Customer Loyalty Ideas

[Marry Garner]

Which customer loyalty ideas have you applied for your business? Share with me as many programs as possible and their efficiency. I am planning a new customer loyalty program in 2015 for my business. Appreciate all your ideas.

 

[japancool]

Which customer loyalty ideas have you applied for your business? Share with me as many programs as possible and their efficiency. I am planning a new customer loyalty program in 2015 for my business. Appreciate all your ideas.

What ideas have you had so far?

 

[Marry Garner]

I have an online store selling shoes, I am planning to create a reward points system, which allow customer get points after purchasing and they will come back. Any comment? @japancool?

 

[japancool]

I'm not convinced. Obviously, you know your market better than I do, but shoes, to me, are an occasional purchase - once, twice a year if that, and I wouldn't accrue enough points to make it worthwhile under a loyalty scheme. A points based loyalty scheme would be better suited for a shop that sells a large variety of goods and/or one that gets regular repeat business (e.g. consumable goods).

Personally, I think you'd be better off sending out discount codes after a first-time purchase and sending seasonal special offers by email to existing customers.

 

[Martina Wade]

Hi!

I know of several loyalty program providers (disclaimer: I work for one myself called Loyalzoo, but being in the industry I know it fairly well).

First of all I just want to say I think loyalty programs do work, as long as they don't add friction to the buying process for the customer. And as a girl I can only say that shoes aren't necessarily an occasional buy...

Does you business sell online or do you have a shop that people come to?

 

[japancool]

Hi!

I know of several loyalty program providers (disclaimer: I work for one myself called Loyalzoo, but being in the industry I know it fairly well).

First of all I just want to say I think loyalty programs do work, as long as they don't add friction to the buying process for the customer. And as a girl I can only say that shoes aren't necessarily an occasional buy...

Does you business sell online or do you have a shop that people come to?

Depends on the type of shoe, I would suppose. I read that the average American woman buys 5 pairs of shoes a year.

 

[PipeTen-Carl]

Points only really work for frequent purchase products like coffee, petrol or supermarkets, the effort vs. reward of having to use the same supplier to build point balance is otherwise of little value for the consumer.

As a service provider more than product provider, where we do have frequent/default repeat use, we've just launched a scheme for existing customers where they recommend friends via email/social media and special link. Their friends get a discount/credit on the product to encourage them to make their first purchase, they themselves get discounts/credit on future purchases if their friends buy anything. Guess that's not purely loyalty like points, but an idea anyway. We'll see how it goes!

 

[Martina Wade]

Yes, you're right - I probably don't buy more than 5 per year myself - but even so I find myself going to the same few shops every time because they have styles I like and provide an overall good experience. And for the business this means their relationship with me is good, and I even recommend them to friends etc. - ie. having loyal customers can be very powerful.

 

[PipeTen-Carl]

I read that the average American woman buys 5 pairs of shoes a year.

 

[WarringtonTutor]

I buy 2 pairs of formal Oxfords each year (£150+ each) and probably around 4 pairs of running shoes. The shoemaker I use replaces the heel & sole free of charge when you buy a new pair, it's kept me loyal for over 10 years!

 

[Talay]

I buy 2 pairs of formal Oxfords each year (£150+ each) and probably around 4 pairs of running shoes. The shoemaker I use replaces the heel & sole free of charge when you buy a new pair, it's kept me loyal for over 10 years!

That is a useful loyalty programme. Simple, no need for cards or points, etc.

 

[japancool]

I must just use my shoes a lot less then everyone else!

 

[Marry Garner]

I'm not convinced. Obviously, you know your market better than I do, but shoes, to me, are an occasional purchase - once, twice a year if that, and I wouldn't accrue enough points to make it worthwhile under a loyalty scheme. A points based loyalty scheme would be better suited for a shop that sells a large variety of goods and/or one that gets regular repeat business (e.g. consumable goods).

Personally, I think you'd be better off sending out discount codes after a first-time purchase and sending seasonal special offers by email to existing customers.

Actually I don't think it is an occational purchase, fashion as you know, especially for women, they buy because of more than a demand. So may be great incentives can attract them

 

[Marry Garner]

I buy 2 pairs of formal Oxfords each year (£150+ each) and probably around 4 pairs of running shoes. The shoemaker I use replaces the heel & sole free of charge when you buy a new pair, it's kept me loyal for over 10 years!

