In this digital era, it’s easy to think of loyalty cards in very simplistic terms – a punch card for the local café or takeaway place, entitling you to a free item when you hit a certain number of visits. But this is an outdated way of looking at the concept; loyalty card schemes can aid in growing your business, increase customer retention and provide you with valuable customer insights while boosting overall customer satisfaction. 

Of course, the onus is on your business to deliver benefits to consumers, to encourage not only uptake but continued participation. Here are some of the ways a loyalty card can benefit customers, while also benefitting your business.

• best-known function of loyalty cards, but definitely not one that should be overlooked. People like to feel as though they’re getting access to something extra or exclusive, and providing special offers to customers is a simple way to do this; additionally, it provides you with feedback on which of your offers are most successful, and which ones need tweaking in future.

• Providing continuity between in-store and on-line: In a world that is increasingly encouraging omni-channel commerce, customers don’t want separation between the purchases they make instore and what they buy online. Customer loyalty cards can help provide this continuity, while also ensuring staff are always up to date on purchases.

• Electronic receipts: Paper receipts can get lost, damaged, or fade – a considerable inconvenience for products that require a receipt for returns, warranties or simply for personal records. But by your business providing electronic storage for receipts, consumers will have increased peace of mind. You’ll also enable more frictionless transactions in the event of a return or warranty claim.

• Customised marketing: People actually don’t tend to mind being marketed to, as long as it’s relevant. With a loyalty cards tied to a customer’s individual profile, you’re easily able to see what sort of purchases and orders a customer has made in the past. With this data you can provide customers with more relevant offers and information, which will make them feel as though you understand them as a customer – and in turn make them more likely to use your services in future.

Get the inside track on retailers’ top investment goals to survive and thrive in a multichannel shopping landscape – download your copy of Zebra’s 2017 Retail Vision Study today.