What should your Reward Program constitute of?
A loyal customer base is key to a stable and thriving business nowadays. A loyal customer base who purchases from you on a regular basis doesn’t just help you stabilize the business but also helps in getting the word out. Customers who come back or what we call ‘the repeating customers’ can increase sales by 47%. Customer loyalty programs are proven methods to sustain and grow profits. 5% increase in customer loyalty can increase the profits of the company by 20%. However, in the current market scenario having a traditional loyalty program is just not enough to survive let alone make profits. Brands have to incorporate the customer’s social and behavioral actions and expand loyalty rewards. But customer retention is the biggest obstacle that almost 60% of the business face.
Just having a loyalty program in place isn’t enough. It needs to be engaging, compelling, and beneficial for the business, customers, as well as the channel partners.
Here are a few benefits of having a carefully planned and the right loyalty program:
Save Money
Many companies nowadays continue to try to attract new customers but what they should be doing is retain old customers. Retaining old customers is far less expensive than acquiring new ones.
Increased revenue
The reason behind this is that the customers are already loyal to the brand and are likely to spend more hence increasing the revenue.
Make customers feel appreciated
A loyalty reward program that is personalized according to the social and behavioral actions of every individual customer, they feel appreciated and it sets an emotional connection with your brand.
Growth
A good loyalty program is never stagnant. It keeps on creating better communication with the customers, measures loyalty through engagement on a daily basis, gather valuable data from customer behavior, etc.
We certainly know what’s worse than dying loyalty is a dying loyalty program. Undying loyalty is something which is very rare and hard to maintain. So what should a basic reward program constitute of?
Here are a few key elements that every loyalty program should have:
Frictionless
Loyalty programs should be easy for customers to join and use. One thing that customers don’t want is giving out their personal details or information when they are signing out. Make sure the customers know that it’s easy and be sure to reveal the benefits of the program upfront.
Exclusivity
One thing that customers love is exclusivity and personalized rewards. If something is available to everyone, it’s usually special to no one.
Compelling
Rewards should be compelling enough to make the customers do some work too but not too much. You can’t afford to give away rewards for every other purchase, but it can’t require 20 purchases to redeem either.
Brand
At the end of the day, it’s all about building your brand and thinking about why your customers come back to you. This should be at the core of every reward you offer.
In conclusion, having a loyalty program is not enough. Keeping up with market trends and consumer behavior is also important. So start with understanding the customer base.
Role of Rewards in Driving “Value Sharing”
“I do not love rewards!”, said nobody. Rewards are always exciting and free vouchers always boost the motivation of the customers. Also, customer loyalty programs are the best way to drive value sharing in the business either by helping in buying decisions or keeping employees motivated to achieve a certain goal. The end goal of every business has to be to achieve the buyer trust and a brand name of its own which only can happen with the help of high sales and motivated employees. Both the driving forces can be kept happy with free goodies that come as a reward to them. Value Sharing is an extensive subject that includes not only building on buying decisions but also include other intangible good a customer can do to a brand in terms of helping in word of mouth or act as a repeat customer. In short, a reward will make a customer happy and a happy customer will help in adding to the value share for the business.
Here are certain points to help you understand the role of rewards in driving Value Sharing.
Satisfied Customer Base
Buying and purchasing is a daily activity a customer does but when the target audience shops he adds on to the credibility of the brand as a whole. On top of the quality products you promise, if the customer also gets a good discount or a buy one get one free option it will help in saving more and bring a purchase satisfaction to your customers. This will help you in retaining more customers.
Win Customer Trust
Winning a customer is one thing and retaining the existing customers is another. Most of the times major brands also indulge in a plan to do a lucky draw and only one winner wins which in fact makes a lot of people disappointed and sad who do not win the draw resulting in a reduction in sales and unhappy buyers. Winning customer trust is important.
Add More Customers
loyalty reward management programs in terms of discounts and sales often add on more footfall in your store or website and help in adding more customers to your database. Discounts and other rewards act as a driving force for the customers to invest more money in you than your competitor.
All in all, rewards are a win-win for both the buyers and the sellers where they gain in terms of a customer or retaining customer and the customer gets brands at reasonable prices. For more end to end reward program solutions, one can visit rewardport.in. Through research and collective expertise, we guide our clients with choices to help them motivate their people. Be its sales force, channel partners or employees. We motivate to enable people to do things differently, by developing their strengths, knowledge, and confidence. They care and focus to build a relationship with people… Forever.
Avoid these 5 common mistakes in 2019 if you want to run a successful loyalty program
2019 has just arrived and every brand or organization is already prepped up to create and build loyalty programs that are not just interesting but engaging and utilitarian in nature. Times have changed and are likely to keep changing at a fast pace and all you need to do as a brand is to get with it! Old-school ways have ought to go and newer ways and strategies must be embraced to cater to the evolved set of customers you have.
