonials as Social Proof
Online reviews and testimonials tend to work like referrals at scale. A new buyer reading a Google review is essentially hearing a recommendation from a stranger, and research from Podium found that around 92% of customers say online reviews influence their purchase decisions.
A few forms of social proof tend to carry the most weight in food and beverage:
- Google reviews with recent dates and specific details, such as the type of product ordered and the outcome
- Written testimonials on your own testimonials page, ideally with the customer’s business name and a real quote
- Case studies showing how a customer’s ordering process improved after switching to you
- Logos of well-known cafés, retailers, or hospitality groups you supply
Asking is the part most businesses tend to skip. A short follow-up email with a direct link to your Google review page usually converts much better than a vague request, especially if you send it shortly after a positive experience such as a smooth delivery or a quick fix on an issue.
5. Adapt to the Customer
Customer purchasing habits change. The way that customers buy products today will be much different to the way that they will purchase them in 5 years’ time. That said, to receive ongoing referral leads it is important that your business continues to adapt to the customer.
Speak to your customers, find out what they like about your business and what they may want you to change. Based on the information provided, adapt your service offering to better align with customers current needs.
Final Word,
Referral leads have and will always be one of the most popular marketing methods for businesses – the reason being, they are cheap. Referral leads won’t come through overnight, it involves having a strong strategy that gets customers talking. The 5 tips presented are a few proven strategies that your business can use to get more referral customers in 2023.
We hope you enjoyed reading this article. To read more articles like this, please visit the EasyVend latest news page here.
About EasyVend,
For Supply Chain Businesses, EasyVend supports and automates every part of your business, freeing you up to grow your sales simply, unlike other ERP systems.
EasyVend includes key everyday features like Inventory Management, Online Ordering, Invoicing, Receipting, Automatic Credit Card Payments, Xero Accounting Integration, Route Management, Business reporting and more.
Using the latest technologies, EasyVend removes common frustrations making business more streamlined today!
To learn more about EasyVend or to get a no-obligation Trial EasyVend of the software, call us today on 1300 473 744 or submit the form below.
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FAQs
How do food businesses get more referral customers?
Food businesses tend to get more referral customers by combining four things: consistent service that customers want to recommend, strong relationships with existing accounts, a clear referral programme with meaningful rewards, and visible social proof through reviews and testimonials. Each part supports the others, and most of the growth tends to happen when all four are working together over time.
Why is word-of-mouth marketing important in the food industry?
Word-of-mouth marketing matters in food and beverage because buyers tend to trust personal recommendations far more than advertising. A café owner hearing about a reliable bread supplier from another café owner usually takes that recommendation seriously, since both businesses share similar needs. Referred customers also tend to stay longer and order more consistently than customers acquired through paid advertising.
What makes customers refer a food business?
Customers usually refer a food business when the service has made their working week easier in a noticeable way. On-time deliveries, accurate invoices, quick responses to issues, and a personal point of contact tend to be the main drivers. A small referral incentive often helps, but the experience itself usually does most of the work.
How can food distributors improve customer retention?
Food distributors tend to improve customer retention by getting the basics right first, then building easy reordering into the relationship. Recurring schedules, saved order templates, and account-level pricing through a proper supply chain management system can help reduce friction. A quarterly check-in also tends to catch small issues before they grow into reasons to leave.
Do referral programs work for food businesses?
Referral programmes tend to work well for food businesses when they offer something genuinely valuable to existing customers and are simple to use. A small account credit, a free product on the next delivery, or a discount on the next invoice all tend to convert well. The key is consistent tracking so you can see which rewards actually bring in new accounts.