Customer loyalty has been a pragmatic approach to increasing not just the brand value but also revenue businesses in Africa. However, what has changed over time is the revolutionary digital disruption that brought the customer base online. This has offered a wider platform for African businesses to expand their loyalty program and flourish.
Brand loyalty programs are undertaken by African businesses where strategies were adopted organically to enable the customers to continue buying their products or goods rather than shifting to competitive brands. Brand loyalty creates a harmonious association with the customer base through a series of activities and efforts.
But what makes these businesses maintain a long-term relationship with their customers?
Customer data, clearly identified, assessed and maintained to utilise for business purposes. Client data for businesses is a priceless treasure that can make or break their synergy. A strategic approach by businesses drives customers with goals behind purchasing with the brand. These customers will remain loyal to the customers the brand in turn will help them fulfil their goals. And, it wouldn’t matter if the customer has had a positive history with the brand or your competitor is putting a much better offer on the table, your loyal customers will always choose you.
So, if you are a brand in Africa, wishing to accelerate in the journey of brand success and stay ahead in the competition through brand loyalty, this article will guide you on how you can achieve that by leveraging data.
Why and how do you Leverage a Loyalty Program through Customer Data?
Whether you own a large-scale business with a global presence or a small-scale business with a regional presence, your customer data will incorporate the entire demographics, personal information as well as behavioural pattern that you have collected over the years. This data is not just numbers and names but speak about your buyer’s buying pattern, which if leveraged in the right direction can help you enhance your brand image and financial status.
Here are a few ways, you as a brand can improve your customer loyalty program through the client data you collect:
Identifying Customer’s Needs
When you randomly select products and services to offer your customers without understanding their requirements, you are doing no good to your brand or your customers and your existing clients will eventually leave for another brand. This brings us to commence your customer loyalty program by identifying your client’s needs through the data.
Offer them Rewards based on their Spending
Customer data provides a clear picture of your loyal clients and their buying patterns. So, when you know what your clients are inclined towards, it is a smart move to offer them a trail of reward points every time they hit a purchase or reach a certain purchase limit.
Where active loyal clients stay true to the brand regularly and during special purchases, the habitual ones show their loyalty during routine and special purchases. However, the situational loyal clients remain faithful to the brand for special purchases, but active disloyal clients look for reasons to stay loyal to the brand.
The reason brands need to know about them is, distinguishing them based on their loyalty will help brands strategize their loyalty program and devise ways to bring them back every time.
Valuable Point System where most e-commerce websites or online businesses offer rewards to new customers upon creating an account with them, engaging with them on social media platforms or subscribing to the updates. This is a simple yet smart strategy, known as a valuable point system to keep your clients base engaged while collecting their data and using it for further business interactions.
Referral Program, a common, still very effective to offer rewards points or amazing offers on referring the brand’s services and products further. Your existing clients only have to refer their friend and family circle and they receive goodies in return.
VIP Program is a multi-tier loyalty program that makes a customer spend more to obtain more offers or points. Every time a reach a certain purchase limit, they enter another tier and a whole new series of offers and points get unlocked for the customer. This way you keep your clients engaged and collect relevant data to serve them better.
