Building customer loyalty helps businesses create a fundamental base for themselves. Once a retail store has a good base of loyal customers, they can easily expand from that point.

Here are a few ideas that make Customer Loyalty Programs fun and valuable for businesses and customers.

Go Digital

People no longer fancy prestigious loyalty or membership cards. Everybody is going digital, and a mobile app with membership information or even one’s phone number is enough and preferred to use avail loyalty benefits these days.

Eco-friendly loyalty programs

Everybody loves trees, and a lot of people would love to plant a tree to contribute to balancing the world’s carbon footprint. Plant a tree on behalf of a customer when he/she has reached enough points. You’ll be surprised to see how many customers appreciate programs like that.
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Analyze data

Retailers are a lot of times sitting on a gold mine of data. It’s essential to use that data to check what keeps customers coming back and what needs to be improved. Learn what customers like to buy, which products do they buy together, and what is the percentage of return customers. If your retention rate is less than the industry standards, then you need to make changes to products, product range or services, depending upon what will be more effective in engaging shoppers.
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Support your brand value

Your loyalty program should be an extension of your brand and its popular image. If you are an eco-friendly brand, then the above mentioned example of planting a tree on behalf of every loyal customer is a great way to attract customers.

If you are a premium hospitality service provider, then your target customer would prefer some more of such services, and hence you can offer a free spa session upon collection of certain points or on every 5th visit. Similarly, a brand associated with affordability can offer cash discounts, cash backs, purchase credit, etc.

Associate rewards with what you want to promote

Associate rewards with the product or service you want to promote and with customer behaviour you want to encourage. Some companies offer discounts only when orders are made online.

Incentivize customers to give referrals

It is always good to offer something to existing customers to motivate them to speak about your product on social media and in their social circles.

Incentivize feedback

Encourage customers and give them incentives to give feedback on your products, services and loyalty program, so that you can learn and improve.

Give complimentary gifts

Everybody likes free gifts. Give gift products to customers on a minimum purchase. This will create brand recall value and also make your customers happy.

Free samples on new products

You can offer free samples of new products for trial to your VIP clients.
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Keep the loyalty program updated

Update your loyalty program offering from time to time to ensure that you do not become outdated.

Offer discounts and deals to customers through emails, social media and SMS

It is essential to keep customers engaged. Send offers to customers following you on social media. Even send emails and SMSs. This will help get more sales and even attract new customers.
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Send product catalogs

Sometimes customers are not even aware of your full offering. Send newsletters to customers or publish catalogs on social media to inform customers. This will increase customer basket size, and help customer return for the things they need.

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Send valuable information

Publish news, blogs, user guides and send them to your customers, so that they stay engaged. This keeps them reminded about you, and they also learn to associate ‘delivery of value’ in various forms with your brand. Blogs and other content and media also entertain customers and hence keep them engaged. You can inculcate your brand message or products in the content to promote yourself.
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Allow exchange of old items for discount against new ones

Many retailers, especially of electronic items, allow their old customers to sell their old items to the store at a good price and use that money to purchase a new item. This offers assurance to customers that they can always find a fair price for the things they purchase with you, and it will also bring the customers back to your store.

Game-based

You can make your loyalty program game-based, so that young customers stay engaged. Gamification can also be used to streamline the steps involved and actions to be taken in availing loyalty benefits. You can provide step-by-step instructions, benefits and offers to your customers.

Educate customers about the loyalty program

Always educate your customers about your Customer Loyalty Programs through pamphlets, standees, social media, newsletters, banners, etc. This helps them learn how to get the best value out of the program, and builds their affiliation towards your products.

Instalment plan

 If your products are expensive, you can help arrange for a few finance options for your customers through credit card providers and banks. This will help attract more customers.

Personality-based

If your loyalty program represents the style and preference of your target mareket, for example using fun graphics and content to attract millenials, then your customers will be attracted to be associated with it.

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Upfront fee for monthly or annual benefits and discounts

Like Amazon Prime charges an upfront fee to offer priority delivery services to subscribers, you can charge an upfront fee to offer premium or preferential services.

These ideas make Customer Loyalty Programs wholesome. They take care of planning, implementation, promotions and success of loyalty programs.

Check, how many of these you can implement to bring success to your sales story.

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