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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