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7 Tips to a successful Loyalty Programme

What makes a loyalty programme a success?

Companies and organisations across the world are adopting loyalty schemes to sustain customer loyalty. We ask ourselves what makes some loyalty programmes successful while others never seem to get off the ground? If you are looking to implement a loyalty scheme this year then take some time to consider the following:

1. Firstly, don’t overcomplicate subscription to your loyalty programme. The sign up process should be quick and simple. All you really need are the basic details for signing up a new member to your loyalty programme; name and postal address, email address, date of birth and an option for them to disclose how they came to hear about your loyalty programme. If you are looking for responses to a more detailed questionnaire this can be done at a later time and will make a perfect reason for you to contact your client to see what feedback they have on your loyalty scheme.

2. Give the client real benefits to being part of your loyalty programme! If the purpose of your programme is simply to capture data then it will never be the success that you wish it to. For a client to truly value your brand and loyalty scheme there needs to be a benefit to taking part, perhaps previews to exclusive or new products, collection of points which can be converted into pounds, monthly prize draws etc. Listen to your clients and see what benefits they truly appreciate.

3. Provide your clients with a plastic loyalty cards. There are many types of plastic loyalty cards available from simple colour print cards to plastic cards with additional features such as barcode or magnetic stripes for use in collecting points and data capture. Plastic loyalty cards will be retained by your clients and presented when they wish to action their loyalty benefits, such as collecting points during a purchase etc.

4. Monitor your loyalty programme and the response that you get to promotions or marketing exercises. Don’t do the same old thing because ‘that’s what you have always done’. If something is not providing the return on investments that you require try something new.

5. Don’t sit on the customer data that you have collected. Keep it up to date, analyse it and use it to your advantage. Many successful loyalty programmes sustain customer loyalty my implementing email or postal newsletters, posting seasonal vouchers with extra discounts or even a birthday or Christmas card. With each of these marketing ideas you are once again reminding the client of your brand and all the benefits that come with been a member of your Loyalty Programme.

6. Keep it personal! When possible personalise all your marketing material with the clients’ name. Email marketing is far more successful when the receiver is personally addressed in the email, this helps to distinguish your mail from unwanted spam.
It’s also a good idea to have the clients name on their plastic loyalty card. This gives the client a sense of ownership and creates extra value with their mind. Plastic cards can be personalised with a printed name or number or could even be embossed like a traditional bank card.

7. Update your plastic loyalty cards each year, a change of colour or design of your plastic card keeps your brand fresh and is once again another opportunity for you to make contact with your clients.

Company Cards have been producing plastic loyalty cards for a number of years and we have seen the hard work that our clients put into making their programme succeed. A successful loyalty programme takes time, patience and hard work, however, when well executed can see great returns on investment.

Company Cards increase onsite security with the installation of a new RFID Access Control System

New Access Control modernizes onsite security.

Over the past 12 months Company Cards have seen a steady increase within the number of Security and Access Control passes that we have been producing on behalf of our clients. These include plastic photo ID cards, magnetic swipe cards and RFID cards. We have also been involved in manufacturing access passes for a number of high profile events. We therefore made the decision to modernize our onsite security by installing a top of the range RFID Access Control system. The new Paxton Access system prevents any none staff member from freely entering the premises, ensuring both the security and confidentiality of our work and the safety of our workforce in general.

Each staff member has been equipped with their own personalised plastic RFID card which they are to keep with them at all times for access in and out of the premises. The plastic cards are each uniquely encoded which enables us to monitor who is in the building at any one time.

This additional security feature will prove a great benefit for both Company Cards and our clients and complies with the ISO 27001 certification (Information and Security Management) which Company Cards has held now for several years.

Plastic Loyalty cards for a new year’s loyalty scheme

Plastic loyalty cards are a great way to start a loyalty scheme this New Year.

