15 Customer Loyalty Program Ideas to Keep Customers Happy

1. Ditch the physical rewards cards — go mobile!

Marc Prosser, Co-founder, Fit Small Business

I have personally thrown away countless rewards cards after obtaining them stamped (possibly ) twice. They generally get lost in my pocket, and when I come across them months afterwards, I have completely forgotten about the business. I recommend saving a visit to the printing shop altogether and moving with a cellular solution.

CandyBar.co is an electronic loyalty card program that is simple to use for you and your customers. It supplies a small business-friendly platform for you setup rewards and track progress from your end. For the customers, they all should do is provide their phone number, they will get a text to support, and they are signed up! Try CandyBar free for 30 days — no credit card required.

Jeffrey Bumbales, Marketing Associate at Credibly

Coupons are for targeting customers who haven’t done business with you. Loyalty programs are an attempt to turn your solid customers into evangelists. But, I firmly believe that we are selling the latter brief.

The hack: Instead of giving your clients a free meal/good/discount/etc. with their 10th purchase, provide them a BOGO (“buy one, get one”) coupon at every 5th. Instead of pleasing one client who would finally make their rounds, then you’ll likely score a new one. This tip works especially well in the restaurant market.

Bacho Khachidze, Co-Founder of Treepex

Most leading banks, supermarkets, and oil companies planning to boost their corporate social responsibility programs have created partnerships with tree planting organizations like Treepex. Utilizing a simple to execute API, now even tiny businesses can get their clients collect points till they have sufficient: a shrub will automatically be implanted for their clients without any extra price. It makes use of a high tech tracking system with NFC tags, and carefully chosen certified rangers plant and also take care of the trees.

Jeremy Marsan, Editor at Fit Small Business

Customer retention leads to customer loyalty. In order to prepare a successful customer loyalty program, small business owners need to learn how much of the overall customers are repeat customers and the way this percentage steps up to the standard in the industry. This may then allow the business owner know if its clients are having a positive shopping experience or if there is a need to better their services to develop customer loyalty.

Lynne McNamee, President in Lone Armadillo Marketing Agency

The very best customer loyalty program a) benefits your clients and b) strengthens your brand and brand value. By way of instance, if your brand is built around’lowest cost,’ then cash driven programs work best, such as discounts, money back, and credits towards future purchases. If your manufacturer is built around superior service, then something like spa certificates or the like is much better. If your business is all about choice, then provide options in your loyalty program. The loyalty program should be an extension of conducting business with your company…not something completely independent of it.

Adam Watson, Co-Owner of Hollywood Mirrors

We just sell one item — illuminated mirrors — therefore it is tough to get customer loyalty as generally everyone only needs one vanity mirror thus repeat business is difficult. But we ask our clients to become brand advocates and endorse us on social media, and in return we offer them a handsome commission on the sales they generate via an affiliate link. They become quite loyal in promoting us; for a long time, even though they don’t spend with us, they push customers to our shop.

Andrew Wheller, SEO Executive free of Minimum

Promotional gifts are fantastic for rewarding customer loyalty but can also work wonders for ensuring customer retention. Branded giveaway goods are amazing free gifts which keep your business in the minds of their recipients. Provide a free gift with a specific minimum purchase. They can also create your clients or clients feel truly valued, especially when tied-in with holidays like Christmas or Thanksgiving.

Matthew Becker, President & CEO at BeckerTime

The BeckerTime Lifetime TradeUp Guarantee is straightforward: a client can trade in their qualifying BeckerTime pre-owned Rolex watch anytime and receive the full amount paid for your watch to put towards the purchase of another luxury timepiece provided by BeckerTime.

The main goal of consumer loyalty programs would be to continue to keep customers coming back because they had an amazing experience purchasing from BeckerTime. In the conclusion of the day, customers should be happy with both their experience and the item. Another goal of this loyalty program is to help customers stay secure. Most individuals do not know where or how to safely market their luxury items in order to buy something else. BeckerTime has made it easy for customers to exchange up at any given time, safely, and using a merchant they know and trust because they’ve bought from us before.

