I was shopping last week at Eddie Bauer in the mall. The customer service was great and I had an enjoyable shopping experience. At least until I checked out. Then I was asked if I had a rewards card. No, thank you. It’s free. I’m not interested. Why? Because I hate carrying around 2309238098 cards from different companies. I don’t feel that’s a reward. You assign me a number, make me carry a card, track what I purchase and occasionally give me coupons for your stuff. I think the reward is surely in your favor.
First off, these types of rewards programs bother me because they’re already tracking what I purchase. I usually pay by credit card, so that pretty much assigns my identity to what I purchase. They just want my permission to market to me. I get it, but I don’t want it. Instead, how about randomly giving me a coupon at time of purchase? That would be much more of a reward than this veil of a supposed rewards program.
Don’t get me wrong. I think you should reward your customers…and your business partners…and your referrals. I just think they should actually be rewarded. Give them something they want. It can be a discount on your services or a referral fee or whatever. Just don’t pretend you have a rewards program when you actually have a direct marketing program.
Be open. Be honest. Reward your customers.
(photo by FreeWine @ Flickr CC)
Technorati tags: direct marketing, referrals, customer rewards, business, rewards programs, marketing
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Once again I’ve written a story over on Practical eCommerce. The article is about 
Many companies get the highest conversion rates (and best customers) from referrals. People tend to trust their friends, family and colleagues over companies – that’s a given. So, it may be in your company’s interest to use