Here are the top 5 common mistakes that you must avoid if you wish to run a very successful loyalty program:
1. Cut the complications
2019 should be all about being apt and adept. The basic rule to this is to do away with any kind of complicated rules. The simpler, the better. It is one thing to create exciting offers and incentive programs and it’s another to complicate it through multiple tiers and rules. The point is to be straightforward and prominent. The reason you need to keep the complicated rules to the bare minimum is that you want to gain your customer’s attention by offering them valuable loyalty programs and not have them occupied in figuring out or calculating their gains.
For instance, if your loyalty program need points to be converted into monetary value then make the who process simpler by denoting each point to a certain value of money. Eg: 10 points = 10 Rupees
2. Being generous with the validity
This is a must-have condition for any loyalty program at this point in time. If you are looking for customers to reflect their emotions and trust towards your brand for a long time, then it is necessary that you stick to your words; in this case, the rules you assign to the program. People will bestow you with their loyalty if your program offers them a large window of redemption of the loyalty program they have. Even better would be to stake out any form of validity period at all! Shorter periods for the redemption of these incentives or rewards might project your brand as a petty or cheap brand.
3. Don’t bore it
One of the main reasons why a loyalty program is offered in the first place is because you want to create loyal customers out of your target audience. If your loyalty programs offer you the straight-out-of-the-mill type of incentives then you’re clearly not doing great! Boring needs and has to go out. A BOGO offer is acceptable only if your company has five other offers that are sure to knock your customers out of the park. Creating new, interactive and creative ways to get your customer’s attention or loyalty is of utmost importance.
4. Few Amends Only
Take a loyalty program live to the public only if you have complete faith and confidence in it. Should you feel that there are bugs or smaller errors to be amended before going live, it is imperative that you make sure to get it changed prior to making it available to your audience. Frequent changes in your loyalty or incentive program can directly affect the faith of your customers on your products and services. It also tends to distract them easily.
5. One-tier rewards are a No-no
As it is earlier mentioned, it is important to create reward programs that make your customers want to stick with your brand for longer. To initiate such long-term behavior, it is important that you develop loyalty programs that are manifold and offer more in each segment and not be static in any way. Multi-tiered reward systems engage your customers and encourage them subtly to get back to you in the hopes of getting onto the next tier of the program.
With such simple yet significant changes, you are sure to make the most of 2019 with your loyalty programs. Remember to gauge your audience at all times and work around their expectations to reduce discouraged behaviour from your customers. If you can let go of these 5 major mistakes while structuring your loyalty programs, then your program is set to be a hit!
How can retailers attract customers through rewards?
A returning customer is payment enough. The retail space is evolving and with new competitors entering the market each day, it is becoming increasingly important for retailers to innovate. One of the easiest ways for retailers to say thank you to customers is to create a rewards program. But retailers can make rewards programs go beyond saying thank you. Establishing a reward program can be one of the best marketing strategies that a brand can adopt.
In a study by Nielsen, it was pointed out that customers were more likely to come back to a brand with a rewards program so that they can get to the reward faster. Whether the brand is giving out points, discounts or giveaways is for it to decide. A good rewards program constitutes of a few key elements; in-depth research about the customer is the start point to success. The next basic requirement is to define the basis of rewards; what does a customer need to do to earn the reward? The next step is to keep a track of the behavior and keep a tab on how receptive people are to the program.
The first and most obvious mistake that brands make is to think of rewards as a short term event. However, the easiest way to keep your customers interest in the brand is by updating, reinventing and rethinking how you are rewarding. Modern customers are aware and are often on the lookout for a better deal. Knowing that a customer rewards program isn’t timeless is essential.
Brands need to go beyond ’selling’. Personal communication is going to keep customers coming back. When creating a rewards program, brands must not hesitate in being generous with the most loyal customers. Putting in the effort to ensure that customers know that their well-being is being considered.
Make rewards actually rewarding. Ensuring that the rewards program in a way helps customers get to an object they desire. Whether it is a cash discount at the end of the year or a specific object that they can win over a period of time. Understand that customers are investing time and money and need to be acknowledged.
Retailers can start by rewarding repeat business. If the brand has a card or points, then rewards need to given out in a timely fashion without any hassle.
Another way for retailers to attract customers through rewards is to not even to create a direct reward, but a great reason for them to engage with the company. Many electronic companies offer free delivery, setting up, some even go on to help customers dispose of their products in a responsible manner. Especially when it comes to electronics. For example, batteries and outdated equipment that have a potential to create issues if not disposed of properly.
A rewards program is meaningful only if the customer sees value. At the end of the day, retailers must aim to deliver a reward that feels like a reward. One that the customer values and remembers. The rewards need to be enticing enough for the customer to be curious about the brand and the rewards themselves.
Create a program with RewardPort and give your brand the edge it deserves.