Smart Transaction Systems (STS), a leading provider of gift card and customer loyalty programs for retailers, today announced a series of new integrations with InComm, Shopify and BigCommerce. The new capabilities arrive as the company introduces a robust product update to its text-based Wilbur Rewards loyalty program.

STS offers a suite of services designed with small businesses in mind, providing customer loyalty programs and gift card programs. Its solutions include a range of digital options that even the playing field, and enable small to midsize businesses to compete with larger chains and franchises. Each of these programs provides merchants with the ability to safely implement touch-free, virtual gift and loyalty programs for their customers.

The new integrations with major shopping cart and gift card providers further advance STS’s growth as a leader in user-friendly marketing solutions for small business owners worldwide. 

“The updates we’ve announced today will enable our merchants to create more connected businesses. Small business owners have a lot on their plates — especially during the economic uncertainty of the pandemic. Our goal is to provide solutions and updated offerings that are designed to support their unique needs. By doing this, we can empower them with the time and flexibility to focus on running their businesses, rather than being bogged down by administrative duties,” said Ray Clopton, President and CEO of STS. 

Wilbur Rewards, STS’s text-based customer loyalty system, enables retailers and restaurateurs to track rewards points and share promotional information. The card-free approach can help business owners improve customer retention with minimal loyalty program management or upkeep required.

The visual enhancements to Wilbur Rewards will encourage customer loyalty by enabling business owners to incorporate graphics and video elements into their loyalty programs. 

Updates to Smart Transaction Systems’ product and integration offerings include:

• Shopping Cart Integrations: Integration with two major shopping cart providers make it possible for STS merchants currently using Shopify and BigCommerce to have one gift card program available to customers both in their retail stores and online. Support for other channels is also built into the service, enabling businesses to connect gift card malls, social media platforms and LocalGiftCards.com accounts.

• Incomm Integration: STS has also integrated with InComm, to give small and medium sized business clients the opportunity to sell their gift cards in retail outlets such as supermarkets, drug stores, convenience stores and hardware stores in their area. An end-to-end payment platform and provider of financial technology solutions, InComm serves over 1,000 brands internationally. With the new integration in place, STS merchants will now have access to InComm’s 500,000 retail distribution points.

• Visual Updates to Wilbur Rewards: The STS-owned, card-free loyalty program Wilbur Rewards now supports mixed media messaging. Merchants using Wilbur Rewards can include images or videos in their text-based customer programs, delivering these visuals directly to users’ phones. These visuals can be added to SMS reward messages, which are sent out to inform customers that they have earned or redeemed rewards at participating businesses.

“We’re pleased to share the highest quality visuals with our partners who use the Wilbur Rewards system, and we look forward to continued growth in 2021 as we work with our merchants to meet their unique needs for retention and customer engagement,” said Clopton. “It’s more important now than ever to empower small business owners with the tools they need to succeed — and accessible, effective loyalty programs are critical to achieving that goal.”

Merchants can learn more about the features of the new integrations and other STS programs by visiting smarttransactions.com. 

To access the enhanced visual features available with Wilbur Rewards, visit wilburrewards.com.

Integration Enables Customers to Purchase Digital Gift Cards for Small Business Retailers When Making Online Purchases

Smart Transaction Systems (STS), a leading provider of gift card and customer loyalty programs for retailers, today announced its integration with multinational e-commerce company Shopify. 

With the new integration in place, customers can now access a gift card solution that is compatible both in their brick-and-mortar retail outlets as well as online. Similarly, merchants that use Shopify to conduct their e-commerce operations can use the full suite of STS gift cards and e-gift cards embedded within Shopify’s interface. The integration will bring its gift card program to online point-of-sale transactions. 

“In 2021, small businesses need a gift card solution that works across both retail and online channels,”  said Ray Clopton, President and CEO of STS, “Shopify users can use our platform to sell gift cards in their brick-and-mortar stores, on LocalGiftCards.com as well as social media. Our beta sites are representative of the types of businesses that can benefit from this integration. They use Shopify online, but they have two or more different POS systems and use our platform to sell physical and digital gift cards through their websites and social media accounts.”

Because STS is integrated with over 180 different point-of-sale systems and gateways, the new integration allows merchants to have the flexibility they need to implement gift card programs, without restricting them to a particular environment or system.

Business owners using Shopify can easily implement a digital gift card program through their existing Shopify account, streamlining the rollout process and helping independent business owners to uncover additional revenue streams and bolster customer retention.

