Loyalty and rewards programs have proven as some of the most effective strategies for increasing your shop’s revenue and inspiring customer loyalty.
A study shows that 84% of customers said that they are more likely to stick with a brand that offers a loyalty program. And 66% of customers said that the ability to earn rewards and spend them later actually changes their spending behavior.
It’s also well known that it is much cheaper to promote and sell to your existing customers rather than acquiring new ones. Not only are the new clients more costly to get, but they also don’t generate as much money as regular customers do. So investing in loyalty and rewards programs can become an essential part of sustaining your business.
Getting Started
There are tons of apps out there for Loyalty and Rewards programs, so your choice may depend on your specific needs, budget, and preferences. As a good start, however, you can try using Growave (free plan available, paid ones start from $29/month) or Smile (also free plan included, starter plan from $49).
So once you’ve chosen the app, you need to decide on the type of loyalty program you want. Two of the most common ones are:
Giving out points through sales. Customers earn these points through purchases and actions they make at your store, and later they can redeem those points for free products, discounts, and coupons.
Source: Uniqso (Loyalty and Rewards app by Growave)
Creating a VIP experience for your customers by revolving your program around tiered memberships. This gives your clients the option to earn or redeem points at different ratios. For example, Gold members can earn 20 points for every dollar spent, while Silver members earn 10 points for every dollar.
Source: Uniqso (Loyalty and Rewards app by Growave)
So, once you’ve decided on the type of program you want, you can finally start setting it up. Here are 5 things to keep in mind during the process:
1. Keep things simple
In order to make sure that all of your customers understand your loyalty and rewards program try not to overcomplicate it. Otherwise, customers will simply give up on the program and stop using it.
The main point to consider is that the whole process should be easy enough for your shoppers to understand and participate in. For example. if you give out points to customers after they make a purchase on your website, make sure those points are easy to track and there’s an explanation on how they can redeem them.
2. Introduce personalization
Sending out birthday cards, greeting customers by their name, or sending them a personalized email – such simple steps can go a long way in building your relationship with customers.
So try to always go extra and beyond to show your best customers that you appreciate their business with you, and they’ll be inspired to come shop again.
3. Do the research
The key to the success of any loyalty and rewards program is in the basic knowledge of your target audience. You can’t offer them a fruitful deal without understanding first what they want from such a deal.
So from your customers’ demographics information to current preference trends, you should collect all the valuable data you can and analyze it. This can be done through direct surveys, quizzes, customers’ sign up information, or casual interactions through social media.
4. Set realistic and achievable goals
By this, we mean that your customers should be able to actually gain some benefit from your program. If the points are too hard to achieve or it takes too many of them to get a reward, customers will simply give up on your program, leaving you with a feeling of wasted time and effort.
So to make sure this doesn’t happen, offer your customers actionable and achievable ways to earn and redeem points. You can do that by rewarding a variety of actions, such as adding reviews, referring a friend, or subscribing to your blog. While not increasing your sales directly, these actions boost your customer engagement and can therefore be rewarded. And as surveys show, this is exactly what 75% of customers expect from an online store.
Growave Rewards section
5. Keep things varied
There are thousands of different loyalty programs available today, so most of your customers will probably already be participating in several other loyalty programs. To stand out from the crowd, you, therefore, have to make sure your program stays engaging and interesting.
So rather than simply offering discounts, try out a bunch of different rewards as well and see what works for you. For example, you can offer free package subscriptions, backstage events, or even exclusive brand’s products for your most loyal customers. That way, they will feel more valued, which in turn will boost their trust towards your brand and make them more engaged.
Source: Sephora
Final thoughts
As you can see, the steps for building an engaging loyalty program can be pretty simple. Just put some time and consideration into it and try to offer genuine value to your customer and you’ll be surprised by how far you’ll have gotten.
And if at any point you need some additional help with your program, try contact Growave and they’ll support you with any query or problem you might have.
