One of the main attractions and uniqueness of the Internet or the World Wide Web is its ability to connect individuals from different parts of the world, and of different backgrounds, together in a single platform. For businesses, this capability allows your company to reach out to your customers, and engage them with a more personalized approach. As many will know from the Pareto Principle, it is a common rule of thumb amongst businesses that ‘80% of your sales will come from 20% of your customers’.

This highlights the ever-growing importance of ensuring that your company is able to retain a group of loyal customers, especially in the light of increasing competition amongst companies. By building or incorporating an Online Community within your company’s website, the following purposes will be met:

• Allow customers to interact with one another, thus instilling or building a sense that they are part of a group/community, increase their bond within the group/community, which will ultimately strengthen their relationship with your company;

• Provide customers with ease of access to information, such as the latest events and promotions, which will allow your company to efficiently send out information to your most valuable customers.