STS offers a suite of services designed with small businesses in mind, providing customer loyalty programs and mobile marketing services. Its solutions include a range of digital options for small to midsize businesses, including customer loyalty programs, mobile marketing services, gift card programs and e-commerce capabilities. 

Shopify Inc. is a Canadian multinational e-commerce company headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario and provides a proprietary e-commerce platform for over 5 billion online stores with its retail point-of-sale systems. The integration will combine Shopify’s adaptable and user-friendly ecommerce capabilities with the customer retention capabilities STS enables for its clients.

Merchants can learn more about the features and capabilities of the Shopify integration and other STS programs by visiting visit smarttransactionsystems.com.

About Smart Transaction Systems

STS is an expert in helping small businesses grow through the use of innovative technology. STS seamlessly combines customer loyalty programs with mobile marketing services, and gift card programs with e-commerce capabilities to create unique, highly reliable tools for increasing profitability.

Since its founding in 1998, STS has provided thousands of small businesses with big-business solutions, enabling them to compete with larger corporations. STS does not offer one-size-fits-all solutions. Equipped with an excellent understanding of the wide range of issues small businesses face, STS prides itself on its ability to provide relevant, inexpensive tools that achieve each company’s unique goals in marketing, customer loyalty, revenue generation, and online e-commerce presence.

Contact:

Sarah Miller

Smart Transactions Systems

888-494-9760

Originally Published at SmallBizTrends.com

By Rob Starr

Gift cards have been a great way to bump up your business bottom line for years. Small Business Trends contacted Ray Clopton, CEO of LocalGiftCards.com. We wanted the goods on what SMBs need to know about this important business tool.

Clopton started with a brief history.

“Gift cards used to be a plastic card with a magnetic stripe like a credit card. They were loaded with a dollar value and given as a gift,” he writes. “These were redeemed later at a specific store or restaurant.”

As business owners might already know, all that changed with the Internet.

Digital Cards

“Today, gift cards can also be digital – either sent by email or text message. That makes them an even more convenient gift option. Especially amid a socially-distant holiday season.”

He goes on to explain why they are important by saying give cards help a business generate revenue upfront. And small businesses get additional sales when these cards are redeemed.

In the past, businesses pointed to the amount of money left unredeemed as another benefit. Clopton says even that’s changed with new laws.

“ Recent legislation has made it easier for consumers to redeem gift cards for longer periods of time,” he says. “That’s increased consumer trust in the product.”

Still not sure about getting involved with gift cards? Consider another real benefit is  customers almost always spend more than the original value.

“Plus, people often use gift cards to introduce friends and family to brands that they themselves love. So it’s also a great way to gain new customers,” Clopton writes.

Three Main Kinds

There are three main kinds to choose from. Plastic can be displayed in  brick and mortar stores. E-gift cards are sold online and often sent by email. Then there’s the ones sold online and sent via text.

The versions sold online can be stored digitally so there are more secure than the physical cards which can be lost.

Clopton explains how their ROI goes beyond incremental sales.

“Gift cards give businesses revenue through different channels – online marketplaces, Facebook pages, company websites and more. They are also great for special promotions like: buy $100 in gift cards, get a $10 bonus e-gift card.”

After Hours Shoppers

These digital versions are also perfect for last-minute and after hours shoppers.

There’s a checklist when small businesses are choosing a provider. Start by listing the benefits you’d like to offer your target market.

• Look for a provider that offers options you can add to your website easily. There are still plastic only companies that need complicated e-commerce setups.
• A good gift card provider should also have plug-and-play options easily integrated with social media.
• You should be allowed to sell gift cards in omnichannel environments, both online and in local drugstores and supermarkets too.

Security is another must have.

“The key is to select providers that protects against fraud and lets you sell  through different channels,” Clopton says. Small businesses  need to choose their gift card program provider carefully. Many processors don’t offer online digital gift card sales or anti-fraud features.”

Local Sales

He has a cautionary tale for business owners looking to cash in on local sales.

“These days, many consumers know that shopping locally is best for the community. But when they go to buy gift cards online, they find that the option isn’t available.”

That can push shoppers away to buying gift cards from large chain stores or restaurants.

Finally, there are some traditional businesses like coffee shops, retailers and restaurants that do well with gift cards. However, all businesses can get something from them and their promotional power.

