Specialty store loyalty memberships surpass airline frequent flyers, ranking second only to credit card programs in total members. Consumers hold 3.3 billion memberships in customer loyalty programs, the 2015 COLLOQUY Loyalty Census shows, a 26% increase over the number of memberships reported in COLLOQUY’s last census study in 2013. COLLOQUY’s biennial report on the scope of U.S. Customer rewards programs, released today, shows that American households hold memberships in 29 loyalty programs spread among the retail, financial services, travel and various other economic sectors, but are active in just 12 of them. The corresponding household membership figures in the 2013 census were 22 and nine. Those numbers add up to a drop of two percentage points in the active membership rate, from 44% to 42%, a 4.5% decline. That marks the beginning of a trend, as the active rate declined for the first time in the 2013 report.

February 18, 2014 – Asheville, NC – Loyalogy, leading provider of loyalty program analysis, data mining, reporting and consulting services to the restaurant.

An active member generally is defined as one who earns or redeems at least once a year. Operated by LoyaltyOne, COLLOQUY is a leading provider of loyalty marketing research, publishing and education. The COLLOQUY Loyalty Census previously has been published in 2000, 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2013. The latest report, The 2015 COLLOQUY Loyalty Census: Big Numbers, Big Hurdles, is available free of charge, and an is scheduled March 10, 2015, at 1 p.m. The 2015 Census shows that specialty store loyalty memberships now total 434 million, exceeding airline frequent flyer memberships (356 million) for the first time, placing second only to credit card reward programs, which account for 578 million memberships. Specialty retailers, such as Best Buy, Container Store and Radio Shack, concentrate on selling one line of goods to a particular clientele and offer narrow but deep selections in their niches. In other retail sector highlights: • Drugstore memberships rose 88% to 268 million, the highest rate of growth of any census category other than restaurant programs (107%); • Drugstore activation rates rose to 66% in the 2015 census versus 50% in 2013, while other retail and credit card program activation rates were mostly flat; • Grocery program memberships declined for the second consecutive census, with memberships dropping at twice the rate in 2015 (2%) compared with 2013 (1%); • The rate of decline in fuel/convenience store programs slowed significantly to -3% in 2015 from -21% in 2013.

“Think of the U.S. Loyalty market in terms of a crowded party where half of the party-goers are standing in the corner without mingling,” said Jeff Berry, COLLOQUY research director and census report author. “Companies and brands that understand the key touchpoints in the relationship, pay attention to how best customers respond and optimize the overall experience can turn the party up so that people will join in the fun and never want to leave. Claves De Interpretacion Biblica Tomas De La Fuente Pdf Converter. Renard Because Maybe Rar File. ” In other 2015 Census highlights: • Memberships in airline frequent flyer programs declined (-4%) for the first time and stand at 356 million. They had risen 14% in the 2013 census; • Credit card reward program memberships grew at a significantly slower pace, 5% in 2015 versus 28% in 2013; • While restaurant loyalty program memberships rose 107% to 55 million in 2015, that’s down from 171% growth in 2013.

The retail, financial and travel categories traditionally have offered two loyalty program types, proprietary and partnership. But the lines are being blurred by a group of emerging programs that were non-existent five years ago, including large e-commerce loyalty programs, daily deals, cash and discount online platforms, and mobile loyalty programs, among others, which now account for 13% of nationwide memberships. In all, the 2015 COLLOQUY Loyalty Census delivers insights on loyalty programs in the following categories: financial services, specialty stores, airlines, hotels, drug stores, department stores, grocery, mass merchants, gaming, restaurant, car rental and cruise, fuel/convenience stores and emerging programs.

When researching, it's important to discover what effect they will have on your business. How will they leverage your most loyal customers?

When is the best time to introduce a loyalty program to your customer? Will your business actually benefit from implementing a rewards program? The web contains a lot of statistical information that supports the basic idea behind loyalty marketing – rewarding your loyal customers will increase your business. It doesn’t just mean rewards either. Taking the time to get to know your customers and connect with them is important for loyalty success. Wondering if you should invest in loyalty marketing? Here are 3 basic benefits to loyalty marketing before you invest in this dynamic tool.

Customer Retention - This is where most of the value you get from a loyalty program. Your program creates 'fences' around your customer to build preference vs your competitors. (See #3 below) 2. Customer Growth - Getting 'more' from your current customers. Some refer to this as share of wallet which reflects only dollars share, but try to think of this a more broadly.

Mind-share, share of the conversation and 'recommendation' or 'like' share can help grow your business. But from a Rewards program point of view, growing revenue share is your best ROI that you can measure. (See #2 below) 3. New Customers - Creating a strong value proposition, making it easy to join, and provide relevant communications will help your program continue to attract new customers. But hey, we all know that 'word of mouth' is the best advertising so just make sure your current customers are happy and you're all set!

(See #1 below) Here are 5 customer loyalty statistics and their takeaways that support the importance of loyalty marketing and connecting with your customers. Gain Loyalty From First Interaction 48% of consumers say that the most critical time to gain their loyalty is when they make their first purchase or begin service.

- First impressions really are everything. Make the biggest impact by practicing good customer service with every customer from the beginning of their journey. Loyal Customers Spend More Returning customers spend on average 67% more than first-time customers. - Focus your efforts on the portion of your customers that brings the most business - the most frequent and the most loyal. Acquiring new customers costs more and reaps less reward. Although both are important, loyal customers will bring your business more sales in the long run.

Loyal Customers Make Your Business Successful Up to 15% of a business’s most loyal customers account for 55-70% of the company’s total sales. - This stat has the same idea as the one listed above, but we thought it was important to mention.

Not only do they spend more than new customers, but only 15% of your most loyal customers bring in over half of your store sales. That's incredible. Communication is Key 94% of loyalty program members want communications from the programs they participate in. - on't just offer rewards to your customers while they are in-store. Continue to communicate with them on a regular basis - updating them with current offers and keeping your store top-of-mind constantly. Relevancy Matters Only 31% of Americans find rewards program communications to be extremely relevant. - oyalty programs can enable you to collect information on your customers so that you can tailor texts and emails to each person.

Make sure you comminicate relevant offers pertaining to what your customer wants. If you haven’t started connecting with your customers, now is the time. Your loyal customers are important to your business and want to hear from you. Whether it is text marketing, email marketing, a customer rewards program, a referral program or special promotions, there is a way for you to connect with your loyal customers that makes sense for your business. If you're thinking about a loyalty program, download our free whitepaper for answers to the top 8 questions to ask before you start a customer loyalty program!

Editor's Note: This post was originally published in July 2013 and has been completely revamped and updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.