How to Keep Your Customers Loyal

Consumers are not the only beneficiaries of loyalty programs. Loyal customers make a business successful. Don’t believe me? Northwestern University did a study on consumer loyalty and found that 15% of a business’s most loyal customers accounted for 55% to 70% of the company’s total sales!

So the question for brands has become, how do you keep your customer loyal?

Loyalty programs are everywhere; from major retailers to mom-and-pop shops, every brand wants to make a brand advocate out of every customer that walks through their doors. The key to a successful reward and loyalty program is keeping the customer at the center of the business; give them real value instead of perceived value.

Instead of looking at your affinity marketing initiative as customer loyalty, look at it as the brand’s loyalty to consumers. To accomplish this, the brand’s program must keep some things in mind: usability, personalized rewards, and customer satisfaction.

Starbucks is a great example of a loyalty and rewards program that is customer-centric. The easy to use mobile application allows users to reload their Starbucks card; see their current and passed rewards, receive freebie music and app downloads, add their favorite locations and drinks. Additionally, customers receive emails for the latest Starbucks Rewards perks, and receive a personalized gold Starbucks Rewards card when they reach 30 stars. All of these elements make the loyalty about the consumer.

No two customers are the same. Different types of customers mean a variety of interests in a brand’s customer base, which is why personalization is key to loyalty. At the end of the day, the loyalty program is not just about the rewards you give; it is about knowing your customers because it is not brand loyalty, it is a brand’s loyalty to its customer.