Jeremy Marsan, Editor at Fit Small Business

Loyalty program software helps your business manage and keep track of your customer loyalty program stage system. Not all platforms are suitable for smaller companies because of monthly expenses and accessibility, so small business owners must know about their needs to decide which software they need to adopt. How can your clients earn points? How would you like your clients to manage their points? You do not need to spend a fortune or establish a complex system, but the right software makes certain it’s not an administrative headache to initiate a loyalty application.

Claudia Montez, Founder of Isabelle Grace Jewelry

Odds are, your interpersonal media followers and mails subscribers are your regular customers, sometimes even possible ones. Use your social media channels and email newsletters to give your social networking followers and current customers interesting bargains they can get excited about. We connect with our current customer base by providing our e-newsletter subscribers exclusive JUST4ME discounts. Each week, we put one of our pieces on a distinctive JUST4ME reduction and advertise it in our newsletter and to our social media followers. Not only has this led in new purchases from existing clients, but it has also helped us really grow our email list!

Greg Liswiewski, CEO of Blispay

A steady stream of deal and discounts provides is a great way to keep clients coming back. But, offering a financing plan for expensive buys is also an invaluable tool for client retention.

Financing deals may bring in new clients and frequently be the tipping point to convince them to proceed with that big-ticket purchase. And according to a MMR Research report, almost two-thirds of earlier consumers of shop financing return and fund a minumum of one additional cost of $500 or more and 33 percent do so three to five more times. Traditionally, small companies were incapable of creating such supplies because they lacked the time and resources to maintain a financing program. However, new POS funding technology permits retailers with limited ways to form partnerships which allow them to introduce these programs.

Heather Piper, Co-Owner of Thrill of the Hunt

A custom scavenger hunt provides an experience packed, private action with fun trivia and socialization, online and off. Does a scavenger hunt reward your client’s loyalty, but it also gives you the car to educate the client and improve your store’s online footprint.

A scavenger hunt can be executed in a number of distinct ways. Maybe you’re a online shop? Then create an online scavenger hunt, taking your influential and loyal customer on a tour around your social media. If you have a physical place, flaunt your city or area by simply bringing the scavenger search. Maybe your customers are present and would not mind learning about the region’s history, and possibly anonymous secrets and unknown pursuits?

Be generous with the final decoration, or provide many small prizes for finishing a loyalty scavenger hunt. Whether the search is implemented totally online, in a specific area, or a combination of both, share all the details beforehand to maintain transparency and customer involvement.

Millennials normally subscribe to customer loyalty applications that suit their character. They would like it to be fun, and they want to belong to a community. Loyalty programs that offer for status based benefits consistent with their curiosity and worded in a fun and entertaining manner will usually catch their eye since it caters to their interest. For instance, you can create a points-based loyalty program where making 50 points has a free customized gift, 100 points unlocks a one time consultation, etc..

Client comments will always be a critical factor in measuring the success of your loyalty program. Not only if you encourage customers to give feedback on your products, but you should ask them to provide you comments on your client loyalty program too. Rely on them for sharing their own view as well. It doesn’t have to be something expensive or even monetary provided that it makes them feel special like any dedication program ought to do. Clients usually appreciate when their perspectives are addressed and acknowledged, so that it ensures that they keep coming back to your brand.

This ensures your customers are constantly looking ahead to what you need to give, keeping them interested and excited about wanting to return to your shop. The upgrades don’t need to be extravagant, and also you don’t have to reinvent the wheel each time. In reality, keeping it simple avoids the risk of confusion and misunderstanding between you and your faithful customers. Keep it creative and fun.

Customers become loyal to your brand because they enjoy your product. What better way to fulfill their curiosity compared to offering events exclusively to your loyal patrons which helps them learn more about what makes your product unique? If for instance, you run a coffee shop, set a match between your loyal customers and a coffee expert, show them how to prepare their favourite beverage, or do free tastings of your new product. These actions are also share-worthy, which means no cost advertising once they post their loyalty program experience on interpersonal media.