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Personalize your loyalty program
You have a working loyalty program, right? Is it
a one-size-fits-all experience or is it personalized to individual customers? This is easier than it sounds. Think about a program for furniture buyers, and another for people who like to purchase home decor and accessories. You can use the same platform, just tweak it for different customers. A mom might receive an email that recommends kids backpacks or rain gear. A fashionista might receive an email suggesting handbags or jewelry she might not realize she needs. Separate your email lists into customer categories, then tailor your emails to each customer group.
Create a social media Customer
of the Week program
Choose one customer to highlight each week on
Facebook or Instagram. Ask permission first, then post his/her photo, maybe with a favorite quotation or something they enjoy. Create a template overlay you can add to the customer’s photo that includes your store name, logo, and the words “Customer
of the Week!”, plus a place for the customer’s name. (Use their first name only or maybe their first name and last initial.) Soon customers will start to ask when it’s their turn. Be consistent! If you get a good start and then stop for three weeks people will be less likely to want to participate.
Adopt a local cause
Camille and John Akin, former owners of Ever After
Scrapbooks in Carlsbad, Calif., held a Survivor Crop, an annual 24 Hour Scrapbook Marathon that was attended
by locals, plus scrapbookers from other states, and even other countries. Survivor Crop began in 2002 and by 2014 it had raised more than $500,000 for the local chapter of the
Susan G. Komen Foundation.
Adopting a local cause is not only good for your karma,
it brings your store great community visibility. Millennials and Gen Z customers say they choose stores based on the good works they do, so why not host an annual event and invite your customers help plan and run it?
Implement KIZER &
BENDER’s Impact 8TM
We have shared this technique in just about every
single presentation for one simple reason: it works. It’s personal, it enhances the customer experience, it will make you the most visible retailer in your community, and it only takes a few minutes a day.
There are two parts to Impact 8TM. Part one involves a telephone call to four customers you spoke to or worked with that week. There is only one rule: you cannot talk about your store unless the customer brings it up first. If you happen to get the customer’s answering machine, it’s okay to leave a message because you’ll make their day.