Great ideas, offer free service for customer is what they like very much!

 

[Marry Garner]

Yes, you're right - I probably don't buy more than 5 per year myself - but even so I find myself going to the same few shops every time because they have styles I like and provide an overall good experience. And for the business this means their relationship with me is good, and I even recommend them to friends etc. - ie. having loyal customers can be very powerful.

Could you clarify What means " styles I like and provide an overall good experience" , this must be meaningful to me?

 

[Vectis]

I buy 2 pairs of formal Oxfords each year (£150+ each) and probably around 4 pairs of running shoes. The shoemaker I use replaces the heel & sole free of charge when you buy a new pair, it's kept me loyal for over 10 years!

So, if I'm right, you buy a new pair of formal shoes every six months? Well, either you must have one hell of a lot of shoes in your wardrobe (all the same style?) or they wear out very quickly! If it's the latter I'd be questioning why I'm spending £150 on a pair of shoes which only last 6 months!

Each to their own, but I'd expect a pair of (expensive) shoes to last a lot longer than 6 months.

As to a loyalty card/points - it's not something which would make me shop in a particular store. As was said earlier, I can see it works with supermarkets etc where people are shopping every week, but with shoes? I'm not so sure.

 

[Martina Wade]

Hi @Marry Garner ! To respond to your question - when I say styles I like and overall good experience, the following goes into that:

Styles I like - I also mean brands. If a shop carries a brand/brands I like, I am likely to return to that shop if I need a new pair of shoes.
Overall good experience - this is equally important, if a shop has brands I like but provides poor customer service, is messy or otherwise chaotic - I am unlikely to go back even if they have brands I look for.

So a nice experience for me would be a tidy and well presented shop, with staff who greet each customer (if possible) and is of assistance, offering help and advice without being pushy.
I also think it is important that the staff knows their products - say you have a customer coming in looking for winter shoes, each of your staff members should be able to provide the customer with help and guidance in terms of brands and features to look out for.

I can only speak for myself - but even if I don't end up buying something a good experience with smiley and helpful staff will make me think positively of the shop and it is highly likely I return at a later point if I need shoes.

 

[WarringtonTutor]

So, if I'm right, you buy a new pair of formal shoes every six months? Well, either you must have one hell of a lot of shoes in your wardrobe (all the same style?) or they wear out very quickly! If it's the latter I'd be questioning why I'm spending £150 on a pair of shoes which only last 6 months!

As I wear a suit 6 days a week, they get their fair usage. I have 10 pairs (just checked), mostly similar with different finishes / colours and a few brogues. Wear and tear will usually cost me 1 or 2 a year and I get them resoled yearly.

 

[Viktor Miller]

Actually you have an online store which mostly sell online right? @Marry Garner, so i think promotions or reward points system can help. Online store will works more effectively if you can take beautiful photos of your products, which can attracts customers.
Create great loyalty programs and great customer service will work!

 

[japancool]

Actually you have an online store which mostly sell online right? @Marry Garner, so i think promotions or reward points system can help. Online store will works more effectively if you can take beautiful photos of your products, which can attracts customers.
Create great loyalty programs and great customer service will work!

I disagree. Provide great customer service, and then loyalty programs will work.

 

[Red Wood]

I haven’t, it doesn’t exist in wholesale/distribution B2B, race to the bloody bottom.

 

[fisicx]

Actually I don't think it is an occational purchase, fashion as you know, especially for women, they buy because of more than a demand. So may be great incentives can attract them

There is little loyalty online. People use a variety of source to identify products and will use whatever store provide the product at a price they are prepared to pay.

Put a voucher in the box with the order and send out a brochure each month with the latest styles/offer; give people a reason to return to your website by showing them the shoes available. In other words, do things that have worked for many years and will continue to do so for a long time.

 

[Viktor Miller]

@japancool But it is a online store? Great customer service here means online too: bringing customers great shopping experience right in online store such as beautiful design website, beautiful shoes style, fast and covenient checkout process, reward points system or occasional promotions. I think these can help! You can look for more customer loyalty ideas in 2015, it has many ideas that you can apply.

 

[Viktor Miller]

There is little loyalty online. People use a variety of source to identify products and will use whatever store provide the product at a price they are prepared to pay.

Put a voucher in the box with the order and send out a brochure each month with the latest styles/offer; give people a reason to return to your website by showing them the shoes available. In other words, do things that have worked for many years and will continue to do so for a long time.