Plastic Loyalty cards are great way of ensuring that your customers continue to choose your services over those of your rivals time and again. Due to the continued difficult economic climate, the festive season 2012 may prove to be a barometer of the future sustainability of many retail and service driven businesses in the UK. One retailer has described the situation using the analogy of a cake: “in previous years, the run up to Christmas was the icing on the cake, now we are becoming increasingly depended on the season’s takings to provide the actual cake”. Have you noticed that the bulk of your annual profit is being generated in the festive season rather than spread across the year? Why not try issuing plastic loyalty cards to the seasonal clients/ customers during this period? So when you provide them with fantastic quality services or products, they have even more incentive to return to your shop at other periods in the year. Plastic cards from Company Cards are the perfect option, as they can be placed in a purse or a wallet and remain there ready for use. Plastic cards have many benefits over cardboard variants, such as lasting longer and looking more professional. They can also be equipped with magnetic strips, thus allowing the card to hold details for use at the till. This means that you can offer more complex deals such as point collection and subsequent rewards. An alternative for simpler plastic loyalty cards is to offer a fixed discount upon production of the card at the till.
Another great benefit of plastic loyalty cards for a business looking to develop long term marketing strategies is the opportunity for legitimate data collection. Initially you can ask applicants to fill in a form in order to access the full benefits of the card, this means that you now have a fully subscribed mailing list for both standard mailshots and e-shots. If you opt for plastic cards that collate information from use, you can also build profiles of clients broken down by various markets that can then be incorporated into your marketing efforts. This means that you can create highly specific campaigns which are accurately aimed at your clients demographic.
Company Cards offers high quality plastic card printing services at competitive prices. Why not contact a member of our friendly team to discuss a potential project?

Make plastic membership cards work for you

Plastic membership cards and plastic business cards work effectively to help brand and promote your organisation or business.

Nobody wants to have a wallet full of torn and tatty cards. Plastic membership cards can be something that your customer or member feels proud to own and can help to cement their relationship with your organisation.

Plastic membership cards are vastly more durable than paper-based equivalents. They can also assist you with security issues at venues. They may either be manually checked at entry or can be magnetically encoded for automatic verification. Either option allows you to monitor usage by your members and prevent non-members accessing and using facilities. Cards can be personalised with the holder’s name and can include a unique membership number. They can also be embossed.

Plastic membership cards help in making the holder feel more important and connected to your organisation. Sending one out every year can be a useful prompt to encourage membership or subscription renewal. Since no two organisations are the same, plastic card printing can be customised to your specification. Handing over a plastic business card can really help in projecting a professional image to your clients from the outset, leaving a positive and lasting impression.

Plastic business cards are an excellent way in which to convey key messages about your company. They are also durable, ensuring that a positive initial impression becomes a lasting one. This contrasts sharply with a cardboard card which can all too quickly become dog-eared or creased.

A plastic card is also more likely to stand out amidst a bundle of cardboard cards and is easy to slip in and out of a card holder, wallet or purse without tearing.

For anyone concerned about the use of plastic, cards now come in eco-friendly biodegradable materials that will break down within 39 months without any negative environmental impact. Choosing this technology allows you to demonstrate your green credentials to potential clients.

With an experienced team of designers, technical advisers and press operators on hand, we can produce and deliver customised plastic cards. Finished to a high standard, they are ready to be presented to your members or customers.

So whether you are looking for plastic membership cards, upgrading from cardboard to a plastic business card, or perhaps both, why not take a further look round our site and contact our friendly team for information and advice.

Plastic business cards for the best first impression

Improve what your clients to think about you. With plastic business cards you can create a great first impression.

Plastic business cards are becoming more and more popular with companies in a variety of different industries. They are current and professional, and can offer a great first impression to your clients. As well as the aesthetic, from a logical point of view they are also a lot more durable than there paper predecessors and have a lengthier shelf life.

What do plastic business cards say about the companies that use them, and are they the right option for you? It is important to remember that for many of your clients and or contacts your business card is the item of branding they are likely to come across, the first time they are likely to see your logo and your company colours. So the impression you wish to make needs to be clear and well executed.

When making your final decisions about the material and design of your new business cards it is important to take into consideration your branding in general too, research has found that different colours can provoke very different reactions in people. And when going to so much trouble in making a worthy first impression with shiny new plastic business cards it is a good opportunity to step back and ask, what do your company colours say about you (your business)?

