Piglet Press Pass
About the Piglet Press Pass
The Piglet Press Pass features the latest and most relevant loyalty research articles from a variety of external media sources. Wild B.O.A.R.S. instructors serve up our favorite articles from all across the Internet and post them here for discussion. Please email us links to any B.O.A.R.D certified articles we should consider posting to the community. Comments and feedback always welcome. Stay thirsty.
Industry Alert – Customer Loyalty Updates – Papa Johns
MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR Read the phrase below (inside the Papa Press Release) and weep, Papa Johns is the ONLY national pizza chain with a system wide rewards program and it’s making them millions of dollars and it’s not that well designed. They even have Pepsi as a sponsor and my wife thinks someone at Papa Johns is reading my ideas and copying them! Maybe so, but other national... [Read More...]
Industry Alert – Fuel Rewards
MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR Fuel Rewards are hot right now and we have much better solutions than you read about below. Major companies all over the U.S. are trying to figure out a way to tie their loyalty program into fuel rewards. This is all part of your training, we will show you how to do this better than any Fortune 100 solution today and how to attract sponsorship revenue... [Read More...]
Industry Alert – Customer Loyalty Updates – Nordstroms
MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR Nordstrom spent millions of... [Read More...]
Valvoline Update
Editors Notes: The oil change business is now using our idea of sponsors. There are many better ways to accomplish what is described below, but you will start seeing a lot of our ideas copied in the marketplace. I actually contacted Valvoline HQ over two years ago with this very concept. Valvoline loved it then but our PL’s and Resellers never pursued it further. Other sponsors are saying the same thing with the new concepts we are presenting... [Read More...]
LOVE Training Starbuck
Editor’s Note: Loyalty programs need to pass the L.O.V.E. test which we have on www.wildboarstraining.com See the recent article posted by Vertical Response on Starbucks below Listen (loyalty programs must listen to what customers want) Value (loyalty programs must deliver relevant value on an ongoing basis Engage (loyalty programs must engage consumers with special benefits and support local communities) If you think the Gold Loyalty Card... [Read More...]
Industry Alert – Customer Loyalty Research Updates
Positive Impact of Customer Engagement on Financial Performance
According to the Economist Intelligence Unit, companies with engaged customers enjoy: improved customer loyalty (80%), increased revenue (76%), and increased profits (75%). Furthermore, research from industry analyst firm Aberdeen Group shows that leading organizations with effective employee engagement strategies in place are seeing a 22% year-over-year improvement in customer satisfaction/loyalty and a 21% year-over-year improvement in turnover/retention. 60%... [Read More...]
Loyalty Research Important Info
Important Research Engagement
Editors Notes: Did you know Bowling Rewards is NOT about Rewards, maybe we should change our name. Bowling Rewards is all about ENGAGEMENT which is the absolute new trend and requirement for any business to utilize in the digital age. It’s simple to understand, realistic to execute, support and measure and it offers solid results to the bottom line. Every retail location MUST pay attention, business owners can no longer afford to ignore... [Read More...]
Supermarkets and Bowling
Hello Indiana: Supermarkets are looking to work with Bowling Centers and State Associations to drive added value to their chain on an exclusive basis. Oil companies like Chevron and BP are also looking right now due to Shell Rewards launch. Instead of having the USBC put coupons on Tony’s Pizza for free games of bowling where you get NOTHING in return, no database and no support, let us show you how to cut your own deals on a local proprietor... [Read More...]
Shell Launches Rewards Program
Editors Notes: They think Shell is launching an industry FIRST but we devised this strategy long ago which you can read about below. The ideal time for an association to approach BP as illustrated with Crazy Pinz below is now. Shell is trying to do things to catch their competition off guard and companies like BP don’t know we have a better mousetrap. This concept might start at the State level with a test and then expand but we can... [Read More...]
Theodore Roosevelt Advertising Advice
Lesson from Theodore Roosevelt: “In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.” –Theodore Roosevelt It now costs less to market the right way than it does the wrong way. Every independent retail analyst has indicated that it’s a must for business owners to get some type of customer loyalty solution in place and communicate... [Read More...]
Dating, Marriage, and Marketing
Notes: Yes, the digital age is a lot like dating and marriage. The only problem is that a number of business owners simply have a cash register and not loyalty solution. Your customers care more about value, communication, and relevance than they do about pricing so why discount? The reason is clear, most business owners don't have the tools to listen properly so they resort to the old fashioned model of discounts, coupons, traditional... [Read More...]
