Loyalty Programs and Marketing Strategies for Retail and Restaurant

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Customers Love Rewards: Building Your Brand

As retail stores and restaurants seek out unique ways to deepen customer engagement, increase revenue, and build brand awareness, traditional marketing campaigns often come to mind. But, marketing is more than reaching out to new potential customers. There is significant untapped revenue potential for restaurants and retail businesses who stay in front of existing customers. The cost to maintain a current customer can be up to six times less than the cost to acquire a new customer. So, it’s essential for small businesses to keep their loyal, repeat customers.

Marketing your loyalty and reward programs is a smart way to retain your existing customers. With the right point of sale (POS) system, your business can do more than take orders and process payments. Your POS system can provide valuable customer data and help you build your brand through executing loyalty program marketing campaigns.

There are many ways to build your brand with loyalty program marketing campaigns, but it’s essential to find the right strategy for your business. Here are three key marketing ideas that can be paired with your loyalty programs to increase revenue and customer satisfaction for your restaurant or retail store.

Loyalty Program Email Marketing

While your customers might know you have a loyalty or reward program, most of the time, they won’t remember. Using email marketing to remind your customers of your loyalty program is an effective way to generate repeat business.

With your Restaurant or Retail POS system, easily integrate with an email marketing tool like Sendinblue to generate, manage and monitor your email campaigns. Emails can be set up in a certain cadence and automated to ensure that customers get regular communications that are relevant to them. For example, send out emails to your loyalty program members, including points updates, tier information, or personalized rewards.

Your emails must be mobile-optimized to ensure they reach your customers. In fact, sending a mobile-responsive email can increase clicks by 15%. With the right email marketing solution, emails are optimized for mobile so your retail or restaurant can quickly stay in touch with customers.

Gift Cards

Gift cards are an essential component of many retail store and restaurant efforts. They boost your loyalty program marketing campaign by encouraging spending with your logo and brand attributes front and center. In addition, many merchants offer gift card promotions that can increase loyalty with current customers. For example, provide a free $10 gift card with a purchase of $100. This offer might encourage a purchaser to spend more money and return to spend their gift cards.

Your business can offer both branded physical or digital gift cards giving customers more options. Physical gift cards are great for gifts for both retail stores and restaurants, especially around the holidays. Your current customers act as brand advocates for your business and share their loyalty with family and friends through a gift card, bringing in more customers. Digital cards are convenient and make it easy for customers to order online, specifically for restaurants. With 70 percent of U.S. consumers stating they planned to order online takeout or delivery in 2020, digital gifts offer a solution that customers want and will keep your business competitive in a technology age.

Another option to build brand awareness with your gift cards is to offer them in large venues like grocery stores and high-traffic convenience marts or gas stations. This puts your brand right in front of consumers generating more opportunities for your restaurant or retail store.

Branded Receipts

Adding your logo and website to receipts is a simple way for your business to stand out from the competition and build brand awareness. Both digital and print receipts can be customized to display your business’s information and any additional promotions to encourage customers to return.

Print receipts offer an affordable way to share promotions or specials that your business typically sends in the mail. For example, with a paper receipt, your retail business could include a percentage off discount at the bottom to encourage customers to return and save money. Or, a restaurant can build loyalty with customers by offering a BOGO on a menu item at the customer’s next visit.

Digital receipts can be designed to match email campaigns, social media, and your website to ensure a cohesive brand image. A uniform brand makes it easier for your customers to recall your business and return. Also, digital receipts can be used to drive customers to register for your emails. This allows your restaurant or retail store to further communicate with customers and stay top-of-mind.

Restaurants and retail establishments already understand the power of marketing, but there are many ways to build your brand with loyalty program marketing campaigns. It’s crucial to find the right strategy for your business and customers.

At Paradise POS, we have the perfect POS solution to integrate loyalty programs with marketing tools, so your business stays in front of your existing customers and keeps them coming back. Let Paradise POS help you market your loyalty and reward programs – Contact us today, and we’ll get you started!