Most flooring marketing focuses on new customers. But your past customers are already familiar with your products, your team and your installation quality. They are also the people most likely to refer friends, family and neighbours.
The opportunity is bigger than many stores realise. In the 2026 State of the Retail Flooring Industry report from WFCA and Floorzap, only 26 percent of homeowners said they would definitely return to the same retailer, and 40 percent said they probably would. That leaves a large group of satisfied customers who could easily go elsewhere next time, simply because nobody stayed in touch.
This guide lays out a simple, respectful plan for turning past flooring customers into repeat projects and referrals.
Why past customers drift away
- Long gaps between purchases. A homeowner might not need flooring again for a year or more, and by then they may not remember your store name.
- No follow-up after install. Once the job is paid, communication usually stops.
- Competitors are more visible. New ads and new reviews from other stores fill the gap.
- Nobody asks for referrals. Happy customers are willing to recommend you, but they are rarely given an easy way to do it.
The report also found that previous positive experience was the top factor influencing repeat business, chosen by 23 percent of homeowners, alongside competitive pricing and product quality. Good work earns the right to come back. Staying in touch makes it happen.
The post-install relationship plan
Week 1: Thank you and review request
A few days after install, send a personal thank you and check that everything is perfect. Happy customers get a review link. Anyone with a concern is routed to your manager. See our guide to Google reviews for flooring stores.
Month 1: Care tips
Send care and maintenance tips for the specific product they bought. This is genuinely useful, protects the floor and reinforces your expertise.
Month 3: Referral invitation
Once the customer has lived with the floor for a while, invite referrals:
Hi Tom, hope you are still enjoying the new floors in the living room. If you know anyone planning a flooring project, we would be grateful for the introduction. As a thank you, we offer [your referral reward] for every referral who goes ahead.
Keep referral rewards simple and within any rules that apply to your business.
Month 6: Next room check-in
Many homeowners do flooring in stages. A check-in about the rooms they did not do the first time is natural:
Hi Tom, when we measured your living room you mentioned the bedrooms might be next. If you would like a free measure, you can book one here: [link]
Month 12: Anniversary message
Mark the anniversary of their install with a care reminder and a seasonal offer. It keeps your name in front of them at almost no cost.
Ongoing: Relevant seasonal offers
A few times a year, share offers that match their home and history, such as rugs for a room with new hard flooring, or carpet cleaning for bedrooms you carpeted. Keep it relevant and infrequent.
Build referral relationships beyond customers
Your past customers are one referral source. Others include realtors, interior designers, remodelers, painters and property managers. Give each a simple way to send you referrals and keep them updated when you win a job they introduced. A quick thank you message goes a long way.
Use your CRM to personalise
Everything above works best when it uses what you know about each customer:
- Which rooms and products they bought.
- Rooms they mentioned for the future.
- When the install happened.
- Whether they left a review or referred someone.
A well-set-up CRM makes this easy. See our guide to what a flooring CRM should do.
How automation keeps it consistent
Doing this manually for hundreds of past customers is not realistic. Automation handles it:
- Install completed triggers the thank you, satisfaction check and review request.
- Care tips send automatically based on the product installed.
- Referral invitations go out at month three.
- Next room check-ins send at month six, including any rooms noted during the measure.
- Anniversary and seasonal messages run on schedule.
- Referrals and new enquiries from past customers are tagged so you can see the return.
The messages are written once, in your voice, and personalised for every customer. This works alongside the rest of a flooring store automation system.
Respect your customers’ inboxes
Staying in touch is only valuable if it is welcome. A few principles:
- Get permission to send marketing messages, and make it easy to opt out.
- Keep frequency low, a handful of useful messages a year.
- Make every message relevant to what they bought or mentioned.
- Follow applicable messaging and privacy rules for SMS and email in your region.
What to measure
- Repeat purchase rate. Percentage of customers who buy again within two years.
- Referral rate. New jobs that came from past customer referrals.
- Reviews per completed install.
- Revenue from past customers as a share of total revenue.
Common questions
How often should we contact past customers?
For most flooring stores, somewhere between four and eight messages in the first year is plenty, then a few a year after that. Every message should be useful.
Should referral rewards be cash?
It depends on your business and local rules. Many stores use gift cards, credit toward future purchases or a donation to a local charity. Keep it simple and clearly explained.
What if a customer had a problem with their install?
Solve the problem first. Customers whose issues are handled well often become loyal advocates. Pause marketing messages until the issue is resolved.
The bottom line
Past customers are the warmest audience a flooring store has, yet most stores stop talking to them the day the invoice is paid. A simple, respectful plan of useful check-ins, review requests, referral invitations and next room reminders can turn one-off jobs into repeat projects and steady referrals.
If you want a retention program like this running automatically, book a free strategy call. You may also like our guide on how to get more flooring leads.
Sources
- WFCA and Floorzap, 2026 State of the Retail Flooring Industry Report
- 2026 State of the Retail Flooring Industry Report (full PDF)
