Steve’s Blog

Blog Mission
Implementing the proper customer loyalty solution is probably the most important decision a business owner can make in helping to lift profitability and reduce costs. The type or location of the business is irrelevant. Research has verified across every model that people spend more money and visit more frequently if they are valued, recognized and appreciated. Yet today, many business owners do not even have a simple cash back rewards program in place let alone a single sign on loyalty solution designed for effective and relevant communication to a targeted database. This blog reviews rewards and loyalty programs from the biggest Fortune 500 companies to show what they are doing right as well as what we feel they are doing wrong based on our expertise and research. We welcome your opinions and think you will be surprised as many of these ‘mistakes’ seem to be fundamental in nature and not open to debate.

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 their... [Read More...]

Holiday Sharing is Easy at Starbucks

Using Gift Cards Properly for the Holiday Season:  Lesson from Starbucks Just received my email notice from Starbucks and wanted to point out the basic marketing mistakes which continue to cost Starbucks millions of dollars in lost revenue.  These updates show the importance of understanding marketing and how to utilize customer loyalty solutions.   Scroll down and notice the offer to purchase Starbucks Cards.  Also notice there is no incentive... [Read More...]

Best Buy Business Synergy Training

We have written about Best Buy many times in our blog on www.wildboarstraining.com   The purpose of this update is to illustrate how easy it is to open up business synergy strategies.   Notice when I buy 6 bottles of wine for X amount of dollars, I receive 2000 points from Best Buy.  Do I even know what 2000 points means?  Of course I don’t, it’s one of the many mistakes Best Buy makes with their program, but you get the idea.   Whether... [Read More...]

Arby’s Gift Card No Rewards No Fundraising

Notice Arby’s gift card has NO REWARDS capabilities and of course no fundraising even though they are marketing the gift cards for back to school.  Notice they can’t issue the free shake on the card, you have to download a coupon L Notice the mistake of not offering a free shake no strings attached.  If you are a bowling center, would your local Arby’s like to accept YOUR card at Arby’s which can do so much more than their gift card. ... [Read More...]

The Holy Grail of Loyalty

    Welcome to the September 9, 2010 edition of The Wise Marketer! EDITORS NOTE: This is high level customer loyalty research but let me simplify the points for you just in case you don’t want to digest the content. If you read below, you will know what I mean, there are very few who understand how to achieve the below and if they are trying, the cost is huge. We can do this, but it’s above most of our clients heads so we need to simplify... [Read More...]

American Express and Bowling

Merry Christmas!  (Just a little early) Our top 365 customers from now until Jan 1st (who visit the most NOT spend the most) will win 365 FREE GAMES OF BOWLING!  Come in every day and you’re GUARANTEED to win.  No purchase necessary, just come in and swipe your card and go!  Redeem up to TWO free games per day NO EXPIRATION DATE!  All kinds of prizes will be handed out from now until Christmas, join the fun now see our website for details... [Read More...]

Bank of America Customers get Cash Back

Bank of America offers cash back for their customers to selected stores for a limited time.  No points here, over 80% of consumers indicated they prefer cash back yet almost every loyalty program outside of credit card companies issues points.    We bring the power of cash back with the convenience of a non-credit card.  Of course we offer many other advantages Bank of America is unable to offer, but understanding cash back, how and when to... [Read More...]

Target Missing Target Part 2

Target Alert Part 2 AD BELOW:  Here is another very common mistake we see from companies like Target, Office Depot, Staples and many others.  I receive emails all the time with offers like you see below, $5.00 off when spending $50.00.  These offers really do nothing to secure business or loyalty and you would think our major companies would know better.  What TARGET should do is the following.    Don’t make people spend a certain amount... [Read More...]

How to Increase Revenue by 25% Overnight

Take a lesson from AMEX and learn how to run contests EVERY DAY of your business life.  Most business owners don’t even have a database let alone the ability to QUERY that database with a few mouse clicks and offer prizes as simple as $50.00 gift cards or free games of bowling, or free meals to their top 100 customers, customers who visit the most (but may not spend the most), age demographic prizes, and more.  We have a video training on how... [Read More...]

Target Alert

TARGET ALERT PRESS RELEASE BELOW: Here is a simple reason Target is struggling. The offer below is very weak and the miniscule 10% discount (while everyone is giving 25% or more during back to school) is not even store wide. We continue to report on Fortune 500 companies making seemingly obvious marketing mistakes in order to help point out the power of your solutions with Loyal Patron and our private label. Imagine the difference if I received... [Read More...]

Consumers want personalized e-mail from marketers

Good research article Mr. Miller:  Since 85% of customers want their email preference at registration, do we address this in the new host and customized registration process?  Should we even create a custom section EMAIL PREFERENCE and make this a sort?  Just FYI Iris Dorbian June 07 2010 More than half of US and UK consumers said they would be more receptive to e-mails from marketers if they were personalized and highly-targeted. That is among... [Read More...]

