Are you concerned that your loyalty program is losing steam? You are not seeing as many new members, fewer rewards are being redeemed, and response rates to promotions are dropping off. These are tell-tale signs that your loyalty program needs to be “recharged.” Here are a few ideas to consider.
Survey your MembersWe know that many consumers aren’t thrilled about completing another survey, but if you keep it simple and quick to complete, you can get a large enough sampling from your program members to see what they like or don’t like about your program. To get more members to complete the survey, keep is relatively short, and maybe incent them with a free reward or bonus points to complete. Make sure your questions get at what is working and not working with your program.
Often, your customers do not know you are even offering a program. Maybe your signage on the pumps and in-store are no longer there or do not stand out. Signage can often get lost or hidden behind other merchandising. Make sure any signage you do have highlights new features and benefits within your program. Focus on how simple it is for them to join and that they can instantly receive valuable benefits.
Every customer in your store should be asked if they are a member to ensure they receive benefits for that visit. It starts and ends with the front-line staff to ensure that they can initiate that dialogue. For this to work, you need a training program that ensures each staff member knows how the program works and so they can answer customer questions. This is an ongoing effort as staff come and go. We encourage our clients to have a program champion at each store to ensure this critical training becomes a part of the culture.
We have seen great success when clients run new member signup promotions with their staff. There are a lot of ways to do this, with the goal to have fun with your team and create a friendly competition among employees. One of the most critical factors in the success of a loyalty program is to get a high percentage of your customers to participate. This gives you a broader base of members to realize the benefits of increased basket spend and in-store purchasing that is proven to occur within loyalty programs.
Many clients have established partnerships with nearby or complimentary businesses to help each other out. Work with those partners to see if both of you can market your program to the other’s member base. If you can integrate the programs, you can also broaden the way your members can earn rewards and benefits.
These are just a few of the many tools you have available to keep your program fresh and evolving to meet the needs of your customers. The key to achieving your program goals does not end when a program is launched and must continue to be “recharged” and continually marketed to your customers.
Read How to Take Advantage of Loyalty Promotions for other ideas on finding your way out of a loyalty slump.
