Considering that 72% of customers are loyal to at least one brand, developing a rewards programme to cultivate a genuine relationship with your customers should be an integral part of your business strategy. However, while designing and implementing a loyalty program is one thing, communicating it to your audience is another, and one that is frequently neglected.
The market is swiftly evolving, as are the needs, behaviours, and preferences of consumers. In the current business environment, having only one channel to reach consumers with your offer is insufficient. What is the best course of action? Developing a unified experience across multiple channels with the voucher management system.
This article explains what omnichannel loyalty is and the channels that can be used for it. I will also describe the benefits and challenges of omnichannel loyalty programmes and provide examples of actual marketing campaigns.
Are multichannel and omnichannel synonymous?
Although multichannel and omnichannel may appear synonymous, there is a subtle but significant distinction between them. Multichannel communication entails multiple touchpoints and channels, but each of them employs a distinct strategy, and the service is inconsistent and uncoordinated.
In contrast, omnichannel commerce integrates all available channels and provides a seamless experience regardless of which channel (or channels) a consumer selects to use. This entails offering consumers a consistent brand voice and quality, which in turn establishes a trustworthy image for your business.
What is a multichannel customer loyalty programme?
An omnichannel loyalty programme is a rewards scheme that utilises multiple communication channels and sites of sale. The omnichannel approach to loyalty programmes allows members to accumulate points and redeem rewards in a number of complementary methods.
This may indicate that your loyalty programme is accessible and functional in your physical stores, online stores, and mobile app. Omnichannel communication regarding loyalty programmes entails both advertising the programme and informing its existing members of the most recent updates.
According to Forbes, “omnichannel” is no longer just a buzzword; in reality, customers expect omnichannel purchasing experiences as the default setting for their shopping activities. In addition, 90% of consumers anticipate this omnichannel experience to be uniform across all channels. This is a fact that you must consider when constructing your loyalty campaign.
What distinguishes omnichannel loyalty programmes from traditional ones?
Omnichannel loyalty programmes utilise modern technologies to provide loyalty members with the finest experience possible. Consequently, consumers can participate in a rewards programme through the channels of their choosing, and the brand can communicate with its audience across these channels, whether through an app, an email, or another point of contact.
In contrast, the traditional approach to customer loyalty would only involve a single channel, such as a website or, more often than not, offline methods of communicating with the customer and managing the point collection and reward redemption process. This led to several restrictions on how consumers participated in the programme and how the brand communicated with them.
What channels can loyalty programmes utilise?
In its most fundamental form, an omnichannel loyalty programme will incorporate offline, ecommerce, and mobile channels. This indicates that your loyalty programme should be accessible in-store, via your website or a landing page, and via a mobile application.
Moreover, the programme should provide the same experience across all channels, although you may determine that using a particular channel will result in unique benefits and incentives that are unavailable through other channels.
You can choose which channels to include in your campaign based on the objectives of your loyalty programme, the nature of your business, and the characteristics of your target audience. This option should always align with your customer base’s purchasing patterns and preferences, so that they are strongly encouraged to join and participate in your loyalty programme.
The omnichannel character of a loyalty programme refers to its operation across multiple channels.
Initially, you may choose to offer multiple channels that serve as customer cockpits: locations where customers can register to collect their points, verify their number, redeem rewards, and perform other actions associated with programme participation. The fundamental examples of such channels include:
- Website
This is one of the most common solutions that customers and brands seek out when it comes to loyalty programs: You can create a separate section on your website that leads to the customer’s loyalty programme dashboard, or you can simply include it in the customer account alongside order-related sections.
- Mobile application
Apps are currently very popular because they provide a simple solution: the customer only needs to take their smartphone, open an app, check their point balance, available rewards, and expiration dates, and monitor their tier progress and milestones with a few swipes.
- Electronic wallet
A mobile wallet is an electronic platform that allows users to store and administer their digital loyalty cards, discount coupons, gift vouchers, and rewards. A digital wallet is similar to an amplified version of a loyalty app that resembles a physical wallet and is therefore a useful and convenient tool that provides a consolidated view of all the customer’s incentives.
Overview of Omnichannel Loyalty Communication Channels
Communication between the brand and the consumer is an additional crucial aspect of omnichannel loyalty programmes. These are the communication channels that can be successfully utilised:
- Apps for mobile devices and digital wallets, both of which were mentioned previously, have a practical application in terms of communication. You can use them to send real-time, personalised messages to your consumers and inform them of any loyalty program-related updates.
- SMS: Text messages are most certainly not obsolete. Texting is an effective method for interacting with consumers and informing them of loyalty programme offers and rewards. Here, you can also send personalised text messages directly to the mobile devices of your customers.
- Emails and periodicals: What could be a simpler and more direct means of communicating with your loyalty programme members than email? You can use this channel to communicate virtually anything with your consumers, including personalised and profile-based communications as well as alerts about exclusive contests, giveaways, and special offers available only to loyalty members.
- Social media: Social media platforms may not be the best location to send personalised messages and offers, but they are fantastic for communicating with a large audience and distributing generic announcements and news about your loyalty programme. Consequently, they are also very useful for acquiring new consumers by informing them of the advantages of joining your programme.
