How Your Clients Can Make Loyalty Programs Pop

BY Kathy Crosett
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Are loyalty programs the new must-​have marketing tool for businesses? In the era of personalized marketing, these programs seem to be mandatory. Your clients should know which programs consumers like most. The 2019 Loyalty Barometer Report from HelloWorld takes a deep dive into the subject. Here are the key findings.

Preferred Reward Types

To entice consumers to spend more, your clients should be offering discounts through their loyalty program. At least 75% of consumers gave this type of loyalty program top scores. Here are the benefits and rewards that consumers want most:

  • Free products 77%
  • Discounts/​offers 75%
  • Free samples 66%
  • Free services 57%
  • Chance-​to-​win 41%
  • Surprises from the company 32%

Consumer expectations regarding loyalty programs vary by industry vertical. When they’re dealing with retailers, 52% prefer to receive surprise rewards and discounts. This expectation seems to speak to the popularity of subscription box services. The ability to select the reward is key for consumers when they interact with credit card companies. At least 60% of consumers hold that expectation. And when consumers interact with CPG companies, 62% want instant rewards or discounts.

The Information Shoppers Will Share

Shoppers understand that they’ll be giving up some personal information in exchange for access to the benefits available in loyalty programs. Here are the data points they are most comfortable sharing with retailers and other service providers:

  • Purchase history 57%
  • Gender 51%
  • Self-​selected profile preferences 48%
  • Current location 30%
  • Browsing history on brand website 28%
  • Address 24%
  • Income 17%

Avoid These Consumer Irritants

Retailers that make the process of redeeming rewards too complicated risk aggravating their most loyal customer base. Imagine how a customer feels when they attempt to claim a reward and are told it has expired. Consumers also complain if it takes to long to earn a reward (54%) or if it’s too difficult to earn the reward in the first place (39%.) Programs that give a monetary reward after a customer spends a specified amount of money or that automatically give a reward on a weekly or monthly basis are most popular. 

Don’t let your clients fall into the trap of thinking that offering a loyalty program allows them to slack in other areas. Survey findings show that consumers over age 60 still want vendors to make shopping convenient and to answer questions promptly. And for the younger demographics, retailers must interact with them on social media.

To learn more about consumers who belong to ten or more loyalty programs, check out the AudienceSCAN profile available on AdMall from SalesFuel​.com.


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