How to Build Best Loyalty Programme
Have you started a loyalty programme? Still not getting any results?
Brands usually make their programs too universal, they know very well that their target audiences are different, but when it comes to a loyalty program, they end up offering the same experience to everyone – “20% cashback” – well, that may look attractive, but may not add value to some.
A customer loyalty programme cannot be something done just for the sake of doing it; it must enrich the brand experience. Customer loyalty programs should be strategic efforts to engage and delight customers while preventing customer churn.
We’ll show you how to develop a segmented loyalty programme that meets your customers’ needs and expectations. But before we do, let’s dive a little deeper into where so many brands fail with their loyalty programs.
Reasons why customer loyalty programmes fail
The majority of customer loyalty programs encounter challenges
- They reward all their customers in the same way
- They initially create the program without considering the cost, but later realize it’s expensive to run further
- They become old and have no engagement
Brands engage with their customers differently, but when it comes to loyalty programs, they often reward their customers the same way even though you have customers with different needs and expectations from your brand. One approach to retain your customers won’t work.
Create a rewards program that keeps customers happy and coming back for more.
With so many brands available in the market, it is easier for your customers to get attracted to your competitors providing competitive offers like 20% discount, 30% discount. So, how are you going to stand out. That’s why your one approach to rewarding your customers should not be only about a monetary discount. Your loyalty programs must be something that set apart all your competitors and bring the customers to you.
Create a loyalty program that is focused on the customer. No “one size fits all” offers. Delight your customers with unique rewards that put your business front and center.
Keep your customers coming back by delighting and surprising them at every stage of their customer journey with unique rewards and e-vouchers for different target segments of your customers.
Focus on the customers who are most profitable or spend a lot on the brand or have the potential to become more loyal to your brand.
Segment your target groups
You can have as many segmented groups for your loyalty programs as you want, but you should be prepared to support strategic and different experiences for each group. Three or four groups should be sufficient. With Poket’s loyalty and referral program software, you can create VIP tiers that align with and effectively target each group.
The most loyal customers who engage frequently, no matter what you do, fall into the top group. The second group consists of customers with the greatest potential. They may have larger, less frequent purchases, or they may shop regularly but with many brands. Finally, there are the low value, low potential customers. This group has little need for your products or is already loyal to a competitor.
Structure of the programs
While it’s great to provide loyalty offers for each of your segments, one of the main goals of the programme should be to bring those in the second group – high-potential customers – into the top group. This is where you will spend the majority of your loyalty budget, but also where you will generate the most revenue.
To get your second group into the top group, you need varied experiences for these potential customers. It doesn’t help to simply give them a $20 discount and entice them to buy from you. Instead, offer VIP experiences that make them feel special and recognize their loyalty to the brand, such as a special pass or early access to new products. Focus on maximizing the potential of this group. Think about how you can increase their average spending so they spend more on your brand. You can offer special deals, like an event pass, etc. if they spend a certain amount on your brand.
And for the lower priority members, even if they need a less engaging approach, they should still be a marketing target. They may not get the premiere benefits, but they should be able to visualize and know the benefits of the premiere benefits to stay motivated.
With Poket’s marketing campaigns, brands can create highly targeted campaigns based on their level, spend and also demographics. These campaigns can be personalized for a unique customer experience.
Once your loyalty program is launched, you should constantly evolve your strategies. Even the best customer loyalty programmes get boring after a while and should be mixed with a variety of new programmes to keep customers engaged.
Focus on your best customers
Although we all know that 20% of customers are responsible for 80% of a brand’s profit, it is important to understand your valuable customers and their behaviour. Focus more on them and make them stay loyal to your brand for life, not just by following a discount- only strategy, but by offering loyalty programmes with great value for each segmented group.
