Customer Loyalty Programs: The Best Tool in Your Marketing Arsenal

If your pocket has looked anything like mine, odds are that at one point in time it was loaded with heaps of consumer loyalty cards. In those early days of consumer loyalty programs, it had been on the client to pull out that card and present it at the point of order to receive a special discount, or to be certain that the customer loyalty program points were being accumulated and tallied. Finally, I forgot about those cards stuffed in my wallet, and possibly that made me a disloyal customer--or at the very least, a negligent one.

New Customers vs. Returning Customers--A Tricky Balance

Nowadays, customer loyalty programs are a lot more complex. And just as all things retail are being reshaped by current economic and social circumstances and pressures, customer loyalty programs are being thrust into a new position of significance. TheRetail TouchPoints 2020 Customer Loyalty Benchmark Survey says that 68 percent of retailers gained new e-commerce clients due to Covid-19. Covid-19 drove a record number of shoppers to electronic marketplaces as first-time customers, especially within the supermarket industry. This created a problem for retailers that will have to address how to retain such a large amount of recently acquired e-customers.

The continuing diminishment of annual advertising budgets devoted to customer retention and acquisition also puts even greater importance on consumer loyalty programs as they become only providers for keeping the balance of a merchant or brand's new and returning clients. And as more retailers establish partnerships with third party services like delivery app providers, the conventional customer/retailer or brand connection is disrupted, leaving client loyalty programs that the past lifeline a retailer or brand may have with their client.

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Customer Loyalty Program Avoidance

There's such a thing as customer loyalty program avoidance. A customer may avoid entering into a deeper relationship with a merchant or brand due to a lack of trust. Some shoppers have the opinion that the advantages of belonging to a client loyalty program do not outweigh the risks. Many shoppers are cautious of the programs since they have the perception that the merchant is using their information to fuel the profitability of the company. Retailers and brands do gain a huge wealth of information from consumer loyalty programs using customer information platforms to harvest intel from inside a merchant or brand's ecosystem. Input from somebody's different apparatus is compiled to form a 360-degree profile of the client. This data may be used to craft a personalized customer loyalty program for the exact same customer whilst also being used to notify a merchant or brand's decision-making on everything from product development to property and media purchases.

Customer Loyalty Programs and Customer Expectation

Customer loyalty programs are a proven way of linking clients to a merchant or brand for a time period. The Retail Touchpoints Customer Loyalty Benchmark report shows that 22 percent of retailers surveyed said that 50% of the income comes from client loyalty program members--a startling testament to their value.

The 2019 Loyalty Report from Bond says that 79 percent of clients surveyed are more likely to purchase from companies with loyalty programs and 73 percent are more likely to recommend companies with loyalty programs. Shoppers now expect to be rewarded for their continuing investment in a company, with buy discounts still being the most popular and conventional form of reward. Loyalty perks are shifting into being service-related, like the availability of expedited delivery and looser return policies in return for more customer dollars spent. Large, subscription-based retailers like Amazon, who will approach loyalty benefits from a point of higher flexibility, are putting downward pressure and influence on most of loyalty programs by producing increased customer expectations.

Embrace the Entire Customer

The very essence of a traditional customer loyalty program is the understanding that a merchant or brand is rewarding the client from the brick-and-mortar or e-commerce spheres due to their transactional interactions, or for dollars spent within a time period. But so as to adopt the wider range of who a faithful customer actually is--one who is enthusiastic, connected and who's an advocate for the merchant or brand--the non-transactional has to be taken into account. A customer loyalty program must adopt the entire customer and have to recognize non-transactional interactions on electronic platforms and social networks.

Get More Customer Loyalty Program Participation

Just how can the retailer or brand searching a higher rate of consumer involvement in their customer loyalty program attain that?

Many existing customers might not be fully aware of the customer loyalty programs offered by a merchant or brandnew. Your company may have gained clients in recent months--be certain that you take the chance to present your loyalty programs to your audience. It has never been more important to ensure that your program is well-publicized. Actively market your loyalty program in shop, online and in package. Consider out-of-home advertisements and paid advertisements on social networking platforms. Reach out with personalized emails to remind clients of program benefits--this is crucial for all those supermarket retailers that received record amounts of new online customers in the first half of 2020. Be sure to utilize your company's or brand's own social websites and get any influencers you might have in your stable to help get out the word.

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Get the Word Out--Consistently

  • Spread your message along with the value of linking your loyalty program throughout the shop by tagging goods and reminding customers how much money could be saved through program participation.
  • Position stanchions strategically close to the front of the shop, at point-of-purchase locations, and even at exit points (reminding the shopper what they may save during their next trip if they participate in your program).
  • Incentivize your cashiers and salespeople to boost awareness by asking customers if they're a loyalty program member and offer a way by which the shopper can easily sign up for rewards, such as a QR code which connects to the store's loyalty program signup directly in their reception.
  • Use bag stuffers and in-package materials so that clients can review the information at their own pace and within their own homes. Provide incentives to the first purchase after registration. A scratch-off game card could provide a special discount to first-time sign-ups. Make it fun!

Make It Easy for Your Shopper to Enroll

  • Give consideration to a redesign or simplification of your app so it will be convenient and easy to use. Registration procedures should be efficient and concise, and the structure and advantages of the program ought to be clear and simple to comprehend.
  • Explore using QR codes on your signage, in-package and publish materials, and advertisements to help customers easily and easily get your sign-up types both in and out of shop. Advertisements at a bus shelter or train station might be the unexpected but best-placed networking to boost program involvement. And yes, even your own parking lot could be another chance to do this.

Pump Up the Volume

Bear in mind that engagement inspires trust and loyalty, so keep your message fresh and continue to provide new incentives. In the end, concentrate on exclusivity and personalization. Rewards in the kinds of discounts are no longer attractive enough. The more closely you know your client, the better you'll be positioned to understand their buying habits and influence their future buying habits.

  • Provide members incentives or support perks by your loyalty program to make their lives easier or more enjoyable, which ultimately cements the customer/brand contract and contributes to more buying.

Medallion Can Help

Over 55 years of retail experience have taught us that understanding and staying in communication with your client is of extreme importance, especially during times of change, such as these. Vary and freshen your message, but be sure to continue to communicate your brand values and value proposition. These principles can allow you to build or guarantee a new or existing bond with your client and will ultimately deliver exactly what you will need to create lasting retail relationships.

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