Starbucks Blog Fathers Day Update

Just in from Starbucks, buy Dad a Starbucks Card! Want to know what would have made Starbucks MILLIONS of dollars in additional revenue? Just a simple little insight without going into the numerous other issues surrounding Starbucks Loyalty? Here it is…. Offer a REWARD to customers who purchase a Starbucks Card for their Dad. In other words here is how it might look GET PAID TO BUY DAD A STARBUCKS CARD! Purchase a $25.00 Starbucks Card for Dad... [Read More...]

Office Max Rewards or Discounts – How to Experiment – The Difference

 The email below is a perfect illustration on combining rewards and discounting for selected items.   Notice the bonus reward is for a certain group of brands only, this can be an excellent strategy for any retailer and lead to significant sponsorship dollars and added funding.  More on this in a later blog update.  ASSIGNMENT:  Consult your clients, show them this email as an example but instead of offering 20% off on selected items, give... [Read More...]

Office Depot – Rewards and Marketing Analysis

Office Depot is employing some good ideas we have mentioned for a long time.  I am starting to see a few more of these concepts come to market but they could use a better implementation system than what we see below.  But, there are a number of good things to highlight as strategies to employ for all business models.  Here they are…  Notice the FREE PAPER offer below which has a value of $37.99 retail when ordering online with a purchase of... [Read More...]

Best Buy Reward Zone Jumps Into Dining

Best Buy trying to use business synergy to increase the value of their REWARDS ZONE Customer Loyalty program.  Ok, let’s breakdown all the ways this program could be much better with Loyal Patron.  Fellow piglets, as you can see I am NOT making this stuff up, it’s all right here in the email.  These large companies make so many fundamental marketing mistakes it’s ridiculous.  The good news is you have all the answers.  Here is the breakdown... [Read More...]

Mall Marketing Makeover

The email below from Twin Peaks Mall Colorado (attention FK of Colorado) offers some unique insights and a tremendous value prop for our resellers and private label clients. Find decision makers or marketing executives of malls and propose the following solutions using the email below as an example. We can do soooooo much better than he ideas below Here is the breakdown. Notice the sweepstakes from May 1-8 enter a chance to win prizes for Mom. Notice... [Read More...]

Hewlett Packard Marketing

HP LOSES THEIR MIND! OFFERS FREE LASER PRINTERS – MEMORIAL WEEKEND ONLY. Simply purchase any HP Laser Jet Printer and receive 100% rewards on your HP Loyalty and Rewards card! That’s right, it’s like the printers are FREE! If we ever wish to advise our clients of a very powerful promotion, let them know to do this with selected merchandise if not with the entire product line or every menu item for a limited time or during selected hours.... [Read More...]

May 2010 Office Depot Rewards Analysis: – OFFER BELOW

Ok, let’s analyze how this program could improve drastically so we don’t make the same mistakes.  Remember, our clients can’t afford to lose millions like the big brands so we need to get it right the first time.  We owe this competence to our clients.  We have already covered the numerous foundational problems such as my rewards are NOT loaded on my card but instead mailed to me in the form of a coupon weeks after the transaction.  This... [Read More...]

Hewlett Packard – Free Printer Strategy

WildBoarsHPPost  Read More →

Gulf Oil Spill and Customer Loyalty

How is Customer Loyalty and the Gulf Oil Spill connected?  The mistakes causing problems could have been avoided for pennies out of the petty cash drawer.  Companies can prosper for years before they realize the mistakes of their ways.  Many executives at top firms are on the take and getting paid to look the other way. There is no accountability or transparency. The problems end up spreading very rapidly and often occur most below the surface. Unless... [Read More...]

Game Stop Starts Over

Notice Game Stop already SCRAPPED the previous rewards program we wrote about earlier, this one will soon be headed for the scrap heap as well.  I spoke with Game Stop HQ around 5 years ago regarding their previous program and pointed out to them the many reasons why the program was destined for failure. The previous program was so bad, I used Game Stop rewards cards as the ideal illustration of ineptitude.  Oh well, it only cost them 7 million... [Read More...]

Del Frisco’s Steak House Rest. Rewards Analysis

New Press Release May 28th Memorial Day Weekend 2010 (Press Release Below)  World renowned and award winning Del Frisco’s Steak House decided to roll-out their new restaurant rewards program.  DF wanted a special way to show recognition to their loyal customers.  Unfortunately, they made numerous mistakes and we are sure you can spot them.   Here are just a few just to get you rolling.  They are so obvious we are not giving extra credit to... [Read More...]

Papa Murphy’s Cash Back Rewards vs Eclub

Papa Murphy’s and Cash Back Rewards vs Eclub Papa Murphy’s has some of the best pizza on the planet but they don’t have a rewards program!  I recently signed up for their eClub which you can learn about here http://www.papamurphys.com/#eClub My recent experience at Papa Murphy’s brings up an excellent opportunity to discuss a key problem with many of these email type clubs or discount card programs we often see kids selling door to door... [Read More...]

