Loyalty programs have become an essential aspect of businesses today, and for good reason. These programs offer a variety of benefits to both customers and companies alike. For customers, loyalty programs often provide exclusive discounts, freebies, and other perks that incentivize them to continue patronizing the business. On the other hand, companies benefit from increased customer retention rates, higher revenue, and valuable insights into consumer behavior.
With so many advantages to gain from implementing loyalty programs, it's no wonder why they have become a popular strategy across various industries, including the salon industry. In this blog post, we’re going to fill you in on the biggest mistake you may be making with your salon’s loyalty program without even knowing it.
WHAT MAKES A SUCCESSFUL SALON LOYALTY PROGRAM?
Companies with successful loyalty programs include Starbucks, Subway Tim Hortons, and Sephora. These companies have been able to create successful loyalty programs because they understand the importance of customer engagement and retention. They offer personalized experiences through targeted promotions, exclusive discounts, and special perks that are tailored to each customer's preferences. Additionally, they make it easy for customers to earn rewards by providing multiple ways to accumulate points or credits such as making purchases, referring friends, or engaging on social media. They also use data-driven insights to continuously optimize their loyalty programs and tailor them to meet the evolving needs of their customers. Overall, these companies have been successful in building strong relationships with their customers by rewarding loyalty and offering a unique experience that keeps them coming back.
What else do these successful loyalty programs have in common? They are all APP based programs! This means that the customer has access to their loyalty rewards information through a downloaded app on their phone. Why is this important, you ask? We’re diving into that next.
For more on why your salon deserves a loyalty app, give this blog a read!
POINT OF SALE SYSTEMS VS APP BASED LOYALTY APPS
Many salon software systems offer built in loyalty programs. It may be a little card that gets scanned or a customer number that is imputed that earns the client points from each purchase. The problem with these systems is that there is zero client engagement. They don’t know how they’re earning the points or what they’re working towards, so it offers little to no incentive on increased sales. When loyalty is automatically built into a system, all of a sudden nobody talks about the program. Clients aren't aware of their points, nor how close they are to potential rewards. And when people are not aware of something, they don't change their behaviour. The objective of a successful loyalty program is to change the behaviour of the consumer and you can only do that by keeping the consumer constantly engaged with your program.
There are also many unsuccessful programs out there that just ask you if you have the loyalty card, you rummage through your wallet or purse for it, they scan it, and you walk out of the store without knowing how many points you just earned, how many you have in your account, or how close you may or may not be to any rewards. Those programs are very mediocre, but still better than the salon software programs because at least someone asks you if you have your reward card. With the salon software programs, nobody even talks about it, and you just end up giving things away for free after a certain amount of time. It happens over and over again, as much as salons have good intentions to try and talk about it.
The key to successful loyalty programs is engagement. You want your customers to be engaged with your program to get the best results. The best way to engage with customers these days is through their phones. That is why the best loyalty programs in today's world are app based programs that allow customers to stay connected and be engaged. Majority of consumers, especially those visiting your salon, are very active on their phones, so having an app that they can regularly check up on substantially increased awareness of your loyalty program.
HOW TO OPTIMIZE YOUR SALON’S APP BASED LOYALTY PROGRAM
We offer gorgeous, custom branded loyalty apps at Salon S.O.S and we’re going to explain how to get the absolute most out of your loyalty app. If you’d like to learn more about our loyalty programs, click here!
1. Utilize marketing campaign features. Most app based programs will have the option that allows you to automatically send salon clients promotions via text. Text marketing has shown to be incredibly effective as most people have access to their cellphones 24/7. Be strategic with these text marketing campaigns as to not overwhelm or overdo it with salon guests.
2. Offer rewards in exchange for reviews. You can prompt salon guests to leave an online review directly through most apps in exchange for a reward. Win-win for both the client and your salon!
3. Utilize loyalty triggers. Many apps will allow you to schedule triggers that will send clients a rewards prompt for any reason. Ex: send a message if there’s been no activity for x amount of time or send bonus rewards on client’s birthday, special occasion, etc.
CONCLUSION
Long story short, the biggest mistake you can make with your salon’s loyalty rewards is going with a salon software program over a third party, app based program. App based loyalty rewards programs offer a range of benefits such as convenience, personalization, ease-of-use, and real-time engagement. They allow businesses to track customer behavior and preferences, which in turn enables them to tailor their offerings to meet individual needs. Additionally, app-based loyalty programs offer cost savings by eliminating the need for physical rewards cards or paper coupons. Overall, app based programs provide an excellent way for businesses to enhance customer retention and increase revenue while creating a seamless experience for customers and are far superior to the easily forgotten point of sale loyalty programs.
For even more digital marketing goodness, check out our YouTube Marketing Academy as well as all the resources and support we have for you here on our website
‘Til Next Time,
Your Team at Salon S.O.S
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