Plastic Loyalty Cards Are the Key to Retaining Customers

With stores having to compete ever harder to retain customers, plastic loyalty cards could help maintain loyalty and increase spending.

With the current fragile economy, consumers are becoming ever more cautious as to how and where they spend their money. They tend to shop around, searching out the best deal. Therefore, it’s important that you try to retain as many loyal customers as you can. A good loyalty scheme could be the best way to keep them shopping in your store.

Customers today are used to carrying around plastic business cards, which offer them rewards in a variety of outlets. Plastic loyalty cards have been around for over 30 years and 88% of customers now own at least one, with 29% having five or more in their purses and wallets. Research has shown that customers feel greater loyalty to a specific brand if they have a loyalty card and this characteristic is more prevalent in the younger generation.

Encouraging Loyalty

Advertising to attract new customers is an expensive proposition. It is considerably cheaper to retain customers and to encourage them to increase their spending. They are more likely to do so if they feel they are being suitably rewarded for their custom. A good loyalty scheme can offer customers rewards or discounts on services and goods, either in store or through partner agencies. If the rewards you offer are strong enough, they could encourage consumers to shop more frequently in order to save up enough points.

Targeted Marketing

The plastic loyalty cards that you hand to your customers can offer you an insight into their purchasing habits, which will improve the effectiveness of marketing spend. As consumers buy goods in your store and save up points on their loyalty cards, you can then see exactly what they’re buying and how often. Once you have built up a picture, you can accurately target your marketing towards the products they actually use. This will encourage them to shop in your store and will make them feel that you understand them and what they’re looking for, increasing their feeling of loyalty towards the store.

Offering your customers plastic loyalty cards is an excellent way of developing long lasting relationships with them. At Company Cards we offer a market-leading plastic card printing service, with a range of styles for different businesses. If you have any questions about our products, please don’t hesitate to contact a member of our team.