Mobile-based loyalty programmes are fast becoming more commonplace. Square is on hand to give you the information you need to get set up with Square Loyalty.
What is a mobile-based loyalty programme?
A mobile-based loyalty programme is perfect for the local business that wants to reward customers. Printed loyalty cards tend to get lost or damaged, while a mobile-based programme doesn’t have that problem and comes with plenty of other benefits too.
With a mobile customer loyalty programme, your customers will always be able to get the points to earn the rewards you set. It often takes less than a minute to get someone signed up, they can get an app on their phone so they’ll always have the card with them.
With a mobile loyalty programme, you can set notifications, so customers get up-to-date information on their points and rewards. It keeps your business constantly at the forefront of their mind.
Why your business should set up a mobile loyalty programme
There are lots of reasons why you should set up a mobile loyalty programme for your business. Making sure that it’s the right time will benefit everyone.
Customers are more likely to return if they have a good relationship with that business. A rewarding loyalty programme that is easy to set up and easy to use, is a perfect way of retaining and engaging your customers regularly.
Users of a mobile customer loyalty programme are 37% more likely to return to that business so it’s worth taking the time to get it right.
With your loyalty programme, you can set up rewards to incentivise people to come back. They’ll feel valued, and you can enjoy repeat purchases and increased revenue.
If customers feel valued, they’ll recommend your business to other people which can in turn lead to more sales, more signups for your loyalty programme and a potential increase in profits.
Why go mobile?
We all know that loyalty cards are extremely popular and work very well. There are multiple big brands that use loyalty schemes to reward customers for repeat business. However, a lot of them started with paper or credit card style cards which would get lost, thrown away by accident or simply forgotten about.
According to an iVend Retail survey, customers say loyalty programmes determine where they shop, so having an easy-to-use and accessible loyalty programme is only going to grow your business. Customer loyalty programmes are more attractive to those in the 20–34-year-old age bracket, and 68 percent said they would change their shopping habits and choose a different brand for a good loyalty scheme.
With a loyalty programme, it also gives you the opportunity to gain digital insights into your customers and their habits when they buy from you. You can personalise rewards or use the information to make sure your marketing is targeting the right people.
How to set up your own programme
Build a brand
When naming a loyalty programme, you have to make sure that people will remember it. A short snappy title is the best way to ensure you’re more memorable so customers will want to use your business more often and they’ll refer you to friends and family.
Create your programme
To create your programme and get it working successfully, you first have to get a few ideas down: How will customers earn their points, what rewards will they get, how do you provide the reward and is the reward beneficial to the customer?
Firstly, points. How are they going to be earned? Will it be per purchase, per pound or a set amount e.g., for every £5 spent, earn a point. This system must benefit both the customer and your business so make sure that points are relatively easily achieved.
What thresholds do you have for points and what does the customer get once they earn those rewards? Main rewards are item discounts, percentage discounts, a free item or maybe money-off vouchers.
The rewards also have to be meaningful. They have to be something the customer will use. Using your Square dashboard, you can get feedback to gain customer insights into what they would want. This is a great way to build the great loyalty programme you want. Using the Square loyalty programme, you will have the best advice readily available at your fingertips to help your regulars feeling special.
Encourage sign-ups
Making it easy for customers to sign up is possibly the most important thing to think of when you set up your Square Loyalty programme.
Letting them sign up at the checkout online, with the benefits easily visible in bullet point format, is a great way of getting more sign-ups. Have a clear print out at the physical checkout in-store too. With Square Loyalty, customers can get set up with just a phone number in under a minute.
Use Square Marketing to promote your programme on your emails to customers and you can even send automated text messages. With easy opt-in and opt-out features, it’s a great way of getting noticed.
Social media is always a good way to get new people signing up to loyalty programmes. You can offer a discount on their first purchase if they sign up using a special code and get them involved in the conversation surrounding your loyalty programme.
Word-of-mouth is old school, but probably the best way of getting new sign-ups. If your programme is amazing and everyone wants to rave about it, they’ll tell their friends and family. Arrange a referral scheme so people will want to spread the word to gain even more points or rewards.
Mobile-based loyalty programmes are the next step in customer loyalty retention. Earning points should be easy, the rewards should be meaningful and beneficial to both the customer and you – through referrals – and it needs to be easy to sign up to. Look at Square Loyalty today to find out how you can get your mobile-based loyalty programme off the ground.