LOYALTY – THE GAME HAS CHANGED

2018 IS JUST around the corner, and it’s at this time we often reflect on the wins, the losses and the learnings from the year gone by. It’s also the time we start to think around business opportunities in the next calendar year, existing customers we want to keep and grow and new customer segments we want to chase.

How did your business recognise your customers in 2017? How did you attract new customers?

While having a point of difference is difficult to achieve in a crowded market, it is imperative in order to maintain long-term relationships with your customers. So, how will you stand out from your competitors in 2018?

Thanking and motivating customers, whether they be SMEs (97 percent of all enterprises in New Zealand) or the key influencers in your sales channel, is no longer a case of if or why but rather a case of how and when. Discounts and rebates simply create a race against your competitors to the lowest price offering.

There is a better way. B2B loyalty solutions have proven highly effective when executed in the right way.

Here are the top things to consider when choosing a B2B loyalty provider: • Experience: B2B loyalty is a different game. Make sure you choose a provider that knows how to play. • Reward Flexibility: give your customers the

power to choose how to use their points. • Engaging Tech Platform: easy-to-use proprietary online shop and mobile apps for you and your customers. • Power of Coalition: ability for customers to earn additional points on fuel, power, office supplies and other non-competing supplier businesses. • Actionable Analytics: ability to gain invaluable

insights into your customers’ behaviour. • Multi-channel Marketing: ability to reach your customers in various personal and relevant ways. Thinking about how to retain and recognise your customers in 2018? Perhaps you are looking for ways to attract new ones?