“We’ve seen dentists, landscapers, and handyman services use gift cards to run successful promotions and gain new customers,” Clopton says.

By Ray Clopton. Originally published at PaymentsJournal.com

The impact of the pandemic has affected small business owners in ways that very few could have anticipated. With the current unemployment rate at 14.7% the best or only way to rebuild your business is by providing customers with a good value. Even customers who were not directly impacted will not be spending in the same way they did just a few months ago.

While we all hope things will improve at a steady pace, it is critical that you do not take a ‘wait and see’ approach. Instead, develop a strategy that allows you to adapt and overcome the challenges.

Make the Most of Your Limited Budget

Consumers will be looking for good values but competing on price alone is not a viable strategy. Retaining customers and fostering customer loyalty is more important than ever. Thirty-six million Americans have filed for unemployment since the pandemic began so your business will need an edge – one that makes your customers gravitate to your business, but how do you do that when your own budget is very limited?

A low-cost loyalty program that is abundantly simple is one way to engage and keep customers in a very efficient way. Businesses that have an appealing customer loyalty program while the COVID-19 pandemic is still active are at a great advantage. Just like prior to the pandemic, the most successful customer loyalty programs are secure, easy to join, demand minimal employee training, and don’t burden the business owners with a heavy time commitment.

Here are five effective ways to help reach out to both old and new customers and increase engagement through a customer loyalty program:

1. Keep Your Loyalty Rewards Program Simple

Make it easy for customers to join and keep it dead simple by implementing a customer loyalty program that anyone can understand. If your employees cannot easily explain your rewards program in 30 seconds or less, few customers will understand the incentives you have created for them to keep coming back.

Having a simple, customer-friendly loyalty program will help put your business in a better position to succeed in getting more customer engagements. Customers prefer simplicity — they don’t want to feel overwhelmed and bothered with filling out forms and submitting requirements. Offer a loyalty program that doesn’t require your customers to fill out forms, download apps, or carry cards with them every time they shop. A simple yet efficient loyalty program will only need a phone number so customers can participate and earn rewards as they shop.

2. Make it Easy to Redeem Rewards

You can make your customer loyalty program more attractive and engaging by keeping your rewards redemption process simple and straightforward. For example, you may offer instant rewards that allow customers to earn points for every dollar spent and receive cash rewards when they earn enough points. This works because it’s easy to understand and easy to remember.

3. Strongly Consider Privacy and Make it Easy to Join

Respect your customer’s privacy. Fraud in customer loyalty programs is up over 89% from mid-2018 to 2019 and consumers attitudes about sharing personal information is shifting rapidly. New rules and regulations are in place for protecting consumer data so think twice about taking on the liability of collecting and maintaining extensive customer profiles.

Many successful loyalty programs utilize text-2-join and only collect first names. This makes it easy to get anyone to join. No app to download, to sign up form, nothing creepy. This still allows you to remain connected to your customers because they get a text when they earn or redeem reward and see your promo messages.

4. Extend or Totally Eliminate Points Expiry

Businesses need to show more flexibility and be willing to make necessary modifications to the existing terms and conditions associated with their loyalty programs, especially during the new normal. This is an excellent way to encourage customers to patronize your brand. After all, during this time of crisis, empathy has become the new norm in marketing.

You can show your support and generosity to your customers by extending or totally eliminating points expiration, so customers won’t lose their progress and can still redeem their points. You can also lower redemption rates for rewards, so members can redeem their available points. Further, make sure to make your loyalty rewards program available for online shopping if you’re offering this kind of service.

5. Consider Your Target Audience

While it is important to keep your loyalty program simple, you can throw in perks for specific types of customers. For example, if there is a large corporate campus near your business, you can offer extra points or rewards for employees of that company. Seniors or activity duty military personnel are worthy, and added incentives for the people on the front lines of the pandemic would be especially timely. Under the current circumstances very few businesses can afford to be especially generous, but a little appreciation goes a long way towards building customer loyalty.

Get Ahead of the Game

Be prepared to pivot, to improvise and most of all, focus on how your customers’ needs are changing. Many things like customers attitudes about sharing personal information or having to download an app to participate in a loyalty program were already shifting before the pandemic. Now is the time for change and the companies that recognize that will be well positioned to survive and even thrive in our new reality.