An Ace in the Hole Might Describe the Ace Hardware Rewards Program

While we have reported some good news with other programs in the recent past, we can’t do the same for Ace Hardware. Our Wild BOARS training does not pull any punches and although we try not to be negative, we must report the facts? The role of our blog is a training one designed to help others not make mistakes which cost them valuable ROI.  In my opinion, here is what I see with Ace Hardware which is costing then valuable profits.  How do I... [Read More...]

2010 Update Best Buy not using Best Practices

The graphics below represent several emails I received from Best Buy as a member of their rewards program. Let’s review these practices and point out where we feel they fall short in delivering the best ROI possible. NOTE: One of the reasons we critique companies such as Best Buy is NOT to make their program look bad.   Best Buy is a great company in many aspects, but we feel they are falling short when it comes to best practices for loyalty... [Read More...]

March 2010 OfficeMax Update – Great News, Good News and Bad News!

Ok, first the great news! Maybe some of  these companies have been reading our BLOGS! For the first time in years I am actually seeing strategies we have been suggesting for years become a reality! I am very excited to see some of these larger companies finally speaking the right language with their customers. Just take a look at the new email I received today March 5th, 2010 and here is the great news. Notice how they are NOT reducing prices (on... [Read More...]

Starbucks Does Good!

Congratulations to Starbucks! The offer below is exactly the type of offers we should be seeing more often. Ok, for our Wild B.O.A.R.S. I want you to develop three other offers which might be even better!  Just in case there is a problem reading the offer below, the email states we receive a $5.00 bonus for loading $25.00 on the Starbucks card. HINT: When Starbucks first started their card program years ago, they offered ½ pound of coffee free with... [Read More...]

Target Still Missing Target

WARNING:  Target’s strategy is a brand killer.  We are about to witness another multi-million dollar customer loyalty mistake from Target and I don’t think they can afford this type of mistake with Wal-Mart breathing down their neck.  Issuing a credit card which can only be used in Target and offers a 5% discount is NOT the answer.  A custom Target REWARDS card with 10% cash back and customized fundraising capabilities to support local schools... [Read More...]

Steve’s Experience at Best Buy

Steve’s Experience at Best Buy A number of people love Best Buy but have you heard of the Best Buy Rewards Zone?  My first encounter ( and disappointment)  with the program came when I found out the rewards I had earned from my previous purchase were not available for 4-6 weeks!   Instead of ‘loading’ rewards on my card with instant cash back, I was told I had to wait 4-6 weeks in order to receive my rewards in the mail. Say what! ... [Read More...]

Rite Aid testing customer rewards program

How about this for an incentive!  Spend enough money at Rite-aid with their new rewards program and earn enough points for the following 10% off on certain products which have been marked up 30% off a cholesterol screening FREE colonoscopy without anesthesia! Say what? This program is reaching a new bottom Rite Aid testing customer rewards program 11/05/2009 Email to a Friend  A few weeks ago, we mentioned that Rite Aid had been discussing a... [Read More...]

Office Depot Rewards Programs

Here is the latest update on the Office Depot Rewards program which still features numerous problems costing the company substantial ROI Today is October 21st, 2009, almost 10 full months into the year and I still have ZERO rewards! I have visited Office Depot at least 6 different times during the year and spent at least several hundred dollars on ONE particular visit. There are many companies who have nice POS systems, great products, strong management... [Read More...]

Best Buy Points and Business Coalition Attempts

I have NO IDEA what 135 points means do you? I am also not sure how I might spend my 135 points (whatever that may be) since the points are limited to selected items. Notice the apparent ‘coalition’ model with shared points from other business owners? Lots of mistakes here, see if you can find them. I am also not sure if I am required to use a credit card mentioned below to earn these points or if I earn points without using a credit card. Since... [Read More...]

September 2009 Office Max Rewards Update

David Letterman’s Top Ten OfficeMax Rewards Mistakes. Earlier in July of this year I stopped into my local Office Max to purchase a few printing cartridges for my HP color laser jet printer. I knew Office Max offered a rewards program but I was hoping to see if the company had taken a few of my earlier suggestions to heart as to how to improve their offering. I was not surprised to find my input had fallen on deaf ears so here is the report... [Read More...]

Steve’s Visit to Qdoba

The Q on Qdoba A friend of mine told me to try a Qdoba Burrito, the ‘best’ burrito in the world was his cry!  His recommendation was good enough for me, so off I went in my hunt for the mighty Q.  I ended up locating one in Loveland, CO. just a few miles from my home. Once I arrived, I found out about the Qdoba rewards program and was given a rewards card free of charge, very nice!  I then inquired as to HOW the program worked and this is... [Read More...]