For example blue is the most popular choice (an enormous 33% of the world’s top brands use blue in their logo and or general branding). One reason for this could be that it is thought to be a relaxing colour, as it is reminiscent of the sea and the sky. Or for a bolder impression red tends to give a more bold impression portraying energetic and almost aggressive ideas, it is definitely a stand out choice. There are many different concepts that you may wish to show and there is not a whole lot of room on your glossy new plastic business cards to do that so a correct colour choice can make all the difference. To suggest positivity and motivation, the recommendation is yellow; it is warm and light and a popular choice for the household or food industries.
There are of course many more colours that say very different things to potential clients but the point is to consider what your first impression will be. And as business cards are commonly the very first point of contact they are a good place to start.

The History of the Gift Card

Whether you are a small or large business the gift card we provide can suit your needs; your card may simply have a price value printed on the card or security based functions programmed to work alongside a swipe system.

Here at Company Cards we supply a range of plastic cards including gift voucher cards tailored to your business / service. In today’s article we are exploring the benefits of a tailor-made gift card.

Some of the older readers may remember the days when a birthday card contained (if you were lucky) a paper gift voucher for Woolworths or WHSmiths. Gone are those days now – developments in technology (partially in response to the increased risk of counterfeits) have moved our experience along. Today we have a new currency in the form of plastic cards. Christmas’s, birthdays and anniversaries don’t get much easier when you don’t actually have to choose the gift!

In today’s day and age for a growing business a credit note doesn’t present the same professional and corporate flair that a tailored made gift card could, meaning customers will be reluctant to invest in a piece of paper resembling a receipt. A fantastic marketing technique at Christmas would be to display an array of brightly coloured eye catching gift cards. These will serve highly beneficial when the Christmas crowds are sick and tired of hunting for presents and invest instead in a gift card, it is vital that at Christmas time it is clear to potential customers that you sell gift cards, it may be the difference between a sale or a no sale.

It is worth noting that these plastic cards that we call gift cards are the second most popular gift bought and given by consumers in the United States. Gift cards are ideal for Christmas’s and birthdays as makes buying a gift for someone a lot simpler as little research needs to be done into interests and current belongings. It is in many respects more preferable to receive a voucher/ plastic gift card as it means that you can choose a gift you like and as opposed to cash there is less opportunity to fritter gift money away on everyday living.

Here at Company Cards we sell a large range of plastic cards especially tailored for a range of businesses and functions. Whether you are a small or large business the gift card we provide can suit your needs; your card may simply have a price value printed on the card or security based functions programmed to work alongside a swipe system.

Plastic Membership Cards: Why do we join social clubs?

Membership cards can help create a sense of team spirit and pride.

Here at Company Cards we sell tailor-made plastic membership cards varying in colour, design, material and function. Our membership cards are designed the specific brief of your business, group or club. A membership or social club may refer to a group of people or a place where they may meet and often this revolves around an interest, occupation or activity, for example canoeing, fishing, running, yoga, crafts and so on. At Company Cards we are exploring in this article why people join clubs, groups and societies as well as the benefit behind supplying your members with a plastic membership card.
In today’s society, joining groups, clubs and societies is very popular. Everyone wants to belong to something and we are all a member of one group or another, some of us may be a member of many groups / clubs. Some memberships may be involuntary (through family) and some may be attended very rarely.
Some of the main reasons people choose to join social groups include a sense of belonging; greater feelings of inclusion within groups result in higher levels of esteem. For younger people social clubs, sports groups etc. are a great way to extend your CV and increase chances of a position at university or in work. Another benefit from joining a group would be the opportunity to improve your social life, spending regular time with friends and like-minded people learning something new or doing what you love.
We have learnt a great deal about the benefit of providing members with plastic membership cards. Membership cards can help create a sense of team spirit and pride. Membership cards can also form a kind of miniature billboard of the business or club which members then store in their wallet and may at times share contact details with friends or colleagues thus marketing the business further.
The membership card can be beneficial to the owner/ leader of the group mentioned above, but it could also be a useful tool for the members – contact details may serve useful if the member needs extra information (for example dates, cost, location etc.); it could also be useful to both parties where important dates or a calendar are listed i.e. club times at Christmas/ Easter holidays, membership renewal and so on.
Depending on the size and function of the club the card is designed for, different advantages can be achieved for the business/ company designed to retain current customers as well as attract new ones. Membership cards which offer discounts, privileges or incentives can contribute towards this.
Here at Company Cards we can tailor our plastic membership cards to meet your requirements, producing both an attractive and highly functional tool for your business or social group.

