For marketers worried that consumers are growing weary of loyalty-rewards programs, the results of a new study bring a sigh of relief – at least in Australia.
Despite the perception of consumer fatigue and worries about low program activity rates, the study found that 59% of loyalty-program members in Australia are active in all of their programs, up 31% from 2013. The study “for love or money 2015” – by strategic loyalty consultancy Directivity and retention marketing agency Citrus – defines “active” to mean the member has used his membership or card in the last 12 months.
As for that card: Program operators shouldn’t be so quick to toss it. The study found that 67% of members still prefer using a traditional loyalty card, while only 10% prefer a mobile app.
“We found this one of the most surprising findings of all,” said Peter Noble, report co-author and CEO of Citrus. “It goes to show that getting the card into a person’s wallet or purse is a critical piece of brand real estate and connection.”
Loyalty programs are doing a better job of capturing a bigger share of those wallets and purses, too, said Directivity CEO Adam Posner, and the programs are evolving from cost centers into key profit drivers. A full 82% of those surveyed say they’re buying more from brands with a loyalty program, and 16% even report purchasing items they don’t need just to earn rewards; that number jumps to 26% for men under 45.
More members are sticking with their loyalty programs, too, with the defection rate falling to 22% from 26% in 2013. Noble credits that staying power in large part to the fact that brands are working to keep their programs simple; only 12% of survey respondents said programs are too confusing, for example, compared with 19% in 2013.
When it comes to rewards, money still talks: The preferred program benefit is still immediate price discounts, followed by redeemable points-based programs. And members want to be rewarded for their interaction with brands, with 53% expecting something for answering surveys and 46% for opening emails.
“This research is a good news story for loyalty marketers,” said Posner. “While consumers are telling us they’re more selective with their programs, they’re also more active and engaged.”
The 2015 study – the third annual “for love or money” research effort – was based on surveys of 1,367 Australian adults who are members of at least one loyalty program. In addition to up-to-date consumer insights, it benchmarks results over the last three years. The full report is available at theloyaltypoint.com.au.
Source: Colloquy and The Loyalty Point
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The IMA Executive Summit is right around the corner, and we're hoping to see you in Nashville! To spark conversation, we'd like to introduce our latest software addition that makes customizing and ordering small volume cards easier for you!
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Travel Tags’ 2015 Gift Card Fulfillment Study observed the online gift card presence and fulfillment of 100+ merchants across 14 industries. An archive of the webinar is now available for you to view. We hope you find it valuable information as you develop and review your own gift card fulfillment. As mentioned during the webinar, we encourage you to schedule a FREE consultation session to review your current fulfillment program and develop ideas on how to increase Giftability and decrease lost-in-mail rate.
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MEDIA CONTACT:
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651 554 8533
KRLasee@traveltags.com
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