The period of recovery following quarantine may still be challenging for most businesses, but this offers a great opportunity to get ahead of the game. If you are quick to adapt to the new normal and communicate benefits to loyal customers, your business will likely have positive customer interactions to help move past the pandemic. By offering a loyalty rewards program that offers convenience and hassle-free participation, you are building bridges with customers by establishing an efficient strategy to respond to this new situation effectively. 

Originally published at SalonToday.com

By Ray Clopton, CEO, Wilbur

The beauty and wellness industry is rapidly growing. However, it is driven by intense competition and to stay ahead of the game, businesses need to deploy strategies to keep existing customers engaged, while attracting new ones.

There are effective marketing strategies, such as getting referrals, networking, and using online platforms to promote your business. However, the most effective way to retain your current customers and acquire new ones – during a crisis or otherwise – is to make them feel invested. When your customers feel like they are an important part of your business, it helps encourage customer loyalty.

Here are three effective ways to improve customer loyalty for your business:

1. Turn Your Customers Into Influencers

Most beauty, spa and wellness businesses use a variety of online platforms to build their brands. Some businesses even hire paid influencers to help promote their products and services to their followers. While this type of marketing strategy may be effective, it can also be expensive. If you cannot afford to hire social media influencers, you can create a program that will encourage your existing real-life customers to promote your business in social media instead.

Here are two suggestions on how to do it:

• Facebook/Instagram photo contest: Create an official business hashtag. Have a photo booth in your business area that shows your brand. Let your customers take pictures in the photo booth and post them in their own Instagram/Facebook accounts, with a sentence or two telling why they love to do business with your company. Of course, they have to include the official hashtag. You select a winner (either weekly or monthly) and the winner gets a prize (it could be a freebie item or a special discount).
• Post Customer Pictures in Your Official Facebook or Instagram: Instead of posting pictures of influencers in your business social media accounts, you can post photos of your customers who are genuinely using your products and services. Make sure to ask their permission before you post their photos and tag them when you do, so they can share it to their friends and followers too.

2. Offer Card-Free Loyalty Rewards Program

A loyalty rewards program is one of the most effective ways to attract and retain customers. Loyalty programs are designed to reward customers for their loyalty to your brand by giving rewards like freebies, discounts, rebates, and other incentives. This strategy has been proven to effectively acquire and keep customers because the idea of earning points that can be redeemed as rewards entices them to keep coming back.

The conventional rewards system is through the use of a loyalty card. However, some customers tend to forget to bring their cards with them sometimes, while others have the tendency of losing or misplacing their cards. Often, card replacement takes time and it can also be costly.

To prevent these problems and to help lessen your customers’ stress, you can opt for a card-free loyalty program where customers will only need an active phone number to register, earn points, and redeem rewards.

3. Be Flexible

With the current situation due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most people either prefer to stay at home or they are just simply not allowed to go out. This can have a huge blow to a lot of businesses, including the beauty and wellness industry. To maintain good customer rapport, it’s best to be flexible especially during these trying times.

Here are ways you can keep your customer happy amidst the global pandemic:

• Offer gift cards. If your business is a salon or a spa, you can help minimize your customers’ risks while still doing business by selling gift cards. LocalGiftCards.com and other providers make it easy for businesses to sell gift cards via their websites.
• Provide product sales online. If product sales are important, make those products available for purchase online or take orders via social media.
• Extend membership or package expiration. If your business sells memberships or packaged services, you can extend those agreements to ease customer concerns.

Stay Ahead of the Game

The beauty and wellness industry is growing rapidly, but it’s also getting extremely competitive. It’s important to find ways to keep your existing customers happy while attracting new ones. Growing your customer base may be challenging, but it’s definitely achievable. Use the above tips to help you stay ahead of the game.

Three-Month Program Allows Businesses to Easily Sell Email, Mobile and Physical Gift Cards Via Their Websites for Free

Supporting small businesses as they face COVID-19, LocalGiftCards.com (LGC) today announced its “LGC Free for 3” program assisting locally owned small businesses (SMBs). The service will be free to any business that is at least 51 percent locally owned until July 1, 2020.

With the program, LGC makes it very easy for any SMB owner to sell their gift cards — email, mobile and physical — on their web site as well as LGC’s website.

After signing up for the free program, business owners are provided with a custom link to add to their existing website directing customers where to purchase gift cards. Businesses can also sell gift cards on their company Facebook page with the LocalGiftCards.com Facebook app.