Plastic card printing for your club – society.

The Plastic card printing service from Company Cards is great for clubs and societies.

Plastic card printing from Company Cards allows you to create high quality plastic membership cards for your club or society. One of the many perks of being part of a club is the feeling of belonging and a great way of doing this for larger organisations is too issue easily recognisable membership cards. Modern Plastic card printing allows you to create innovative memberships cards that feature great designs, high quality printing and also durability. Durability is an important feature, if you require your members to present the card in order to gain access to facilities or events as the cards will have to be stored in a wallet, purse or similar item.

Utilising plastic card printing services to create stand out membership cards for existing societies is a great way to generate or renew interest. With the stresses of modern life many people sign up to associations or clubs and then quickly lose interest. Issuing plastic cards to be placed in purses / wallets or plastic key fobs can be a great way to integrate a subtle reminder of your organisation into the everyday lives of your members. Here at Company Cards, we provide plastic card printing at competitive prices, while retaining very high standards of both quality and service. We utilise the latest techniques and technology to ensure that your plastic cards are the best that they can be.

Company Cards have over 15 years of experience in high quality plastic card printing and are fully ISO 90001, 14001 and 27001 certified, making Company Cards the perfect choice for high quality plastic cards, such as loyalty cards, access cards and plastic business cards. Due to our extensive investment in the latest equipment, we can also offer custom-shaped cards. Custom-shaped business cards are a great way to make a lasting impression and selecting plastic cards over other materials means that not only will your card stand out, it will last longer.

How could plastic loyalty cards benefit your business?

With tough economic times affecting the way that people are choosing to spend their money could plastic loyalty cards benefit your business?

Plastic loyalty cards are becoming increasingly popular with reports that the majority of people belong to at least one loyalty scheme and many belonging to more than one. If you are wondering whether or not plastic loyalty cards could benefit your business then read on to find out more.

There has been an increase in use of plastic loyalty cards since the recession has deepened and people have been facing tougher financial times; some reports have suggested that up to 90% of people now make use of loyalty cards. When money is tight consumers have to look for ways to be economical, and taking advantage of the benefits that come with a plastic loyalty card is one way of being frugal.

One of the most popular reasons for people to repeat their custom somewhere is because the company offers personalised rewards. Plastic loyalty cards can be used as an excellent data collection tool when it comes to what products are being purchased, allowing you to offer personalised rewards. These link into the sentiment of the previous point insofar as they allow consumers to shop more frugally; therefore customers may well link plastic loyalty cards to shopping prudently.

There has been research which indicates that consumers are more likely to recommend a company if they have a loyalty card. One reason for this could be that a plastic loyalty card is likely to be a permanent feature in a customer’s purse or wallet reminding them of the value and service that they receive from you.

A plastic loyalty card is long lasting which could help to reinforce the importance that you as a company place on your most loyal customers. On a more practical note, a plastic loyalty card will last a long time meaning that if a customer accidentally puts it in the washing machine it won’t be destroyed; this might sound like a small fact to consider but it makes your card that bit more convenient for your customers.

So if you’re looking for a new incentive to encourage repeat custom from consumers then plastic loyalty cards could be the perfect solution.

Plastic Identity Cards: Where Did They Come From?

Exploring the history of the plastic Identity card in Great Britain.

Here at Company Cards we sell a large range of plastic cards tailored to meet the needs of any business; small or large. We also sell plastic ID cards and in this article we are exploring the history of the plastic ID card in Great Britain.

The identity card dates back to the 1930’s during World War Two. It was at this time, between the years 1939 to 1952, that people were required by law to carry proof of identity. If someone was found not to have proof of identity on them, then they had two days to produce it at the local police station. Initially they were introduced as a security measure but soon proved useful during food rationing.

This law came to an end following a case involving a Clarence Henry Willcock. He refused to show proof of identity after a motor offence and appealed against his conviction on the grounds that the law was passed for security reasons and as the war was over it was no longer being used for those purposes. That was the end (for the time being) of the obligatory identity card in Great Britain.