Word Of Mouth New Stats
Word of Mouth: 14 New Statistics, very interesting. Did you know that a good customer rewards and loyalty program is the number one reason for positive word of mouth? Treat people with respect, recognize who they are, don’t sell their data, reward them properly, deliver a good product, and communicate with personal relevance and business will increase…guaranteed! Church of the Customer Blog « 14 new statistics about word of... [Read More...]
Data Being Abused
Editors Notes: Good research article below, if you belong to any program which owns or has control over your data, you may want to read the article and be aware of the dangers of losing trust with your customers. Consumers not feeling benefit of sharing loyalty data Most American and Canadian consumers (74%) say they are not feeling the benefits of sharing their personal information with marketers, according to a survey by loyalty marketing... [Read More...]
Economic Choices for Business
Please review the list below and see if this shakes with your experience? Add anything to the list which might be left off on what business owners are doing today. I would like to send this out or have a comparison piece on what a business owner might do with $175.00. How Much Does it Cost to Advertise? Do any solutions guarantee results? Classified ad in a newspaper…. http://www.usnewspapers.com/Pages/participating_states_class.html Read More →
Groupon Struggles Undiscounted Loyalty
Editors Notes: Good article below on the typical mistakes companies make trying to rush into loyalty or choosing a loyalty solution which does not address important issues. Customer Loyalty is too important to simply look at price, or rush into based on what someone might have read in the Wall Street Journal. The real discussion should be about ROI and the equity value to each business in developing best practice solutions for unique customer... [Read More...]
Platinum Memberships Explained
Creating Platinum Memberships can be very important to the bottom line. We are enhancing the membership capabilities of our program by year end to do even greater things and segment even further since the strategy is so lucrative. Very easy to bring in extra revenue with perceived high value. In this case, just 100 people paying $50.00 per year brings in $5,000 per year for... [Read More...]
Gift Cards 85% Concerned
RETAIL ALERT RESEARCH ARTICLE BELOW: Gift cards are a 100 BILLION dollar industry but retailers are now concerned with how gift cards fit into personalization, loyalty, communication and other similar issues which merchants are now being told are mandatory for survival in the digital age. We already knew this was coming and are ready to go. This is why we have integrated rewards, gift cards, paperless database... [Read More...]
Oracle Whitepaper Customer Demands
Editors Notes: Get your free whitepaper below, but if you don’t have time here are the bulleted highlights of this latest upper level study which focused on the top 4 customer demands. We can explain how we have implemented all four of these key demands into our solutions and how you can follow these best practices with your marketing or consulting. Contact me with questions. Convenience: Customers want to be recognized and rewarded... [Read More...]
Starbucks CEO on CNBC Makes Loyalty News
Howard Schultz CEO of Starbucks (interview link below) made news when pledging to stop political donations until Congress gets their act together. When asked if Starbucks plans to LOWER prices due to the fall in coffee prices, the CEO said it’s not necessary due to our ability to deliver VALUE with the Starbucks card. He then went on to say that Starbucks is having one of its best years ever with the key reason being their Starbucks card... [Read More...]
93% Spend More If Loyalty Program
Editors Notes: Great research article below, the real question is how can any business owner NOT have a loyalty program when 93% of consumers say they would spend more if they did? And if you are going to have a loyalty program, why not have one which does what consumers say they want to see the most? Here are the highlights, go to www.wisemarketer.com for the entire article. 86% said they are more likely to visit a retailer if they have an... [Read More...]
Loyalty Key to Panera Success
Why do some companies go out of business or suffer profit loss while others increase? Loyalty is one key reason and according to Starbucks and Panera THE key reason to increased profits. Notice the importance of building data, being able to query the data and communicate based on relevance. These are the new REQUIREMENTS in the digital age and business owner MUST find a way to get this done at a bare minimum. When Cause Marketing is added to... [Read More...]
Redemption Key to Success
Survey: Bank customers quick to sign up for debit rewards programs – but slow to redeem 07/28/2011 As banks increasingly eliminate debit rewards programs as a result of changing legislation, Mintel Comperemedia surveyed consumers on their debit reward behavior and attitudes. No surprise, debit card programs alone aren’t likely to foster customer loyalty, as 47% of respondents who participate in a debit rewards program have never... [Read More...]
Redemption Key to Success
Editors Notes: Redemption is key to success. For those who think ‘breakage’ on non-use of rewards is a good thing, many studies have shown that those customer are far less profitable than those who redeem rewards on a regular basis. Points based programs cause confusion which is why a simple cash back reward loyalty incentive which allows customers to redeem their rewards immediately, (even the same day) have much higher success... [Read More...]