“We are pleased to do our part in helping the local business community by making our service free to SMBs for three months. Our goals is to help businesses get through the COVID-19 closures by selling their gift cards online,” said Ray Clopton, CEO of LocalGiftCards.com. “We hope to make it easy for consumers to support their favorite locally owned restaurants and other businesses that have been forced to close.”

Consumers can easily purchase email or mobile gift cards. They can also have a physical (plastic) gift card mailed out.

“Unlike other providers doing similar promotions, LocalGiftCards.com has waived all fees to SMB merchants,” added Clopton.

LocalGiftCards.com is one of the Smart Transaction Systems brands, which includes Wilbur Rewards. Wilbur is also designed for SMBs and it is an ideal way for SMBs to build customer loyalty to help them get through the likely economic downturn.

LGC has been in operation since 2012. All cards sold through our service do not have expiration dates or dormancy fees.

About LocalGiftCards.com

LocalGiftCards.com was created to help small businesses enter the online gift card market and provide consumers with a convenient way to purchase gift cards online while supporting local businesses. LocalGiftCards.com provides small merchants with the same or better technology than what the big box and national chains stores are using. The web site is owned and operated by Smart Transaction Systems, Inc. in Boulder, Colorado. Since its founding in 1998, Smart Transaction Systems has provided thousands of small businesses with a variety of advanced technologies that would normally require a large IT investment. To learn more about Smart Transaction Systems, visit SmartTransactions.com.

Media Contact
April White
Trust Relations
april@trustrelations.agency
347-870-9402

Originally published at PMQ.com.

Implement these quick and easy tips to build loyalty to your pizzeria brand.

Loyalty programs are so ubiquitous today that most consumers belong to at least one—and they’re likely to sign up for more than a dozen. But research shows that they’re not always pulling their weight: A late-2018 analysis by Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Forrester Research reported that “nearly half of U.S. 18- to 35-year-olds admit that programs influence what they buy and how much they spend,” but they also require “an emotional component that programs often fail to satisfy.” In fact, only 41% of consumers report that programs actually make them feel more loyal to a brand.

With so many programs clearly missing the mark among consumers, it’s crucial to make yours stand out—while ensuring it runs smoothly and pulls in key information you
can use to ramp up business for the future. Read on for some easily implemented tips that will help make your loyalty program a success.

Expert: Dave Cesaro, executive director, vertical marketing, Valassis, Livonia, MI

Key takeaway: Use data to personalize the customer experience.

The key for successful loyalty programs, besides ease of use and bonus achievements, is understanding where, how and what each customer purchases. That allows brands to craft messages and incentives to inspire incremental visits, increase ticket sizes or try new items. Best-in-class restaurant loyalty programs include giving the most loyal members sneak peeks at new limited-time offers or developing a tiered point system that rewards incremental visits or app downloads. But restaurants looking to establish loyalty programs must be aware that offering free breadsticks on someone’s birthday won’t be enough to inspire action. With customer loyalty fading, pizzerias cannot simply rely on their top customers to drive traffic and sales in 2020. Promotions will remain a key driver for loyal, lapsed and new consumer activation, with true loyalty being earned through quality food and solid operations.

Expert: Toni Clem, CEO, Scoppechio, Louisville, KY, and Cincinnati, OH

Key takeaway: Focus your acquisition strategy on the lifetime value of a client, not just one visit.

Tip #1: Restaurants often rely on heavily discounted acquisition offers to grow their database quickly. Unfortunately, this results in guests who want a quick deal but never come back. Therefore, pizzeria owners need to reach beyond that first visit. Incorporate zone messaging strategies, ease of signups, and local advertising to acquire loyalty program members.

Tip #2: Segmentation often starts with recency (how long ago they last visited), frequency and monetary models to determine the loyalty of guests. However, looking only at monetary values can be flawed for restaurants that compete in high-frequency, low-cost meals. Instead of looking at monetary values, focus on recency and frequency, and then layer on occasions (such as party size and time of day) in place of monetary to monitor guest behavior.

Tip #3: Your best customers likely aren’t going to change their behavior with special offers. We see a lot of burnout with offers and rewards; customers simply expect them now. Instead, reward your customers with something tangible rather than simply another coupon. For example, unique merchandise rewards are a way to go beyond the transactional and build a relationship with your best customers.

Expert: Ray Clopton, CEO, Wilbur, Broomfield, CO

Key takeaway: Streamline the process from start to finish.

