Loyalty Programs

Best Buy is testing a new annual membership program that comes with perks like tech support, free shipping, and extended warrantees on smartphones or other purchases. The consumer electronics retailer said in a corporate blog post Wednesday that the program is available at some stores in Iowa, Oklahoma and eastern Pennsylvania. Later this month, it will expand…

2020 might be over on the calendar, but there’s still much we’re learning and adjusting to as we begin 2021. The pandemic forced retailers into a digital acceleration unlike anything we’ve seen before. Add to that drastic changes in consumer behavior. Needless to say, as we begin this new year, there are many trends retail…

Chances are you belong to a customer loyalty program. A recent Mintel report shows that 90 percent of U.S. adults have at least one loyalty membership. But here’s the question: Have you ever used the program or benefited from membership? If your answer is a hard no, you're not alone. The average consumer belongs to…

Loyalty programs have been table stakes in retail marketing for many years, and it’s easy to understand why. Rewarding customers for shopping with the brands they love is a win-win scenario. However, through all the seismic changes in retail and e-commerce in recent years, the playing field looks very different from even a few short…

A lot has changed since the marketplace was visited by the coronavirus. Businesses closed down. Schools closed down. Restaurants closed down. Retailers were forced to close down, too. At last count, since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March, 22 retailers have filed for Chapter 11. That makes a total of 42 retailers this year, and…

In this episode of Retail Right Now, Total Retail's Joe Keenan and Kristina Stidham discuss an article recently published on Total Retail, “5 Keys to a Successful Online Retail Loyalty Program,” authored by Tara Bartley, senior manager of retail at Akamai Technologies. The article shares how retailers can foster customer loyalty with fast, frictionless and…

Loyalty programs can help online retailers improve customer retention, increase cross-sell and upsell opportunities, and expand margins and revenues. However, poor user experiences can impair customer satisfaction and hamper loyalty programs. Today’s consumers expect fast, friction-free and secure interactions from any device. To unleash the full potential of their loyalty program, retailers need to accelerate…

Consumer shopping behavior has changed, and the holidays will look different this year. Since in-store shopping has declined, brands are looking for ways to drive their e-commerce business and move the needle before the end of the year. However, the online space has become cluttered and confusing. Stand out by running chance-to-win promotions that are designed to motivate…

While COVID has been an “unprecedented disruption” for business and consumers, it’s clearly been an accelerant for existing trends. For retailers, this includes “Retail Darwinism.” Retailers filing for bankruptcy is nothing new, but regardless of a vaccine or another “unprecedented” event, failure to understand the context that made COVID exacerbate retail’s challenges will only leave…

While many studies have assessed the efficacy of retail loyalty programs and their influence in driving desired member behaviors, little has been researched as to the consumer perception of these programs in relationship to the perception of the brands themselves. Are these programs elevating the brand … or are retail loyalty programs damaging the brand…