Agree with your idea!

 

[japancool]

[such as beautiful design website, beautiful shoes style, fast and covenient checkout process, reward points system or occasional promotions.

These things are important, but they aren't "customer service". I'm guessing English is not your first language. Customer service means the assistance you give to customers when they require it.

 

[Martina Wade]

Sure as a consumer - loyalty programs and customer service together are absolutely golden.

To take it back to your original question @Marry Garner - there are several providers out there if you sell online and/or in store. Comarch, LoyaltyPro and Argos all have solutions which you can have a look at. In my experience from working in the business these are quite extensive solutions which come at a higher price point and are suited for bigger shops in particular.

Loyalzoo has just extended their mobile platform to also work for online retailers and is at a lower price point than many others - but you might find that you want a more comprehensive platform than what we offer.

I would suggest you sit down one afternoon and have a look at the various options available, so you make sure you know what you need and what they offer! Others are Perka and Fidel - but they do not offer an integrated online solution if that's what you are after mainly.

Let me know what you end up with!

 

[Marry Garner]

Thanks all especially @japancool and @Marry Garner.
Besides great customer service and wonderful shopping experiences right on my site. I would prefer a reward points system for my store. Customers can get reward points after registering, purchasing and then they could use for the next purchases. Always updating the new and stylish shoes will attract more customers.

 

[Viktor Miller]

About reward points system, I recommend you some main features that reward program should have:
- Reward Various Customer Behavior such as purchases, birthdays, referrals, reviews, special , events FB like etc.
- Flexible, Customizable Rules
These features will help you to increase customer loyalty with magento reward points pro extension.

 

[Marry Garner]

Ok thank @Viktor Miller, I would consider a reward points magento extension.

 

[AllUpHere]

Thanks all especially @japancool and @Marry Garner.

Why are you thanking yourself? Are you using 2 different logins on this thread?

 

[Marry Garner]

@AllUpHere Huh? typing mistake only

 

[Simply Business]

You could set-up a refer-a-friend type deal? Give each customer a membership number (also means you can capture their email address for marketing campaigns etc) and then everytime they get a friend to buy a pair of shoes, get their friend to quote the full name of the referring member, and not only does the referrer get a £10 gift voucher, the buyer also gets £10 off their purchase that day.

And then repeat this scheme for each new referred customer

 

[Kerrybob]

A loyalty scheme for shoes a difficult one, in order to work this one out its important to know the life time value of the customer to you. How many shoes a year at x profit which should give you an idea of how much you would be able to afford to invest in the customers loyalty. With shoes this could be hard to predict but maybe a family deal were ie if they by five pair over a course of time they get the sixth free. A time limitation would obviously have to be implemented.

 

[HazelC]

I'm not convinced. Obviously, you know your market better than I do, but shoes, to me, are an occasional purchase - once, twice a year if that, and I wouldn't accrue enough points to make it worthwhile under a loyalty scheme. A points based loyalty scheme would be better suited for a shop that sells a large variety of goods and/or one that gets regular repeat business (e.g. consumable goods).

Personally, I think you'd be better off sending out discount codes after a first-time purchase and sending seasonal special offers by email to existing customers.

I can assure you I buy shoes a lot more than once or twice a year

 

[HazelC]

I offer one free blog post per recommendation / referral - this means clients are keen to recommend me and because they are aware of the importance of regular blogging they continue to stay with me and recommend me to more clients so they get more free blogs.

Not sure if you could use that style for referrals for shoe industry?

 

[japancool]

I can assure you I buy shoes a lot more than once or twice a year

Maybe you do. But how many pairs of shoes do the OP's customer's buy a year?

 

[HazelC]

The average American woman buys 5 pairs of shoes a year - this seems to be the main research from Google.

I buy about 10 pairs a year?

 

[japancool]

The average American woman buys 5 pairs of shoes a year - this seems to be the main research from Google.

I buy about 10 pairs a year?

That's not what I asked. I asked how many pairs the OP's customers buy.

 

[ParcelBright]

I'm with JapanCool on this one. Shoes are not really an ideal product for loyalty schemes, as it's not something you spend on regularly, nor is it something you can buy on every high street (like a coffee).

I think you are better off working with coupon codes.

That said, if you do want to try loyalty schemes, consider SweetTooth Rewards.