Is customer loyalty “old school?”

Most people would answer that loyalty programs don’t influence their purchases anymore. So why have we lost that loving feeling? Is it the flood of daily deal merchants like Living Social and Guilt?  Probably. So how can we compete?

Two ways: HOW we bring them the offer, and HOW we help them purchase.

First: Targeting

Unfortunately, the loyalty strategy often sits apart from the marketing strategy. So the data isn’t being collected nor shared enough. But if we can learn more about actual spending behavior, then we can reach out in a meaningful way.

Imagine: arriving to a new area, pull out your cell phone and see offers that are just right for you. (No need to imagine. Some marketers are already doing this very well.)

Second: Mobile payments

That’s right, we can cheat, by creating effective campaigns without a deep dive into the data. Using geo targeting for example, we can offer relevant deals to our consumers just when they need it most.

Also – Programs like Google Wallet and Bump Pay will also reinforce new purchasing habits and therefore boost loyalty.

Loyalty is here to stay. It just looks different.

Tags | loyalty programs mobile payments targeting data spending habits