Several businesses have implemented a loyalty program, and for a healthy reason. They increase purchases volumes, improve customer loyalty, encourage repeat clients, and much more.
According to studies, it costs five times as much to attract a new client than retain an existing one. That’s why small firms need to turn a one-time customer into a loyal, repeat customer.
And yes, a loyalty program from small business is your secret weapon. According to statistics, 40 percent of customers are likely to buy again from businesses and brands that reward loyalty.
Here are the main reasons why small businesses should invest in loyalty programs for their customers.
- Gather Customer Data
Yes, a customer loyalty program gives you a high quality of data associated with having their purchases synched into an organized system. Rather than play a guessing game about how new and existing customers are spending money with your firm, the loyalty program provides insightful information on their shopping habits.
The valuable data helps you make market-specific products or promotions to the existing clientele. All this will be based on their spending habits.
- Helps You Retain Existing Customers
Yes, retaining an existing customer is exponentially easier, less costly, and more beneficial than attracting new ones. According to studies, increasing the retention rate by five percent increases profits by anywhere from 25 to 95 percent. But that’s not all, attracting a new customer will cost your firm 5 times more than retaining an existing one. And yes, existing customers are known to spread the gospel about the quality of your products, services, and loyalty program to their friends and relatives. All this helps grow your business.
- Increase in Sales
A customer is always looking for a better deal in terms of quality and price or both. So, why would a customer pay more for a deal when they can pay less or get loyalty perks for buying the same products or services in your store?
According to statistics, over 70 percent of buyers are likely to purchase products from a business that offers a loyalty reward program. Therefore, a loyalty program is a perfect tool to increase sales and revenue for a business.
- Increases Brand Awareness
Yes, brand awareness is among the major factors driving customer’s buying decisions. Markets are extremely competitive and overcrowded, therefore, customers are likely to stick with a company or brand they know.
The market instability –previous and current- makes the price a major factor when buying products. This creates a gap in the market for firms that give back to their customers allowing them to stand out from the rest.
And yes, customers share their experiences with their friends and relatives, therefore don’t underestimate the power of referrals. If a client is receiving a discount or cashback from your purchase, there’s a probability they’ll share the information with their friends and relatives.
- Measure Customer Loyalty Value
Other than gathering data for customer loyalty programs, it is also providing you an opportunity to measure how valuable an individual customer is to your firm. For instance, you can gather data on how much data they spend annually or how frequently they shop in your stores.
All this information helps you connect and relate with your most engaged fans. The continuous data feed helps you refine the loyalty program to reach the repeat top customers as efficiently as possible.
Conclusion
As a small business owner, you want to grow your business to greater heights. Well, investing in loyalty programs may help you realize this dream. It does so by increasing your building customer loyalty, which in turn results in higher sales. And yes, you can use the program to measure the loyalty value and tailor your programs to reach the top customers as efficiently as possible.