Rewards Programs

Hey, has anyone here tried or thought of trying an offline marketing strategy of using a rewards program? I recently visited a buddy whose shop uses a rewards program as a marketing tool and he's loving the client interactions that it generates as well as having a way to give back to his customers on a regular basis. Rewards programs have almost become an industry standard and it seems like every big retailer now has either a points card or a store credit card that can be used to earn points towards future purchases.

Rewards programs seem to have almost lost their magic in swaying customer loyalty and opinion, but they can still pack a punch when it comes to marketing and promoting your business. If you're just starting out, you'll always have hagglers coming in asking for a better deal or regular customers asking you to help them out because they're short a bit of change. With a rewards program in place, you're already offering a way for them to earn those favours by frequenting your store and you won't get stuck having to dole out favours unequally to your loyal customers.

Marketing with rewards programs can also get people in your door - a great program generates word of mouth about the value you're offering and can give you a leg up on the competition - try it out!