Building customer loyalty requires a well-thought-out concept that addresses over 100 decision points, strong marketing and IT integration, and a skilled team supported by management. Loyalty programs are about creating relationships and leveraging data, rather than just launching a loyalty card. Success takes time and patience, often requiring 2-3 years to see significant returns.

1. Building Customer Loyalty A tale in 7 steps

2. 1. The Shape Shifter Lawrence of Arabia didn’t always ride a camel! Your customers will constantly surprise you Customer Knowledge is competitive advantage

3. Leveraging Customer Knowledge Notes: There’s a load of analytical approaches beyond RFM for retailers wishing to leverage customer knowledge. Not all of these appear to be easy to adopt and marketers shun analytics more out of a lack of understanding of what it can do for them. Get the experts in, listen to them – you’ll find that there’s ROI in it for you. Scoring and segmentation, propensity models, churn analysis, satisfaction scores, lifetime value metrics, Store scoring, market basket, exceptions…

4. 2. The Painter Customer flight is inevitable unless you can paint yourself into their picture Build fences, increase their switching cost Bottomline: Get your concept right

5. Getting the concept right Notes Building a loyalty program concept requires not just sound strategic thinking, but loads of rigor. The success lies in being able to detail out solutions to over 100 decision points that a loyalty program concept needs to cover. You cannot be reacting to situations as they happen! Objectives, metrics, software, membership, tiers, rules & processes, earn-burn, rewards, benefits, communication, helpdesk, partners, ROI, budgets…

6. 3. The Card Magician It’s more than a card trick Loyalty programs are a proven way to capture customer data and prevent customer flight It’s about building relationships and increasing LTV, not just launching a card

7. The Loyalty Card Notes The loyalty card is the most familiar face of a loyalty program. There are many options here as well, but the key point is that launching a card does not a loyalty program make. This space is littered with failed programs that were launched as a card and little else. Smart card, RFID, Mag stripe, bar code card, affinity cards, card variants, co-branded cards, card readers, carding…

8. 4. The Neuromancer If marketing and IT don’t shake hands, you might as well hang up your loyalty boots Technology integration is crucial to success

9. IT and the Prorgam Notes The software on which your program depends needs to be designed carefully, and should handle all aspects of your program. Retail POS solutions often offer a basic loyalty module – these are usually inadequate! The point: Don’t design your program to fit the software. Loyalty software, CRM software, analytical CRM software, marketing database, POS integration, liability tracking, points banking, campaign mgmt…

10. 5. The Band You need superheroes skilled in marketing, technology, and analytics It takes teams that are nurtured and last It takes patience and top management buy in

11. The Loyalty manager Notes The team that drives the program internally needs to be composed of skills that are difficult to find in any market. Direct marketing, CRM and Loyalty skills need to be nurtured and the team needs top management support. Importantly, you will need to rely on the right partners to come in with specific skills. Loyalty manager, loyalty agency, CRM consultant, IT team, Software developer, events & promotions team, rewards team, creative agency...

12. 6. The Campaigner Loyalty programs throw up a wealth of data driven campaigns Good campaign management allows you to handle hundreds of segments and communications simultaneously

13. Campaign Management Notes Campaign management practices are better established amongst the banks than retailers, but here is where the real pay-off is. Leverage campaign management tools as they will allow you to run hundreds of targeted campaigns which really do pay off, as compared to a few festival offers and generic promotions. Campaign calendar, welcome kit, statements, coupons, day-part based, cross sell, activation, churn prevention, win-back, relationship building…

14. 7. The Timekeeper Building loyalty takes money, time and patience Assume it will take you 2-3 years to truly reap benefits You’re in it for the long run, aren’t you?

15. A matter of patience Notes Set expectations right. To launch a program AND expect a jump in sales within 6 months is pushing it. Building up a quality member base (no mass enrolments), setting up the back end, campaign management – these all take time and effort, and the metrics to measure success take time to show the returns. Points liability, breakage, ROI, enrolment, member base, activity levels, satisfaction scores, incremental revenues, wallet share, referrals

16. To Summarize Customers shape-shift You need to paint yourself into their world with a good concept Loyalty programs are more than card magic You need to get marketing and IT in sync The team needs top management buy in The pay off is in the data led campaigns The pay off comes with patience

17. Cartesian Consulting www.cartesianconsulting.com Sandeep Mittal (BE - Pune Univ, IIM-Cal): The Business Head of Cartesian, Sandeep has 7 years of varied experience spanning CRM, analytics, loyalty program management, direct marketing and website development. With past stints as an entrepreneur heading a technology startup and a music portal, Sandeep spearheads the Cartesian practice. Sandeep can be reached at [email_address]