Email Metrics: Open, Click Rates Highest in the Morning
Email Metrics: Open, Click Rates Highest in the Morning Published on July 21, 2011 Tags: Email Marketing, Email Subject Lines, Research Summaries, Smart Phones Email open rates continued to languish in 2010, though performance levels varied dramatically by industry, whereas click rates improved during the year, according to a report by MailerMailer, which also found that most people... [Read More...]
Update for Keegan
Keegan, this is a MUST read for any business team: Here is more research showing the necessity of what we do. Micros can’t do it and neither can any other solution for less than 25k up-front and over $1500 per month and they don’t have custom loyalty solutions for any business let alone the sport of bowling. Notice how they mention the importance of OWNING your database, something you should be very concerned about. Your customers... [Read More...]
Rewards cards: Consumers love ‘em, retailers don’t
By Catherine CliffordJuly 14, 2011: 4:06 PM ET A small retailer — which asked not to be identified — hung up a sign requesting that customers not pay with rewards credit cards. NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — Consumers love the free flights, gadgets and cash back they get when they pay with their rewards credit cards. But mom and pop stores cringe when they do. It costs a merchant more each time a consumer pays with —... [Read More...]
Four Rules for Higher Profits
Editors Notes: Here is an excellent White Paper below by Peppers and Rogers which you can download. Many business owners don’t realize we are in a paradigm shift when it comes to running a profitable business. Customers are MORE demanding, MORE critical, can SHARE experiences with 1000s on social networking sites, and more. They are also TIRED of corruption, want things SIMPLE and above all want business owners to LISTEN to their... [Read More...]
Survey Amazes Experts
Editors Notes: I am amazed as well, we are seeing a very poor work ethic from many business owners who ignore research and do not pay attention to their customers. Actually, this creates a golden opportunity for any business owner (no matter what industry) to make a huge difference in their bottom line. Customer loyalty is easy to employ, offers immediate revenue advantages, ( in our case many clients get paid large sums of money in advance... [Read More...]
Email ROI Maximizer
Editors Notes: More amazing statistics on how businesses are missing the boat with their ability to target data. Imagine business owners getting PAID IN ADVANCE to do things right, show their customers they care, send relevant information and communicate with them based on gender, buying habits, frequency, anniversary, and more and simply not wanting to bother. An economic crisis is a terrible thing to waste, customers are not going to put... [Read More...]
Important Email-Text Research
Editors Notes: Important Business Info: The two paragraphs from the research article below should send shivers down the spine of most business owners who continue to blast messages. In the new digital age, you MUST find a solution which has the ability to query the data and send RELEVANT information to your customers or else you will lose them. Just wait until TEXTING catches on and the requirement to do things properly will be much more important... [Read More...]
Importance of Trust
Very Important Business Owner Alert: Communication from the service provider was the biggest indication of trust and trust holds the keys to higher profits in the digital age. As mobile and text become more prevalent, losing trust will be the danger of doing things incorrectly, and once trust is lost it’s much harder to get it back than not losing it in the first place. Blasting messages out via email or text could cause tremendous damage... [Read More...]
Word of Mouth Champions
Editors Notes: Another key advantage with proper loyalty solutions is Word of Mouth Champions! Business owners can be devoured by bad publicity and eaten alive . We often hear that WOM is the best form of advertising but the best way to get customers referring our business to others is NOT due to our food, prices, or anything tied to product quality. The #1 answer from consumers as to WHY they would refer another business or brand to... [Read More...]
Email-Text Research and Assignment
Assignment: Every business owner should be doing the four basics listed below. Every independent research firm and white paper study is verifying the importance of putting these practices in place. Why do we see so few businesses following best practices? If you are out and about, please ask the owner of the business why these basic four practices are not a part of their business and let me know. We are doing a research paper in conjunction... [Read More...]
Free Subway for a Week
Editors Notes: What if Platinum Membership into Subway for $29.95 per year included 30 free foot longs per year? Would you join for $30.00? Limit one per visit or three per month. How about 1 per day for 30 days during the slowest month? I would estimate 10 million people would join generating 300 million per year for Subway with membership fees. Loading value which gives customers something FREE every day is a fantastic strategy,... [Read More...]
Important Update – Dead Men Walking
Editors Notes: If you own a business or know anyone who does, please pay attention to your customers. Soon after I sent the last update, new research from Forrester’s arrived indicating the trend is accelerating and the consequences are dire. We are experts in customer engagement with turnkey solutions for any size business model. Here you go… Manufacturing, distribution and information expertise once set one company apart from... [Read More...]
Top 25 Frequent Flyer Programs Compared
Important Editors Notes: The information below is a little advanced but well worth the 3 minutes it might take to go through the introduction. There is a paradigm shift of consumer demands taking place which are very important to understand. INTRO: Whether you are Southwest Airlines or Ford Motor Company, we offer solutions which are vastly superior to what other Fortune 500 companies have used for years. In the past they have worked somewhat... [Read More...]
