Based on recent Australian customer loyalty program research, about 40% of every household in the country participate in customer loyalty programs. Several Australian business giants are leveraging on the efficacies of loyalty and rewards programs to improve customer experience.
Like in every other country, loyalty programs fail when the brand ignores or does not understand what the customers want the most and when they want it.
Aussies want life-improving rewards. Any loyalty program in the country offering less than that is already at a loss. Hence, for any loyalty program to thrive in Australia, it must clearly understand the customers’ ultimate needs and provide them when it matters the most.
Australia has one of the most saturated business industry. You can find hundreds of competitors for almost every brand. It’s not s news that any business that wants to operate in Australia successfully will have to take customer loyalty more seriously.
Customers want to shop where they can get value for their money and their patronage. Don’t blame Aussies for abandoning your business if they cannot get what they want.
Loyalty marketing is has a lot of significance in Australia. The government created the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to regulate loyalty and rewards programs’ operations and ensure customers’ rights are not jeopardized.
Customer loyalty programs are a top priority for the ACCC. The commission is always in check of how businesses in Australia use loyalty and rewards programs to address any practice that may lead to customers’ detriment.
Essential tips for establishing an effective customer loyalty program in Australia
The success of every loyalty program depends on understanding what best appeals to customers. The tips below are extracts of Australian customers’ popular demand based on ACCC recommendations. Put these tips at the center of your program to enjoy maximum customer loyalty.
1. Improved Customer Communications
Communication is crucial in building an intimate relationship between a brand and its customers. Brands operating loyalty programs in Australia to establish a means to communicate effectively with their loyal customers.
Aussies demand that companies present their loyalty programs’ terms and conditions to review and understand their schemes. Giving your terms and conditions confusingly or difficultly will make them abandon the program and do their business elsewhere.
Aussies also want brands to provide them with adequate notification about any changes that may occur and keep them updated to know when you want to affect the changes.
For instance, make clear and prominent notifications when your customer’s loyalty points are about to expire. Also, if there are going changes in the loyalty points earning system or the points’ redemption value, ensure that you communicate these changes to your customers and give them time to redeem their existing points balance. This notice will provide a sense of compensation for the new reduced value.
Also, you need to ensure that you flag out these chances. When customers identify that you are making hidden changes, they withdraw their trust.
2. Avoid linking payment cards to the loyalty program
Aussies don’t joke with their privacies; you can ask around. Indeed, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) seek to end the practice to decrease the risk of profiling, exclusion, and discrimination.
Though linking users’ payment cards to their loyalty program profile can help track their transaction activities and purchasing behaviors, it may scare some customers away due to fear of financial insecurity.
3. Make it simple to earn reward points
If you want Aussies to be loyal to your business, keeping it simple is the key. Don’t make your points earning system complicated for your customers. No one wants to go through stress before getting rewards for patronizing a business.
While you are planning to teach your customers how to use your program, your competitors are already launching a simple program that requires little or no technicality.
Here are a few easy ways to make your users earn points in your program:
- Award points to your customers when they sign up for your loyalty and rewards program. You can also give them reasonable incentives on their first purchase.
- Customers want to know that you recognize them. Make your customers feel important by rewarding them bonus points on their birthday or first purchase anniversary.
- Reward your customers for everything they do in favor of your brand. Offer bonus points for liking and sharing your posts on the company’s official social media page or give them access to incentives for following your social media handles.
4. Offer tangible rewards that address your customers’ needs
Offering great rewards tailored to your users’ needs will encourage your users to stay and entice new customers to join your loyalty program. It’s the key to unlock those recurring orders.
Offering your customers what they want makes them feel like you are mindful of them. Imagine you get a scholarship from a brand you are patronizing to study your dream course in one of the top universities; the feeling is inexpressible.
Meanwhile, knowing your customers’ actual wants and needs requires meticulous behavior analysis. What makes it more challenging is that your customers are diversified; so are their needs. That means you will have to diversify your rewards if you want to satisfy your customers’ heart desires.
However, it is possible to have a loyalty program that rewards users based on their personal needs. You only need to gather enough details and facts about your users to understand what they want.
Finally
Many loyalty programs are thriving in Australia. You can get maximum customer loyalty from the friendly Aussies if you clearly understand what could motivate your customers to remain loyal to your brand, making recurring heavy purchases.
However, some loyalty programs fail to sustain customer participation because they are ignorant of their customer behavior. Suppose you want to operate a customer loyalty program in Australia. In that case, I recommend that you pay deliberate attention to the above listed essential tips to drive more customer loyalty and boost your revenue.