As noted before, customer loyalty impacts the success of general stores because repeat buyers help maintain business revenue and secure a sustainable source of income in the long run. Unlike supermarkets and large-scale retail chains, general stores provide a personalized service where the owner of a store knows the customers by name and knows how to serve them best. This makes the customers to trust the stores more which enhances their return rate to the store. To help build strong customer relationships, many general stores offer credit facilities which allow trusted customers to purchase items and pay later. Apart from this, general stores also keep customers active through loyalty programs such as discounts on bulk purchases, incentive schemes for bringing other customers through referrals, and special offers during certain times of the year. A store owner could get better customer loyalty through value-added activities such as free home delivery of goods, offering suggestions on other items that could go well with the customers order, and ordering special items exclusively tailored to the customers specifications. Nowadays, some general stores are adopting customer relationship management (CRM) software to analyze their customers buying trends or habits and change them to better suit the consumer needs. Communicating with customers through WhatsApp, SMS, or mobile applications about order tracking, special offers, and other perks increase relationship quality between store owners and customers.

A good relationship with customers has a positive impact on sales and helps in creating free, organic marketing since happy customers are more inclined to refer the store to others. By focusing on customer satisfaction and fostering strong relationships, general stores can sustain loyalty amongst their customers even with the growing competition from supermarkets and online shopping.