Coupons Without Discounting!
363 Billion Coupons printed every year with 99.2% thrown away. This gigantic waste, poor tracking, expensive communication tool has led to the new age of ‘digital coupons’. We have tons of research on this subject but what many of these digital coupon solutions or ‘daily deal’ Groupon type programs are missing is how to protect full price but still drive value. If you are going to use traditional coupons, then CHANGE... [Read More...]
David Letterman’s Top Ten Cause Marketing
David Letterman’s (Steve Schroeder’s) Top Ten Cause Marketing Benefits New customer acquisition without any cost until after the customer is paying full price. The simple ability to acquire new customers is difficult but with cause marketing, there is no expense until after a full price purchase is realized. Complete paperless database building to communicate with new customers for years (at no cost) after the first visit. ... [Read More...]
Partnering with Banks – Financial Institutions
Research Article Below: Editors Notes: Banks, Insurance Companies, Financial Institutions etc. make ideal sponsors for bowling centers, restaurants, and general retail. We have additional reports but banks are in big need of loyalty solutions and very few know how to do this on their own. The best solution is to partner with a local business owner (pay the local business owner $5,000 per year sponsorship fee) where transactions occur... [Read More...]
Huge Business Paradigm Shift Cause Marketing
Important Business Stats Below Editors Notes: It’s being referred to as the ‘old normal’ and consumers are returning to their roots in droves and expect business owners to follow and listen. If they don’t, these same consumers have promised they will vote with their pocket book and search out merchants who do. Research indicates this trend has staying power since it’s the way consumers have really felt all along. ... [Read More...]
Aberdeen Group Research on Rebates – Loyalty
Editors Notes: Don’t be confused with 50% of retailers using rebates. Over 45% of the 50% using rebates do so incorrectly or make receiving the rebate cumbersome, time consuming, inflexible or all three! Instant cash back rewards are preferred by over 80% of consumers but many business owners continue to shun their customers and not listen to their requests. Here are the top three requests which less than 3% of business or brands... [Read More...]
Fascinating New Customer Study
ditors Notes: Customer Engagement has changed and profits in the post-recession era mandate business owners realize this change and start communicating with customers and listening to their demands. Any business model which chooses to ignore this paradigm shift will either lose substantial profits or go out of business. Neither of these two options are desirable, why suffer the consequences when indeed listening and communicating is so easy... [Read More...]
9 Ways to Increase Customer Loyalty
Editors Notes: White Paper research below. If you don’t have time to download, the study indicates how brands, retail businesses and outlets need to understand who their customers are and how to communicate with them to lift profits. The void is tremendous, almost 90% of restaurants/bowling centers/smaller retail don’t even have a loyalty program in place in spite of the overwhelming evidence as the most important aspect of their... [Read More...]
Today Show MSNBC Features Loyalty
MSNBC LOYALTY VIDEO http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/3041440/ns/today-money#42973939 Editors Notes: Here is an excellent 4 minute segment featured on the Today Show regarding loyalty programs. Note these women being interviewed assume that every merchant should have a program in place in order to get their shopping dollars along with millions of other women and customers who think the same way. They also imply that merchants are able to gather... [Read More...]
National Radio Interview Cause Marketing
My latest interview has just been released on You Tube explaining Cause Marketing. Feel free to forward this link to schools, churches, or other non-profit leaders and let them know there is a new way to raise money with no change in behavior, no volunteer work needed, no expense and donations pour in 24-7, 365 days per year. The biggest winner in these programs is the business owner, watch the 5 minute interview and find out why below. My... [Read More...]
Peppers and Rogers On Demand
Invitation to on demand webinar form Peppers and Rogers below. Here is an on demand webinar from Peppers and Rogers about the rapidly changing face of customer loyalty. If you have time to watch it, there are many things to learn. If you don’t have time I will break down the highlights below and the key themes customers are requesting but very few business owners seem to care about or know how to address. We are intimately acquainted... [Read More...]
Why High Oil Prices Can Be Good
Another great newsletter by Paul Kreins with excellent ideas. This one talks a little bit about using high gas prices as a customer service benefit. When gas is high, then business owners who step in and help can earn a lifetime of loyalty. Here are 3 ideas we have used at bowling centers or restaurants in the past that have proven very successful. Let us create a banner and email promotion offering to pay the gas prices for customers... [Read More...]
