Difference Between Online and Offline Loyalty Programs

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Difference Between Online and Offline
Loyalty Programs Retailers appeal to customers
buying habits with incentives in order to
outsell their competition. This trend has been in
practice since the beginning of time. Over
years, retail has continued to evolve, and
following the birth of ecommerce in the early
1990s, loyalty strategies have made a migration
to the digital platforms with definite motives.
With all of the online and offline rewards
programs emerging every passing moment, one might
begin to wonder where exactly the differences
lay between them. A detailed study of both the
platforms leads to a clearer opinion about the
debate that has raised quite a few
opinions. Offline Loyalty Programs Location has
always held significant consideration on its
part, for customers who choose to purchase
products in-store, rather than an online
purchase. However, additional expenses may be
associated with visiting a particular store to
purchase a certain product. Although, customers
tend to come back on their own simply due to the
close proximity to a specific store, retailers
must still be aiming to appeal to their
customers best interests with their loyalty
programs. Following are some of the strategies
tailored to benefit the offline sales
environment 1. Social Sharing
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High chances prevail that customers will browse
through physical stores through social networks
before the purchase. The current generation of
customers, in particular, spend a considerable
amount of time on mobile devices, checking into
social media accounts and with such exposure,
harnessing social sharing power is a genius way
to entice customers to shop with you. Rewarding
customers for sharing their experiences with the
products on platforms like Twitter and Instagram
gives retailers the opportunity to create brand
influencers while incorporating their brand into
the everyday social fabric of their customer
base. 2. VIP Tiers VIP tiers allow retailers
to acknowledge and evaluate their best customer
base with exclusive benefits and rewards. Simply
effective at increasing customer engagement, VIP
tiered programs give the the customers an
opportunity to earn more, which in turn
encourages them to spend more. VIP programs have
emerged as an excellent solution for
brick-and-mortar retailers, because once a
customer is committed, they are more likely to
engage themselves with a specific store. Its the
perfect example of how exclusive benefits, as
opposed to discounts, set a brand apart from the
herd.
Online Loyalty Programs
One of the most significant reasons people prefer
to shop online is discount prices, which doesnt
come as a surprise given the fact that many such
people dont even have a savings account. Online
shopping has taken the commercial merchants by
storm, and is soon to dominate, which raises a
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• need for loyalty programs to ensure a customer
  base. With the facility to
• shop around and buy at the lowest price in a
  matter of seconds, there are many ways ecommerce
  merchants can work to keep their customers
  hooked.
• VIP Tiers
• VIP Tiers is a perfect example of some of the
  strategies which can be
• incorporated in both online and offline
  platforms. Tiers are especially known to
  industries like supplements and cosmetics because
  they have intense
• levels of competition. Brands that reward
  customer loyalty with benefits and transactional
  rewards are more appealing in a more obvious
  sense.
• Offering customers access to exclusive events or
  product launches are some of the many ways that
  retailers can give recognition to their VIP
  customers, considering that these loyal customers
  are responsible for a majority of their
  business.
• Engagement Touch Points
• One must provide the customers with ways to
  engage outside of the shopping cart if one
  wishes to make his online brand stand out. With a
  rising trend of using smartphones for all manner
  of online activity, people are searching for
  experiences that complement their lifestyle.
  Referral programs are an excellent way to
  encourage customers to engage with ones brand
  throughout their everyday necessities, and can be
  seen as the evolution of the old school reward
  systems.
• No matter what youre selling, wherere youre
  selling whether its online or offline, a
  loyalty program is a proven way to acquire a huge
  customer base.

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Through exclusive rewards, beneficiary
initiatives, and social awareness, one can treat
customers to a lifestyle and loyalty experience
unlike anywhere else, making ones brand a
priority for them, every time they go shopping.