Unlock the secrets to creating effective customer loyalty programs. Dive into the world of rewards, incentives, and customer engagement, and discover how to build a program that not only retains customers but also turns them into brand advocates.
ecommerce customers have thousands of viable options
There are 8 million online stores in the world
- A loyalty program, such as the one that might sway you to order your food from Royal Tiger Sushi, is crucial to stand above the crowd so you’re able to effectively connect with customers
Consistent
If you want your loyalty program to have staying power, it’s got to be consistent
- Users should know what they’re going to get and how it can be redeemed.
- Adding an unexpected perk to the mix from time to time brings delight to your base and can spur a corresponding lift in sales.
How to Build Customer Loyalty Programs That Get Used
The best programs provide a unique experience that users recognize and gravitate toward.
- How do you deliver this?
- Connect customers with unexpected surprises
- These perks should be tailored to the individual
- When you’re just one among billions of shoppers visiting one of the millions of ecommerce websites on the internet, it’s hard to feel special. So when a brand reaches out to you and demonstrates that they not only care about your business but care about the experience, you take notice.
Accessible
Build your program, then make it easy to access
- Even your most loyal fans will lose steam if numerous user actions are required to get in and use your program
- Unless you fix these issues, expect users to remove the app from their phones or simply relegate it to their “never used” section
Hallmarks of the Best Customer Loyalty Programs
If you want loyalty to exist, you need to foster it with value
- A baseline inclusion for your program is providing a perk on your customers’ birthdays
- View it as an incredible opportunity to interact with each customer on their special day
- Of course, loyalty programs are much more than just a birthday touchpoint
Rewarding
Offer rewards to members of your loyalty program.
- For example, if you have a jewelry shop, you could offer a 25% discount on a necklace with your customer’s birthstone on their birthday, which is a unique way to honor their membership.
The Costs of Building Customer Loyalty Programs
To make sure that the value of your loyalty program is symbiotic, you must balance the offerings with the cost of the program.
- Consider the following formula:
- Your incremental revenues – your incremental costs = loyalty program cost
- Will your incremental revenues justify these expenses? If not, reassess your plan and make the necessary cost-saving refinements before moving forward.
Personalized
Strive to make your base feel that they’ve been given a special opportunity based on their unique experiences with your brand.
- Build off this individualized approach by saving their past orders to make reordering or returns faster and match them with buckets of customers whose past purchases most resonate with one of the options.
Unique
Make sure your program looks and feels distinct
- Customize the color palette, logo, and other special brand elements to ensure that your customers feel like they are part of a different, special, and distinct brand
- Create a unique program with the brand elements you have already developed