Monday Morning Management Report
Shocking News: Although 87% of customers have indicated they desire the 4 things below, less than 1% of business owners are delivering their request. Need your business to grow? Just listen to your customers, here is the update. Here is an excellent newsletter from Paul Kreins, bowling and marketing consultant. This newsletter can be used by any retail business to increase revenue as the theme of this lesson is to follow Walt Disney... [Read More...]
U.S. loyalty memberships value register in the billions
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Groupon Research Article
Editors Notes: Groupon Research Article Below – A brief note on the math Instead of using Groupon, try the same type of Groupon offer to EXISTING CUSTOMERS. Approximately 75% of Groupon users known as ‘Groupies’ have already visited the establishment (they already are existing customers) so you can reach 75% or more of the same people without spending near the amount to bring them in. These ‘existing’ customers... [Read More...]
Dunkin Gets F for Flunkin
Editors Notes: Dunkin Donuts Launches Loyalty Program, Makes Numerous Fundamental Mistakes Dunkin Press Release Below: Here are the most obvious mistakes see if you can find two more. The $1.00 reward for every $20.00 spent is a big mistake on at least two fronts. The reward is much too low. For small ticket items, 10% should be the minimum. Instant gratification is not here, the value of my visit is not realized until later. With... [Read More...]
Membership Update
Editors Notes: Here is a good idea for bowling centers, retail outlets and other locations which we have written about for years. Creating memberships. Yes, there are a number of fundamental mistakes with the offers below such as points and redemption issues but the idea is good. The simple solution to the concept below is to make one MASTER membership program such as Platinum Membership into the restaurant or bowling center. If you were... [Read More...]
Win $500.00 – Masters Contest
The Masters is this weekend. Contests should be running right now such as1. Choose any player and earn $1.00 in rewards for every birdie while watching the tournament in our lounge. 2. Pay $5.00 per player and if they are on the LEADER BOARD by Sunday win $15.00 in rewards! 3. Win $50.00 in rewards if your player WINS the tournament. 4. Double cash back rewards on all food and drinks while watching the Masters in our lounge. 5. Special... [Read More...]
Important Cause Marketing Research
Editors Notes: The article below is a must read for any business owner. I recently spoke to an expert in marketing who said he ‘hoped’ the reports I send out are not true. Sorry folks, they are. I don’t make this stuff up, I report the facts. The entire marketing world is CHANGING before our very eyes just like technology. Just look at recent developments with Facebook, Groupon, IPad2, mobile apps and much more... [Read More...]
Groupon: The Debate Continues – even if successful, is it a one off program?
Restaurants vs. Groupon: The Debate Continues Last week we featured some less than flattering perspectives on daily-deal sites from our discussion forum. The following is from an operator who tried Groupon on one occasion and felt it worked out fairly well in his situation. “I’ve had positive experience with Groupon and wish you would add the following notes to the warning you posted: You can negotiate a more favorable split than... [Read More...]
Women More Promiscuous
Editors Notes: When it comes to loyalty women desire multiple partners. But, you can see clearly behind the scenes in all the research including below and what customers are requesting, here you go All customers want higher rewards with simple instant redemption. For those who listen, customers have indicated they will REMOVE competitor programs in their wallet and go with the program that listens to them! This is huge. Men and women are... [Read More...]
USA Today Loyalty Insert
USA Today 16 page loyalty insert March 2011 – To down load click here. Read More →
Loyal Employee or Loyal Customer?
Editors Notes: A loyal employee is one which understands loyalty. There is a new employee in the “C” suite known as a CCO (Chief Customer Officer) Many industries (such as bowling centers and restaurants) would be well served in hiring an effective CCO. I have listed the main duties of a CCO below along with a new study on the importance of employees understanding the loyalty program and being able to effectively communicate... [Read More...]
Email Not Targeted Text Next
Editors Notes: Evidence continues to pour in when business owners email customers without the ability to query their data and send relevant information. In spite of the mounds of research and the damage it’s now causing, most business owners are still using third party vendors which are unable to merge data with the transaction. As a matter of fact, less than 2% of all businesses have a system in place that ties transaction based data... [Read More...]
Engaging Customers For Life
Important Loyalty Update: Further evidence that rewards must be used and when redeemed lead to greater frequency and spending. The research points out that customers average 8X the value after redemption than those who do not. Further study is underway on multiple redemptions but you can bet the value only goes up from here. It’s mandatory that businesses REWARD their customers and get them to redeem their rewards ASAP. How... [Read More...]
Fundraising Opportunities at Suburban Lanes
Here is an example of what one client is doing. $20.00 of bowling for $10.00 and the non-profit keeps the $10.00. They are holding meetings for the community, and engaging in all kinds of activities and updates. We have the solutions, if you can provide a little elbow grease, the business will grow guaranteed. Any business can do this with any denomination desired and then move the customer to Platinum Membership when they arrive. Call... [Read More...]