Today, with so many options available, consumers are very selective about the loyalty programs they join. They are more likely to be loyal to brands that respect their personal privacy, and they don’t necessarily want to join a loyalty program that asks for too much data. They also want convenience when it comes to loyalty programs and do not want to carry a card in their wallet or download another app on their smartphone. Restaurants and pizzerias that make it easy for their customers to participate will have the best response. By using a cardless, phone number-based approach to loyalty programs, customers no longer have to remember a card; they can simply provide their phone number at the end of a meal to receive rewards. Giving rewards to your customers, no matter how simple or small, can make them feel appreciated and valued; keep them engaged with and loyal to your business; and encourage a stronger connection so they recommend you to their friends.

Expert: Stacy Caprio, founder, Accelerated Growth Marketing, Chicago, IL

Key takeaway: Add the element of surprise.

Creating a loyalty program that offers surprise rewards at random intervals when people come back a certain number of times is a great way to make people excited to keep coming back to your pizzeria. Create surprise in the intervals and types of rewards, and people will want to come back just to see what rewards they will get—and when!

Progressive Perks

According to Forrester Research in Cambridge, Massachusetts, loyalty customers expect more than a brand’s best discount; they also want to feel special and look for perks that are relevant to the companies they’re buying from—and 80% of loyalty program members want to receive special treatment not available to other customers. For example, Forrester compares the perk of cash back, which provides only positive reinforcement in the moment, vs. status tiers, which create more valuable feelings of anticipation and extended gratification.

Big-name brands are certainly taking note of findings like these. Last year, Nation’s Restaurant News reported that Jackson, Mississippi-based Newk’s Eatery, with more than 120 locations in 16 states, was experimenting with a program that allowed customers to “cut in line during peak hours, get ‘prime’ seating or receive free samples of new menu items.” In the same article, Seattle-based MOD Pizza, with more than 465 locations nationwide, was noted for finding inspiration in airlines for its own loyalty program, but with an altruistic twist: Customers can now “pay it forward,” donating their accumulated points to Generosity Feeds, a nonprofit that feeds children in need. Alternatively, McDonald’s unveiled a different type of pay-it-forward program that allowed members to pass on free coffee to other people for a limited time.

The key takeaways here? Think outside the box. Ask your customers what’s most valuable to them.  Monitor how well each program structure or perk works for your business—and don’t be afraid to make tweaks along the way! 

Originally published at epodcastnetwork.com.

Ray Clopton, President and CEO of Smart Transaction Systems (STS), a leading provider of innovative technology and accessible solutions for small businesses joins Enterprise Radio to discuss customer loyalty.

Listen to host Eric Dye & guest Ray Clopton discuss the following:

1. What is Wilbur and what makes it different than the other loyalty programs out there?
2. Why is Wilbur the ideal option for small business owners?
3. What makes Wilbur effective for increasing customer loyalty?
4. Data privacy is a huge concern among consumers these days. What kind of data does Wilbur collect from customers and how is that data used?
5. What’s new in the world of customer loyalty programs?
6. ”What trends are you seeing in customer loyalty programs? Anything new on the horizon in the year ahead?

As President and CEO of Smart Transaction Systems (STS), a leading provider of innovative technology and accessible solutions for small businesses, Ray Clopton is as devoted to building the small businesses his company serves as he is to the success of his own organization. 

Clopton is a firm believer that every business should benefit every customer it serves, whether directly or indirectly, and his goal is to ensure each solution STS offers is easily understood, convenient and reliable.

His commitment to this mission led to the company’s latest big-business solution for small businesses: Wilbur, an ultra-simple, privacy-friendly loyalty rewards program built on 20 years of insights. Since its launch in 2018, the program has flown in the face of contemporary trends toward data collection and instead refuses to collect any customer data beyond a first name and phone number.

In April 2019, Wilbur sponsored a survey conducted by The Harris Poll regarding consumer sentiment regarding customer loyalty programs, the results of which were publicized in multiple niche media outlets including Retail Wire, Convenience Store Products, Loyalty 360, Customer Think, Specialty Food, Grocery Dive, and Pizza Magazine Quarterly.

Clopton is a leading payments industry and technology expert with more than 25 years of experience who has been a featured speaker at conferences and trade shows throughout North America, Europe and Asia. Prior to founding STS in 1998, he founded Clopton & Associates, a consulting firm that specialized in helping companies in the bankcard, healthcare and telecommunications industries bring new products to market. The firm’s clients included Visa, VeriFone and Merchant Link.

