Retail Marketing And Customer Loyalty Programs

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Creating customer loyalty is very beneficial to a retail enterprise. Standard retail marketing techniques have arisen that encourage customer loyalty. Customer loyalty programs range between simple paper punch cards to classy credit card like membership cards that may be swiped. It appears that everyone is getting into the customer loyalty thing. You cam find programs inside your local tiny latte bar for the major commercial chains.

customer loyalty marketing
The customer loyalty programs pass many different names. Loyalty card, rewards card, points card, advantage card, or club card would be the most common names used. Notwithstanding names, they all work in a really similar way. A card seems a lot like a credit card is disseminated. These cards have a magnetic strip or even a bar code that can be scanned into the store’s point of sale system.

So many people are used to calling scalping systems a cash register but the technology makes this a misnomer. It is a point of sale system that is an integrated computerized commercial sales payment management system that operates over a network. This system is integrated with inventory systems, merchandise restocking systems, sales commission systems and other systems.

Loyalty card holders get discounts, special deals and therefore are eligible for contests and promotions. Card holders may also receive emails containing coupons and special discounts and special deals. A shop will conduct internet surveys to compile customer comments. The survey will include a contest which offer cash prizes for purchasers who complete the internet survey.

Almost all the major commercial outlets are selling these type of card club loyalty programs. Customers certainly appreciate they and them are very beneficial to the commercial business. Even smaller local commercial stores are sponsoring these kinds of programs. Restaurants are also beginning to organize loyalty clubs. Just about any type of commercial business can use this type of structured loyalty marketing programs. As well as issuing the credit card style loyalty club card, businesses issue smaller key cards, that are small cards which can be conveniently hooked to some keyring.

Owners of commercial sales outlets provide an ulterior motive in issuing prepaid credit cards besides increasing sales. Since the cards communicate with the store’s point of sale computer systems, their databases can track everyone’s purchases. This enables the commercial sales operation to focus on ads specifically to the purchasing habits of individual card holders. Inventory may be more efficiently managed. This benefits the commercial sales outlet and also the customer since the customer is becoming the products they want as well as the business is increasing sales.

There has been ethical questions raised about the predominance of the loyalty cards. Privacy issues are generally discussed concerning these advertising models. However, the customer isn’t coerced into joining the loyalty club. Furthermore, customers clearly benefit from receiving discounts, lower prices and being notified when products they are interested in are available.

There isn’t any question that these customer loyalty programs certainly are a permanent part of retail marketing. Not only are they found in the traditional offline commercial sales outlets but they are widely used in e-commerce internet sales also. It is expected these marketing techniques will only grow more sophisticated in the future.

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