Restaurant Video Marketing Tip of the Week
Restaurant Marketing Tip of the Week #2 – Bowling Centers have a unique way to increase food and drink sales by driving exclusive rewards to open play (and/or shoes) while customers pay full price and purchase more food and drink. We can even synergize the pro shop and drive rewards to exclusive brands of equipment. We have seen centers increase their profits by 200% or more with simple ideas we set up for them. Here is a video which... [Read More...]
5 Key Loyalty Trends 2011
Editors Notes Research Article Below: At times, these articles focus on marketing experts awareness, let’s bring this one down to size for business owners. Whether we own a bowling center, restaurant, golf course, or cleaners, it’s all the same. The new digital age is empowering the customer and if we simply listen to our customers and give them what they have requested our business will grow faster than ever. Customers will... [Read More...]
Impt Cause Marketing Illustrated
Bowling Center Update: Cause Marketing with open play will increase business substantially. Your bowling center card can be used at multiple locations throughout the community with many ways to profit as a result. Ask us how. Loyalty Update: Radio Broadcast Interview You Tube http://bit.ly/xpectrewards Here is an example of Cause Marketing with our Beaver Pride solutions in Minnesota. This is an email template we created for them and... [Read More...]
Important NeuroMarketing Loyalty Update
Editors Notes: First off, any business without a loyalty program rewarding their customers at the time of purchase is making a clear decision to ignore every major study on how to increase sales and protect price points. Secondly, it’s NOT the points that make a difference it’s the reward and value associated with ANYTHING. In other words, if POINTS work, then you can bet your bottom socks that the more relevant solutions... [Read More...]
My Panera Restaurant Membership
Very nice, we have a few Panera folks on our distribution list, maybe they read the research and started My Panera Membership Card. Love to see more of this, but even from the article below, they are just tapping into the true potential of what they could do. Big brands understand they need a loyalty solution and now we need small business owners to realize the same. The smaller guys need a better solution than the big boys to strengthen... [Read More...]
Budget Bucks is that Cash Back?
Better late than never but there is quite a bit to be desired with the offer. It’s good to see that major brands are starting to wake up to cash back rewards, after all they do have a number of 7 figure marketing folks who should be figuring this out based on all the research. But, mailing a coupon weeks later is not the most efficient manner and very costly. See if you can find the other problems and I will contact Budget and let them... [Read More...]
White Paper the three R’s of Retail
Editor’s Note: Interesting read below, the last paragraph summarizes what many are realizing. I will be authoring a White Paper on the three R’s of marketing which have replaced the three R’s we used to focus on in school. The three R’s of the new digital age ar 1. Relevance 2. Relationship 3. Rewards When the three R’s are followed correctly, then the fourth R kicks in ROI. Although these three R’s... [Read More...]
Engaging Individual Customers
Side Note: Notice the distrust of consumers as one of the driving motivations of change. Transparency, accountability, community, and relevance are the 4 key words every business should ask of their loyalty provider. If companies in the loyalty space are not experts in these four areas, hang up the phone. Editor’s Note: The writing is on the wall (this comes from the book of Daniel and what happens afterwards is not pretty) blasting... [Read More...]
How to Increase Activations
Editor’s Note: Game Stop’s new loyalty solution is vastly improved over the older version. We will spare the details here, but there are a number of good things Game Stop is doing which every business should copy. First off, get employees engaged like the gentleman below, this is outstanding training and no customer enters Game Stop without having the loyalty program explained (with a nice flyer you see here.) Secondly, make... [Read More...]
Word of Mouth Champions Loyalty
What is the best form of advertising? Answer: Word of Mouth Editor’s Note Research Article Below: The real power of social media is not in a bowling center, restaurant, or local business creating a Facebook presence or tweeting on Twitter. Of course they should, but to ignore the real power of Social Media with word of mouth referrals is a big mistake. The proper customer loyalty program will cause customers to share their experiences... [Read More...]
New Look of JC Penney from CEO
Loyalty Lesson of History – Protect Your Business Today Brief history of James Cash Penney, launching in Wyoming 1902 or J.C. Penney as we know them today. The actual name of the very first store which opened in Kemmerer, WY. was not J.C. Penney, but The Golden Rule. Ironically, the very name of the founder along with the name of the first store should be adhered to more closely than the creation of a new logo. Maybe his name should... [Read More...]
