The first sale, with a new customer, is always important. But, it's the second, third, sixth, and 10th sale that should really get your attention. It is seven times more expensive to find a new customer than it is to keep one. As a result, continually chasing new customers will hurt your bottom line. One successful method for retaining loyal customers is with a customer rewards program app.

Why should your business have a Customer Loyalty Program?

A customer loyalty program builds relationships with your customers where, if they provide repeat business, your company rewards them with a free item or discount. Not only does this help to increase customer engagement, but it improves sales, your business reputation, customer retention, and trust in your business.

How to Create Your Own Rewards Program App

The good news is that today’s technology and tools make it incredibly easy for businesses to implement a loyalty program on an app.When it comes to actually creating the app, there are several ways you can go about it.The option that will best suit your business depends on a number of factors, including your type of business, your goals for the program, what demographic your main customer base falls into, and how much time and money you’re willing to invest in the program.

Here are some tips on how to create your own loyalty & rewards app for your business...

Tip #1: Use a Loyalty App Provider

These days, it is incredibly easy for businesses to set up and manage their digital loyalty programs with a loyalty app provider. This is the quickest and easiest way for a business implement a digital loyalty program.

Looking to Go Digital with Your Loyalty Program?

Stamp Me makes it easy.

• Digital punch card
• Customise rewards
• Retain customers
• Boost sales
• Set up a Birthday Club
• Send Push Notifications & SMS
• Access customer data & view activity
• Stand out against your competitors
• Plus Much More....

Learn more about Stamp MeHow it worksInstead of investing a lot of time and money to build your own loyalty app from scratch, merchants can instead subscribe with a loyalty app provider (like ours) and pay a monthly or annual fee for the service.Most small businesses, like independent retailers or cafes/restaurants, simply don’t have the budget, need or business size to invest capital into building and maintaining their own custom app, like a large organisation or enterprise. Therefore using a loyalty app provider usually makes the most sense.The ongoing cost of a loyalty card app varies between each provider, however it is generally very affordable. As an example, the Stamp Me Loyalty App that we offer to merchants typically costs between $20 and $50 per month. You can find out the exact pricing of our loyalty app here.Most loyalty app subscription services, like Stamp Me, are commitment-free and can be cancelled at any time. This makes it a safe option for small businesses who are looking to get their loyalty program off the ground quickly, manage their cash flow without having to invest or commit too much.Here are some of the best loyalty app providers in the market.If you are looking to create loyalty app that is fully customised with your own branding and custom features, you may like to check out our custom rewards solutions. This option is usually for brands and enterprises with a larger budget.

Tip #2: Keep it Simple

Your objective should be to create profitable customer relationships for the long term. And, you want to create a loyalty app that caters to your customer's needs and wants. This is a generalization, but if your customers come in for your famous fried chicken, they might not be impressed with a reward such as a vegan burger. The rewards have to make sense for your target audience.They also have to be convenient and simple. Making your customers jump through hurdles, just to get your rewards, defeats the purpose. If you have no desire to understand your customer and meet their needs with your loyalty program, then you will fail. But, if you want to design a successful customer rewards program app, keep reading to learn more.When you understand your customers, you can effectively sell more of your products and services. Furthermore, when you reach out to existing customers, you reduce your overall marketing costs. Yet, not every customer is created equal. Some customers are more loyal, and valuable than others.So, the most valuable use of your resources lies in understanding your loyal customers and offering relevant rewards when you create your own loyalty card app.

