| |
| |
|
Marketing Information |
|
|
|
Loyalty Cards Systems - Beware, Some Should Be Avoided
Recently, I discussed a loyalty card system with a vendor who was selling quite a number of his systems to restaurants. I was shocked to discover the lack of detailed information that this vendor catered for, and the opportunities the system he provided squandered. The way their scheme works is that whenever a restaurant customer is presented with a bill, they provide their loyalty card to the waiter, who swipes it at the till. If the customer has accumulated sufficient points from previously purchased meals, he/she is awarded a rebate on the price of the meal. This is simple price discounting based on repeat purchases. No other marketing activities are carried out - either by the loyalty card company, or by the restaurant - to proactively influence the number of times the card holder frequents the restaurant - they rely solely on the meal discount to attract customers back for more meals. This is a system that is woefully underexploited. I asked about the level of detail that was transmitted to the card site - and was once again disappointed - only the total meal cost was transmitted. The customer profile that was being created was extremely superficial. My view was further confirmed when I asked whether the 'significant other', or other family members' details were collected. Once again, no. The key things wrong with this service offering:
Hopefully the above points have provided some ideas as to how basic transaction data can be used effectively by an information analyst or direct marketer. If you are approached by a vendor to implement a loyalty scheme, or you are thinking about calling for proposals from scheme suppliers, make sure that you investigate the level of data detail that each supplier collects. If data is recorded at line item level - i.e. product ID, quantity, and price - then you will have a wealth of sales data that you can start using for a variety of campaigns. If they only provide you with a bill total per meal, then I suggest you look elsewhere for a more effective loyalty card scheme. © 2005 Intellinova (Pty) Ltd. - All Rights Reserved This article may be reprinted, provided it is published in its entirety, includes the author bio information, and all links remain active. For the past 20 years, Jeff Walters has been actively involved in transforming raw business data into profit-producing strategic information. He has worked in various data intensive sectors- banking, insurance, gambling, medical, government - leading several data-to-information projects: ABC Costing, analytical CRM, datamart /data warehouse development, and Balanced Scorecard. If you want to convert your raw data into strategic assets, contact Jeff Walters through the following sites: Customer Relationship Management, or Direct Marketing
MORE RESOURCES:
Nature's Peak Launches Aggressive Marketing, Sales, Production and ... - MarketWatch (press release)
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Online Advertising Versus Traditional Media Advertising Before I compare today's online advertising with traditional media advertising I will make an analogy.If you've been on the Internet for as long as I have, you probably noticed that things have changed dramatically. Why Cutting Prices Is Like Cutting Your Own Throat Why cutting your prices is like cutting your own throat. It's the oldest sales tactic in the world? And one of the worst? Price cutting. Marketing Lessons From TV's The Apprentice Can we actually learn a marketing lesson from reality TV? In the case of Donald Trump's "The Apprentice" I'd say we can.Advertising and marketing are creative disciplines. Off the Shelf Small Business Mapping Software All small businesses can benefit from inexpensive off the shelf CD Rom mapping software. If you own a business you need to where your customers are coming from, where you would like to expand your sphere of influence to, where your competitors are located and how to route your delivery vehicles. Image is Key to Your Marketing Success In virtually any business first impressions are lasting impressions. Most people have heard this statement for years, and yet some people completely ignore the first impression they are conveying to potential customers or clients. Using Business Cards as Invitations Business card size works well for invitations to special events.What do you visualize when you think about invitations? More than likely you are thinking about a wedding or a party. Using a Contact List Profitably Part One In previous articles, we discussed the generation of a contact list. This time, we look at one idea on what to do with that list once you have it. Avoid the Duds: 10 Strategies for Selecting The Perfect Speaker Today, more than ever, the success of meetings relies heavily on the strength of program content and presentation. Nothing can spoil a meeting more than hiring the wrong speaker. Getting Your Marketing Message Across with CD Business Cards CD Business cards allows any type of business that dynamic look. Hand out your business card on disc and see the expression on your clients faces. Spring Cleaning: How To Do It In Your Business To Make More Room For Success With the arrival of Spring, I decided to get outside and into my garden. I had neglected to do some basic maintenance during the previous months and wondered if my plants suffered any permanent damage as a result. More Scams! Do you Really Believe It? Quit spreading those chain letters, nothing is going to happen to you if you don't mail it to the next person. However, there is a better chance that if you continue mailing, you may have the FTC on you. Be Prepared for Marketing For most businesses, making a sale is all important. However, despite the amount of effort and attention given to getting sales, there is often no attention given to developing and effectively implementing a systematic marketing process. Ready, Aim, Fire...Oops...Wheres The Target? Everywhere you go on the Internet you find the words, "target market." What do they mean? What does it have to do with you? Well it has everything to do with your success in sales. The Fundraising Letter PS: 25 Powerful Things To Say There (Includes Examples & Samples) Donors read postscripts. This is a sad but important reality in fundraising. How to Manage Your Marketing Mix Here's the deal: advertisement is not marketing. It's like saying you want to have a garden, but you're only willing to plant the flowers. How To Bond With Customers So That They Stay With You Longer How many of your customers are loyal customers? More importantly do you know why they are loyal customers?Customer loyalty has been a buzz term in marketing for some time and with good reason. Estimates suggest it can cost 5 times as much to get a new customer as it does to keep an existing one. Ditch Coupons Before Customers Ditch You Everyone wants to feel like they're getting a good deal. Merchants often attempt to capitalize on this desire through coupon offers, rebates, and "special discounts. Beyond the Booth With the advent of spring, trade shows begin to blossom. Research suggests that tradeshows are where today's businesses invest much of their marketing budgets. Use The Neglected Weapons In Your Marketing Arsenal Business marketers have a lot of weapons in their arsenals but they often overlook some very important ones. So, let's do a quick inventory. How To Get Business With Your Business Card? So, you have a business card? And you have given it to a few of your friends as well? Great! But did you get those cards to give to your acquaintances or to get business? Are they getting business for you?? That is the key question.Most of us today have a business card, except those few who plans to survive the battle of brands without the most necessary armor.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