Latest Loyalty Research Impt Info
Wall Street Journal Loyalty Report
Feb. 16, 2011, 8:01 a.m. EST Wow, what a statement (directly under the title). Sure this sounds like common sense, then why do over 90% of businesses I frequent not offer anything? Small business owners are in crisis mode, any business not offering some type of reward to their customers or utilizing some type of loyalty solution are ignoring every major research study in the market. There has never been a more important time to reward... [Read More...]
How to Form the Best Loyalty Strategy
Editor’s Notes: This is a long, fairly extensive article which requires some background knowledge to fully understand, but it covers some very important subjects, here are the top three points just in case you are too busy to read it all A system tied to transactions designed to gather customer data for relevant communication is becoming mandatory for survival. We live in a technology driven world which causes change at rapid levels.... [Read More...]
Research Study Influence of Rewards
Editor’s Notes: Without giving you the entire report, the research is staggering. Just 1% cash back rewards causes people to spend more, go into debt and pay more in fees than their reward! Imagine what cash back rewards of 5% or 10% or more will do for a business location without any debt or credit card application required? It’s absolutely staggering what cash back rewards can do and yet how many businesses do we see with... [Read More...]
Important Email Research 2011
Six email marketing trends for 2011 Thursday February 3, 2011 Editor’s Note: I know you think I wrote this article since we have been talking about these various issues for years! Watch for our new whitepaper this weekend, the entire marketing and loyalty landscape is finally catching up and yours for the taking! Our solutions are far ahead of the vast majority and small merchants are clueless (even the big boys are behind) ... [Read More...]
Fox Makes Super Bowl Ad History
Editor’s Note: This is the start of a new interactive advertising trend. We have numerous strategies on how to do this for bigger brands who might desire to synergize their media with in-person visits and track their campaigns via district or area. I won’t go into all the detail here, besides, we will announce things later in 2011, we already have enough on the plate now But, check this out during the 4th quarter of the game... [Read More...]
India Wide Open for Coalition
According to COLLOQUY’s Hlavinka, companies are struggling with a sustainable way to drive profitable growth throughout the world. “While the exact reasons may vary a bit from region to region, there are two challenges we all share. The first is the fragmentation of media and communications channels to reach customers. The second is the shift in power to the consumer in determining how and when to engage with companies they do business... [Read More...]
Qdoba Not Much Better
Editors Note: Here is another big boy making all kinds of fundamental mistakes. See if you can find three of them, two which come out near the end of the article although there are others throughout. BTW: I have spoken to Qdoba about their program and they acknowledged these mistakes in their previous loyalty program which ran for years. This is supposed to be the attempt to fix the problems. If you represent our solutions, you know you... [Read More...]
Papa Johns Super Bowl Mistake
Editors Note: Better Ingredients, Better Pizza, Horrible Marketing. The only wise thing about the announcement below is saving 6 million per minute on the Super Bowl. Large companies continue to make super mistakes with their loyalty initiatives. Many people might say something is better than nothing, but Papa Johns should know better. But then again, very few seem to have any knowledge of how to run a loyalty program so the good news... [Read More...]
Clipping for Recognition Groupon
Editors Note: You may run into a host of new competitors in the ‘Groupon’ space but as you can see, employing a loyatly program is the next step to success. There are many reasons for this we will not go into here, but our solutions will soon be even more important to business owners as this model progresses. There are some basic mistakes made in the recommendations below, (the same ones we always see) but they are on the right... [Read More...]
Customer Loyalty Research Southwest Airlines
Editor’s Note: I just wrote into the author of the article below as well as Southwest on how they should fix their loyalty issues and stand out from the crowd. This is still wide open and can be ready for one of our private labels to explain. Here is a brief step by step version on how they should fix their loyalty program and do something totally unique which we have yet to see from any airline. Issue cash back rewards instead of points.... [Read More...]
Sample Ford Letter
Many of you have requested the sample letter to give you an idea of how and why you might secure free vehicles from local dealerships. Here is the idea and this letter can be tweaked based on the recipient to get business owners even more free products and services. These concepts can be used for any business as the originator or the recipient. I have also included sample fundraising materials we created for another client and what you... [Read More...]
Trustworthiness Key to Marketing Success and Quality
Sorry to keep sending you info, but all this research is important to understand, especially the article below. Amazing to note that only 1 out of 5 consumers believe any business they have frequented (and that includes Fortune 100 companies with million dollar loyalty programs) have communicated with them based on purchases or relevant information based on their desires or habits. Over 80% of customers said they are ready to hand over even... [Read More...]
Coalition Research 2011 Wise Marketer
Why coalition loyalty schemes will always win There are two basic points of view to be considered when discussing the business case for introducing – or keeping – a customer loyalty programme: Some industry observers have argued that a loyalty programme s often unnecessary because it’s just a way of spending money rewarding customers who would probably have been loyal anyway. Others, however, have recognised that the real... [Read More...]
