Canadian Retailer - Holiday 2013 - 7

Loyalty
and Sales this Holiday
Season and Beyond

How to build

By Stephane Latreille, Vice President, Retail and CPG, Canada, Aimia

he holiday season is upon us and leading
retailers have already kick-started their
holiday shopping season by wooing
existing shoppers through their customer loyalty
programs. Retailers across Canada are increasing
their investment in the traditional transactionbased loyalty efforts because of the proven success
of rewarding customers for their purchases.

customer experiences. They aren't using pre- and an improved mobile experience and the traditional
post-purchase interactions at key moments to members-only benefits such as giving members
best understand how people move from curious advance notice of special sales.
consumer to retail loyalist.
Then there is the Chapters Indigo plum
The most successful loyalty efforts engage and capture rewards program which provides personalized
people's preferences before, during, and after the recommendations on products based on member
transaction. This is a huge opportunity for retailers to activity such as purchase history and preferences
build loyalty when consumers check in at your store, within account profiles, helping their members save
For instance, Toys "R" Us invited its 35 million search online, share their purchases on social media, both money and time. Gearing up for the holiday
Rewards "R" Us members to earn 10 percent back or even when they upload post-purchase reviews and season, the program offered members 'sneak peak
on qualifying toy purchases through Halloween. related data via an interactive app.
sales' on everything in their 'holiday ready shop'.
They got their earnings, up to $100, via an e-gift
card in November, as shopping season ramped Understanding this, Best Buy, for one, has Today, to truly succeed in building a holistic
into full swing.
"reinvented" its Reward Zone® program (now approach to loyalty with often-changing customers,
called My Best Buy™). Its enhanced benefits include retailers need to do three things:
Most brands, though, are missing the great providing free shipping for online orders of at least
opportunity to use insights gleaned from key $25, bonus points for "checking in" at the stores, 1. Link customer data to search to be able to predict
and provide customers and potential customers
with relevant, timely and personalized offers.
2. Capture customer data and information
INFLECTION POINTS:
throughout the entire purchase process - from
SEIZING THE MOMENTS IN CUSTOMER LOYALTY
the initial browsing to purchase and postThese 10 inﬂection points mark the most critical stages in a customer's journey from newly acquired to brand
advocate. By deploying loyalty systems, analytical tools, and best practices, you can ensure deeper relationships,
transaction.
enhanced loyalty, and greater lifetime value.
3. Encourage and reward customers willing to
provide their data and preferences throughout
their interactions with your brand.
BEFORE SHE WALKS
IN THE DOOR

AT THE FIRST SIGN
OF TROUBLE

DURING A
LIFE CHANGE

WHEN SHE JOINS YOUR
LOYALTY PROGRAM

Break down the
data silos and leverage
analytics to identify
high-potential customers.

Use customer data
and in-store
technology to
improve service.

Deliver personalized,
relevant offers to
help her navigate
the journey.

Make enrolment
seamless and
demonstrate immediate
program value.

DURING MAKE-GOOD
OPPORTUNITIES

DURING PROGRAM
REDEMPTIONS
Deliver a ﬂawless
redemption experience
and add value
through partnerships.

Reward early
signs of relationship
engagement with
positive reinforcement.

Once retailers go beyond transaction-based, cashback programs, they then can begin to identify and
engage people at the important moments in their
purchase journey to deliver a superior experience
across every brand touch point, online and off.

AT THE FIRST SIGN
OF LIFE

Connect your
touch points to
resolve service issues
across channels.

Consider what Guess® is doing. The company is
encouraging shoppers to download a mobile app,
which incorporates a loyalty measurement. It
tracks points from previous purchases and now
includes a gift-giving guide for the holidays. As a
result, Guess gathers more information about its
customers' personal preferences.

There are 10 key moments - Inflection Points
- that provide retailers with an opportunity
to identify, engage and build greater loyalty
with their customers. The image below helps
to explain them:

WHEN YOU EXCEED
EXPECTATIONS

WHEN YOU ANTICIPATE
HER NEEDS

WHEN SHE SINGS
YOUR PRAISES

Deploy the right tools
and training to go
above and beyond
for best customers.

Distribute customer proﬁles
across service channels to fulﬁl
a need before she's even aware
that her need is unfulﬁled.

To foster advocates,
give best customers
a voice and a seat
at the table.

When loyalty programs are extended to support a
differentiated customer experience, retailers can go beyond
transaction-based programs, and engage customers at key
inflection moments to drive greater loyalty and sales this
holiday season and beyond.

- Stephane Latrielle is Vice President of Retail
and CPG in Canada for Aimia, a global leader
in loyalty.

http://aimia.com

Canadian Retailer - Holiday 2013

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