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Rewards Programs Entice Repeat Customers
By Joyce Dierschke | March 2, 2009
Customer loyalty is increasingly important during this time of economic uncertainty. Retail outlets aren’t the only ones trying to hang on to their current customer base, much less attract new clientele. Most businesses these days must maintain their current clients or risk shutting down.
Companies selling products and services are turning to rewards and customer loyalty programs more and more. The savviest companies didn’t wait until the recent economic unpleasantness to incorporate reward programs into their marketing and customer service efforts, and so they are somewhat ahead of the curve now. But its never too late to show your clients just how much they mean to you by simply giving them a little something back.
- Credit card companies have been offering rewards from points to airline miles to cash back for years now.
- Airlines offering frequent flyer miles are another obvious example.
- Automotive repair and maintenance shops often give one free oil change for every 4 or 5 you pay for.
- Even pet food companies offer a free bag of food after a minimum number of bags purchased.
- My favorite brand of coffee has a program that allows me to gather points with each bag of coffee I purchase, then pick a free gift from their points catalog.
Everyone likes to get something free, especially if they are loyal to a company or brand.
What do you offer your most loyal customers? If you don’t currently have a rewards program or frequent buyer program, think about instituting one. It shows your clients that you appreciate their business and that you want them to keep coming back for more.
If you have a product that is similar to others, meaning your customers have a choice between your offering and your competitor’s, a rewards program may be just the thing to bring them over to your side…and keep them there.
If you have a rewards program, leave a comment here and tell us more about it. You may have a great idea that would make sense for other businesses.
Topics: Success in Business, customer service, marketing | 1 Comment »
April 2nd, 2009 at 9:19 pm
Joyce,
love the info here, would you consider adding you posts to my site for more exposure and your blog topic of the day as well!
i am at lcoughlin@paralelle.com