Relevance and Engagement Lead 2011 Initiatives
The 7 Biggest Mistakes Restaurant Owners Make
FROM: www.RestaurantOwner.com - The Seven Biggest Mistakes that Independent Restaurant Owners Make Trying To Become Branded… Let me be the first to tell you.. “Forget it!”… You can’t take “branding” to the bank… only cash! Second, you don’t have enough money in your budget! Leave the branding to Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Ford and all the other big boys. Not Having A Customer List… Get everyone’s name, address,... [Read More...]
Top 3 ideas from past research
Here is an excellent conglomerate of bite sized research for your files from 2009. I have the 2010 results to verify the info below, here is ONE simple idea (from the research below) that works every time and yet very few business owners do it. If you would like PHASE 2 to the idea below, let me know. Business Synergy: Bowling Centers, Restaurants, Car Washes, Cleaners (you name it) take their gift and rewards card loaded with free games... [Read More...]
Gift Card Research 2010 with Videos
2010 Gift Card Research Article Below: I have included three 5 minute videos explaining how businesses can increase revenue with their gift card with our ability to track gift and rewards (and free games of bowling or any custom widget) on the card. We illustrate with bowling center’s but it’s the same concept for any business. Very few of our clients are using the full benefits of gift card marketing for frequency and increased spending... [Read More...]
Restaurant Profit Tip of The Year
Notice my message from RestaurantOwner.com Apparently this Misty person has gone down in the annals of marketing mastery by following a few principles listed below. Notice by doing just the bare bones basics she has tripled in size, (what recession) imagine if she used some of our creative principles which have been proven to work even better than below? If you would like my article on how to create membership benefits into any business,... [Read More...]
What Sponsors Look For in Loyalty Programs
From the article below, major sponsors such as Pepsi are looking for certain aspects within a loyalty program to justify participation and funding. Although the information below is couched inside of an article on Foursquare, the real value prop is illustrated below and we deliver EVERYTHING and then some mentioned below. Here they are.. Communicating a value prop when the customer is near or inside of a location where the product is being sold... [Read More...]
Loyalty Leaders In London Reveal Future
EDITORS NOTE: The article below is a little long and sometimes hard to understand or clarify what’s applicable. But, there are a few trends emerging which you need to be aware of if you don’t have time to digest all this info. The future of loyalty is all about transparency, accountability, trustability, relevance, and cause marketing. Blasting text messages or email messages without a query capability of the database will soon... [Read More...]
Customers Turn Promiscuous, Want Marriage Solutions
EDITORS NOTE: Important read below if you want to stay ahead of the curve. The bottom line is that customers are promiscuous, they need relevant and targeted treatment and the retail marketplace is changing rapidly. The bigger view is that your establishment needs to be MORE than just a purchase, it needs to be an experience. We know how to do this by tapping into all of the key emotions to keep the romance between customers and business owners... [Read More...]
New Coalition Program Ireland – U.S. Lessons
EDITORS NOTE: Think Ireland is unique? Of course not, these are ideal programs to keep business local, fund local communities and empower business owners in a community. Our program is vastly superior on many fronts to this points based program below. But if a program like below generates worldwide press coverage, imagine what your coalition program will generate when custom cash back, real time tracking and accountability, multiple functions... [Read More...]
Download Now: Forrester’s recommendations for 2011 budget planning
Forrester’s 2011 budget planning forecast Download Now | Read Online Forrester’s recommendations for 2011 budget planning Predictions for social media, SEM, mobile and multichannel marketing Dear Steve: Have you started planning your 2011 budget? Do you know what channels you should invest in?In this independent report, Forrester Research provides best practices, tips, and strategies to help marketers spend their marketing... [Read More...]
7 Words Sum Up Marketing
Editors Note: Please take the time to read the brief article below. Bowling Rewards, Loyal Patron and AcG have focused on these 7 words for years. Today however, the very first word KNOW is becoming more important and is often referred to as a different word RELEVANCE. You see, in today’s email, Facebook, and text marketing world, most businesses are simply BLASTING their same offers to EVERYONE. Consumers have spoken loud and clear,... [Read More...]
Cash Back Instant Redemption is King
Instant redemption ‘best loyalty incentive’ Cash Back Instant Redemption Cited by over 83% of Consumers Wednesday December 1, 2010 While loyalty programmes are powerful marketing tools for credit card companies, supermarkets and restaurants, it is the idea of ‘instant redemption’ that entices almost half of consumers to favour one rewards programme above another, according to research from Mintel. In examining the driving... [Read More...]