^{CHAPTER FOUR:}
Loyalty Programs and Personalisation Drive Repeat Business

Our Most Compelling Data:

^More than

80%

of retail shoppers said they look for exclusive discounts and the ability to earn rewards with loyalty programs.

82%

of retail leaders with an established loyalty or rewards program said it drives repeat visits.

66%

of retail leaders plan to invest even more in their loyalty or rewards programs this year.

Pesky notifications? Maybe not. Nearly two-thirds of consumers say they want retailers to keep them in the know with alerts.

Here’s an eye-opener: Consumers say they don’t mind their data being used when it improves the customer experience. Sixty-five percent of consumers told us they felt either positive or neutral about the retail practice.

Loyal consumers want to feel seen, and personalising communications is one of the most effective ways to do it. What does that look like? Think receiving a push alert for an exclusive offer on items you regularly buy, or getting a shipping update email addressing you by name as opposed to a generic notification you might otherwise ignore.

When given the ability to select multiple options, 69% of consumers said they want personalised shopping experiences informed by past purchases. Alerts and notifications (64%) and invitations to exclusive events (61%) were also seen as positives by a majority of survey takers.

Key takeaway:

Investing in retail technology is important for a number of reasons. It can free up employees’ time to spend focusing on the customer experience, but it also clears the way for a more fruitful human connection between your staff and customers in more ways than one.

Boosting personalisation through loyalty programs where you responsibly collect and act on customer data is one of the largest opportunities retailers have to make this happen. In fact, 78% of consumers told us they were likely to engage with or use a retailer’s loyalty program. If you’re in the minority of retailers who still need to jump on this opportunity, reach out to your POS provider to see what it offers, compare that to other third-party software, and start a pilot program that works for your business.

Pro tip:

Want to get your business’ loyalty train on track quickly? With Square Loyalty, retailers can generate repeat sales via customer rewards programs that integrate seamlessly with Square text and email messaging capabilities.

Ryan Nesci’s father was a butcher for over 35 years. So it was only natural he would eventually end up in the food business, too. Nesci joined up with co-owner and baker Carey Timony to launch Amici Food + Beverage Co., a bakery and grocer specialising in prepared foods and low-carb, low-sugar baked goods and groceries. Since opening their doors in 2018, the duo has expanded to two blossoming locations with 15 employees. But Amici doesn’t just thrive on food. The personal touches and the feeling of family they create with everyone who comes through their doors are what separates them from the big guys. They maintain those connections by sending personalised offers via their loyalty program, making a huge difference in their business.

The [previous] marketing integration didn’t work well, and there were very few options. Now I’m using Square Loyalty and Square Marketing. These tools let me automate offers, customise email campaigns and create special birthday offers for our loyal customers."

Ryan Nesci, Co-Owner of Amici Food & Beverage, Ontario, Canada