Top Technology Trends in Loyalty Program Development For 2018

Good news for program managers – loyalty technology continues to evolve making their jobs more convenient, but are they considering technology enhancements that keep pace with today’s customers’ expectations? Loyalty program development innovation is more critical than ever, and finding new ways for brands to focus on delivering seamless experiences and the when and where their best customers want them will always present challenges.

In a recent webinar, Creating the Right Loyalty Technology Solution, Kathryn Felke, CEO of All Digital Rewards, spoke of the innovative ways loyalty technology can be developed to collect and analyze loyalty data to create long-lasting experiential moments, and to keep loyalty members engaged in real-time driving a better more profound relationship and consumer value.

Consumer behavior continues to shift between the ever-evolving online and offline channels, placing marketers under increasing pressure to establish long-term relationships based on customers behavior and preferences – and then to leverage the acquired member data to drive a personalized experience. Think of this process as a closed loop cycle that the member engagement produces more than enough data that will yield insights enabling a brand to create experiential moments and interactions that hopefully will trigger more member engagement, advocacy, and prolonged lifetime value.

Some of the noteworthy trends below are just a few ways brands are driving the effectiveness and engagement of their loyalty programs. Their adoption of innovative technology and looking at the big picture allows program managers to connect with their customers beyond purchase simultaneously and to balance the fine line between meeting ever-demanding business objectives.

In a traditional loyalty program, retention marketing and acquisition was treated separately. However, as technology evolves allowing for cross-platform initiative opportunities, loyalty programs can now set attributes to observe member purchases, preferences and demographics to identify high-value customers.

The standout benefit here is marketers are now empowered to identify the high-value member attributes of existing users to create look-alike models to identify similar segments to attract customers to their programs. Brands will drive loyalty program acquisition strategies in pivotal ways to capture member data and build member profiles. Acquisition campaigns will include social connection opportunities, influencing demographic profile data and other non-purchase engagement.

Traditionally triggered loyalty messaging such as transactions, enrollment, etc. comes across in email and occasionally occurring days after the event. Loyalty technology can now provide real-time messaging to ensure relevancy. Instead of depending on single triggers to build profiles, they can now be created from a collection of transactional and non-transactional data (such as demographics and preferences) to understand what incentive programs are better-prioritizing offers and promotions to each segment.

The impact for the loyalty program is a targeted and personalized message for each profile rather than a “one-size-fits-all” model. Incorporating this innovation will provide a new and improved tailored experience for each type of customer and will increase customer engagement rates.

Recent trends of mobility across geographies and a desire for a consistent globalized brand image has necessitated the need for customer experience for brands, inclusive of consistent global engagement experience.

Many brands need a global framework for their loyalty programs. Quantitative metrics and qualitative need to be combined into observations that lead to a geo-specific loyalty program that can communicate one message and one brand. An understanding of digital expansion is providing opportunities for program managers to adopt tools and techniques to reach a global audience. Start with commonalities between markets and user experience to balance global scale with local customization.

So, what does this all mean? For marketers and brands to be successful, it is imperative that they focus on designing meaningful engagement that touches on the emotional aspect that connects consumers to their favorite brands, in both the new-to-market channels that customers are using and the traditional ways they continue to depend on. Creating a personal partnership with your customers requires innovative technology to streamline partners, new channels, and data flowing into the loyalty program. To establish a connected long-term customer, we need to shift our focus to collect relevant data, analyze, and interpret that data in meaningful ways that benefit both all brand stakeholders.

Loyalty technology is always evolving, which is why it is important to pick a loyalty provider that is also evolving with the technology and trends to offer you, and your users a better experience. Whether it be through a Loyalty Ecosystem, real-time messaging, or globalizing brands, it’s important for a provider to offer you the best option for your platform and for your budget. All Digital Rewards offers a customizable experience at an affordable price. Our loyalty reward management platform, SaaS with Stack ™ and incentive and reward issuance applications, and technologies meet the needs of today and tomorrow’s channel, consumer, sales and employee loyalty initiatives. Our advanced micro services and dynamic technologies are cloud-based and built to evolve with the changing needs of your business. We have a one-stop approach to incentives and rewards giving clients the biggest bang for their buck with an extensive offering of merchandise, digital rewards, VISA prepaid cards, gift cards, and travel. All Digital Rewards will assist you in building a winning loyalty strategy for you…and your community.

To learn more about driving higher engagement through Building a Winning Loyalty Program Strategy call today at 866-415-7703 or click the “Schedule a Demo” button at the bottom of the page!