Today STS serves more than 11,000 merchants, providing them with access to technology, loyalty programs and distribution channels that help grow their businesses. As a result, STS simultaneously supports the local economies and communities in which each small business is located.  

One of the company’s highly successful distribution channels is LocalGiftCards.com, a division of STS that makes it easy for customers to purchase email, mobile and physical gift cards from small businesses online. The division also enables merchants to sell gift cards on their websites and Facebook pages. 

Another tool STS provides to help small businesses succeed is GiftCardSupplyStore.com, which provides promotional materials and display units that empower merchants to sell more in-store gift cards.

Clopton’s business management philosophy can best be summed up by this George S. Patton quote: “A good plan, executed now, is better than a perfect plan next week.”

In his free time, Clopton enjoys traveling with his wife and dog — (yes, the dog is a surprisingly good traveler) — and working on the family’s property in the mountains of Colorado.

Originally published at YoungUpstarts.com

By Ray Clopton

Are you considering launching a conventional customer loyalty program? You might want to reconsider. Offering a new customer loyalty program modeled after what national chains have used for years is like building a coal-fired power plant today. Why? What worked yesterday, won’t pass muster today. Our environment has changed with the time — and, even if you loved coal, there are much more cost-effective technologies available now.

Fostering true customer loyalty is fundamentally about how your customers feel when they walk into your business or make a purchase. Recognizing your customers’ needs can help you foster true customer loyalty that begins with awareness of your business environment.

So, what’s changed about today’s business environment? Consumers are more skeptical than ever. Recent events including the misuse of personal information by Facebook, a variety of corporate data breaches and a steady stream of unwanted emails have made most customers reluctant to share personal data.

According to a new Privacy Study from the Advertising Research Foundation (ARF), U.S. consumers are less likely to share personal information with companies, e.g., mailing address, email address, compared to the same survey conducted a year ago. The 1,100-person survey showed that only 54% of survey respondents said they would share their email address, a decrease from 61% last year.

Given this, asking weary consumers to sign up for another loyalty program is not an easy proposition. It also might have you rethinking the value and the liability of maintaining detailed, “big data” customer profiles that make your marketing efforts and related customer information an attractive target for hackers.

However, with the economy showing signs of weakness, consumers are becoming more value oriented and, if you approach them with appealing and easy to understand customer loyalty programs that make them feel good about your business, you can maximize the ROI on your marketing dollar.

With all of these factors in the backdrop — and keeping in mind potential sensitivities around giving out personal information — consider the following ideas for your loyalty program:

USE SMS TEXT FEATURES.

Make it easy for even your most reluctant customers to join your loyalty program by implementing a text to join option. Offer a quick incentive to encourage customer participation and don’t forget to include text to join instructions on marketing collateral and signage.

DON’T WORRY ABOUT AN APP.

Avoid developing a smart phone app unless there is a very compelling reason to have one. A recent Harris Poll survey reports that most Americans (58 percent) are less likely to join a loyalty program that requires them to download an app to access benefits. The most successful loyalty programs are focused on the overall experience, not the technology.

ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS.

Show your customers you respect their privacy by asking for only the information you need. We’ve seen success with requesting just a first name when opt-in text messaging is used instead of email marketing.

RECONSIDER WHETHER YOU NEED EMAIL MARKETING.

Mobile promotions can be more cost effective than email marketing in many cases. Depending on your size, products/services offered and customer preferences, you might gain more bang for your buck by focusing on mobile offers. Reward messages sent by text can even be customized based on seasonality or new products and services.

TAKE AN IDEA FROM THE GIFT CARD INDUSTRY AND OFFER CASH REWARDS.

National restaurant chains are known for their massive gift card sales around the holidays, e.g., “Get a free $10 gift card for every $50 you spend on gift cards.” They know that customers will consistently spend much more than the value of the gift card.

Consider a similar promotion, such as giving loyalty members $5/month, and the average customer is going to spend more than enough to make that up in profits. Plus, you know exactly how many customers redeemed their $5, so the ROI is easy to track.

Simplicity is key for your customers, and chances are you and your employees don’t have idle time to manage a complex and laborious email-oriented loyalty marketing oriented campaign. If your customers can understand the rules of your mobile loyalty program in 30 seconds or less—and sign up without feeling like they’re holding up the line at the POS—you are likely to engage and make the most of your marketing efforts.