Tip #3: Understand Your Most Loyal Customers

It's truly surprising how many companies fail when it comes to understanding their most loyal customers' needs, wants, and pain points. They either never ask, or they ask the wrong questions. Here's the caveat: If you don't understand your customers, you can be assured that your competition will take the time to do so. If you want to create your own loyalty card app, then it's important to consider that customers have motivations and self-preserving thoughts.When people are in fear, it's because they are afraid of associated pain. When people come into your business--whether it be at your physical location or online--they ultimately ask this question: "What's in it for me?" And, it's a logical question to ask when they have a global variety of choices right at their fingertips. Put yourself in their position.When you purchase something from a business, aren't you concerned with your instant gratification and received benefits. When you understand this, then you can use it to design a relevant customer loyalty app. Another piece of the pie is understanding your customers' major pain points.When you understand what frustrates them the most, then you can design rewards that offer the right solutions to their problems. Yet, customer discovery should also become an ongoing process. Wants and needs can change over time. The market can change too--as can your products and services in response.Three decades ago, McDonald's was the world's most popular hamburger chain. Now, there are more Starbucks stores than there are McDonald's eateries. Consumer tastes change, so, your app should reflect that as well when you design your system and rewards. Always let the customers' needs and pain points guide your loyalty app design.

Tip #4: Review Your Loyalty Objectives

What do you expect to receive out of your customer rewards program app?A loyalty app can be quite powerful for converting first-time customers into loyal patrons and advocates for your business. Nonetheless, you need to have a goal in mind such as improving customer profitability and/or to acquire new customers who are most likely to become loyal customers. Other objectives to consider include:

• To bring back former customers.

• To increase the profitability of existing customers.

• To provide more relevant marketing campaigns after collecting important data from your loyalty app.

• Using your loyalty program to increase up-sell and cross-sell opportunities.

If you want a successful loyalty program, it's important to offer a wide variety of options that cater to your customers' tastes and preferences. You can do so when you incorporate the ability to collect data on your customers such as their lifestyles, purchase choices, purchase history, interests, and motivations.This type of intelligence gives you more of the right data to further engage and interest your customers. And, you are better equipped to achieve your loyalty program objectives.

Tip #5: Provide an incentive for customers to use the app

When a customer downloads your loyalty app, you must give them a reason to use it. It won't make sense to your customers if they can get the same incentives without your app.So, when you create a rewards program app, offer exclusive rewards for your loyalty customers who start to use it. For instance, you might bring in new customers with $15 off their first food order.We live in an age of instant gratification. Programs that offer an immediate incentive to join will be much more successful in gaining enrollment than those that don’t.Stamp Mehas found that businesses which offer a reward upon sign-up have 3 times more enrollments than programs which didn’t.The sign-up reward doesn’t need to be big; a small token of goodwill at the start goes a long way to building trust and loyalty with your program.Read more about how to create a successful offer for your rewards program app.

Tip #6: Provide an incentive for customers to use the app

A revenue-based point system is one where customers earn points with every purchase. On the other hand, they can also earn points by simply logging onto your site. It might be a tiered point system where they earn more points for purchases and fewer points for a site visit.Either way, they can accumulate points to use on free products and services. The point system works because it is simple, and easy for customers to understand. Again, making your loyalty program is essential for success. In addition, earning and accumulating points can be fun.Customers will check their points balance to see what they can get. It increases customer engagement with your company too. And, when they use their points, they truly feel valued by your company.

Tip #7: Incorporate celebrity or pop culture trends

Whenever a blockbuster movie comes out, you can find several fast food chains offering themed menus and even collectible items such as cups and toys. To illustrate, Denny's has offered a special menu when The Hobbit and Star Wars movies were released. It's fun, and it's a great marketing tactic.Whenever a blockbuster movie comes out, you can find several fast food chains offering themed menus and even collectible items such as cups and toys. To illustrate, Denny's has offered a special menu when The Hobbit and Star Wars movies were released. It's fun, and it's a great marketing tactic.Other trends can include famous celebrity looks. If your company sells makeup, you might offer a makeup bundle to recreate a Kim Kardashian look. Then, there are other trends or events such as the NBA playoffs or the Stanley Cup. Customers are already excited about these types of events.If you understand your customer's interests, then you know what types of trends to incorporate within your loyalty rewards.

In conclusion

When you create your own rewards program app, you are invested in improving customer retention, trust, satisfaction, and value. As you take the time to understand your customers' interests, then you can ensure you provide relevant offers that attract profitable customers for years to come.Stamp Me provides loyalty solutions to businesses large and small, from our own Customer Loyalty App to fully customised loyalty and rewards programs for enterprises and brands. Contact us if you would like to discuss a loyalty or rewards solution for your business or brand.

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