The ID card has increased in popularity since 1952 and the function of the ID card has also diversified. Throughout the European Union, 11 nations have some form of identity card, even if they are not compulsory. It is increasingly the case that 18 year olds want to own an identity card as proof of age, especially considering the recent requirement for bar staff and store workers to request ID of anyone who looks below the age of 25. In France, 90% of the population carries an identity card.

The ID card, of course, looks very different today and now comes in the form of a plastic ID card. Here, security functions can be implemented such as a barcode and magnetic strip and the latest digital technology to help store and transfer a wealth of data.

Plastic Gift Cards: Making Christmas Easy for Everyone

Plastic Gift Cards are ideal for shoppers and retailers alike – read on to find out why.

It’s the same every Christmas; there is always one family member or friend who is difficult to buy for: you spend inordinate amounts of time hunting for the perfect gift which will either be returned to the store for credit or sneakily recycled and passed on to someone else next Christmas! With this in mind, retailers across the UK are now stocking up on plastic gift cards, ready for the Christmas shopping rush.

With plastic gift cards not only does the receiver have the freedom to select their own gift but the consumer is relieved from hours of searching the High Street for that perfect gift. This is the reason why they are the most popular gift item sold across the world to date.

Not only do people love plastic gift cards but retails love them too. According to recent reports an estimated 25% of gift cards go un-redeemed for at least 12 months following their purchase and at least 7% do not get used at all. All these unused gifts represent free money to the retailers which sell them!

Although it may seem like gift cards have only really been around for the past few years, the history of the gift card, or gift voucher as they were originally known, goes back to the early 1930s. The paper based gift certificates were created by a number of large department stores and were initially very rare to come across. Over the years the gift certificates became more popular with brands such as Boots adopting the idea and launching their version of the gift voucher in 1936.

As the gift card market developed traditional gift certificates were replaced with plastic alternatives, enabling transaction of funds electronically. Mobil Oil were the first company to produce a plastic gift card with a magnetic stripe in 1995 quick followed by Blockbuster the same year who were the first retailer to openly display their plastic gift cards on their store counters for shoppers to buy.

Now the plastic gift card is the most purchased gift item worldwide with racks of different types of gift cards to be seen in supermarkets across the country.

At Company Cards we have worked with many types of companies assisting them with their plastic Gift Card requirements. The most popular form of gift cards may have a barcode or magnetic strip, which is read by an electronic credit card machine. In the majority of cases, they hold no monetary value until the point they are sold, at which time the cashier enters the amount which the customer wishes to put on the card. This amount is usually recorded on the store’s database as opposed to on the plastic card itself.

No longer is this type of product only available for the big brand names. Here at Company Cards we offer a short run solution for smaller companies wishing to offer their clients gift card solutions. With plastic card orders as small as 100 units every company can now reap he benefits that plastic gift cards have to offer.

Plastic business cards: the indispensable just got better!

Business cards are ubiquitous but there always room for improvement – Company Cards discuss plastic business cards.

Every business needs them and every professional carries a handful with them at all times – company business cards!

Regardless of the type of business or organisation that you are involved in, you will have a need for a business card. Take a moment to think about what your business card says about your company? Usually this is the first piece of branded material which you hand over to a new contact, does it give them the impression that you want it to?

Plastic business cards are becoming more and more popular. The quality of material and resemblance to a plastic credit card gives the card a sense of value. At Company Cards we supply a number of plastic business cards options in various weights and finishes – from a full colour standard glossy plastic card to a silk-finish frosted plastic business card. With a plastic card, you can guarantee durability and quality.

Naturally at Company Cards we have been using plastic for our own business cards since the company began and the feedback we receive when presenting our plastic business cards is always positive.

Over the years we have incorporated other features on to our business cards including an annual calendar printed on the reverse, a list of products and services which we provide and a profile photograph. Recently we all really embarrassed ourselves by having one of our own baby photographs printed on our cards (glad we don’t do that anymore)! Although some of these ideas are a little quirky, they invariably prompt a reaction when you hand them over. This is invaluable for occasions such as trade fairs when your new contacts will meet new people and exchange business cards with many times during the day.

Our plastic business cards can also be produced with a Braille option, QR code which links to your company website or can even be cut to a bespoke shape.

Browse our website today to find the right solution for you and get in touch to discuss our fantastic offers.

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