Customer Rewards Programs: A Gamble without Mobile Applications?
My wife and I vacation once or twice a year in Las Vegas. Nothing extravagant, usually just an extended weekend at a hotel we enjoy. Since we both enjoy gambling, she at the slot machines and me on table games, we belong to one of the casino’s customer rewards programs (players club). The club allows us to compile rewards points, good for gifts and meals at the hotel’s shops, as we gamble away our children’s inheritance.
Rewards programs, like the player’s club we belong to, are all about protecting and growing the customer relationship. Creating, and rewarding customers for their loyalty is fundamental to any business strategy. Unfortunately, many rewards programs fall short when it comes to connecting to today’s mobile-savvy consumers.
Take my player’s club program for example. Like many older rewards programs, it allows me to see my point status online, but doesn’t allow me to redeem them. For that I have to see a player’s club customer service representative at the casino, or speak with one of the pit bosses at the table games. While this helps keep me interacting with the casino staff, it does little for me when I’m away from the property (which I am most of the time).
As we’ve discussed in earlier blog posts, the accelerated adoption of mobile devices is redefining the consumer landscape as never before. As response rates for direct mail advertising continue to drop, and consumers become more dependent on mobile phones, smart phones, and tablet devices for daily communication, the need to provide mobile optimized websites and mobile applications will become ever greater.
I received a flier in the mail the other day for a competitor of my prized casino hotel. Normally I wouldn’t have given it a moment of my time, but what caught my eye was the advertisement for their rewards program – an image of an Apple iPad with a mobile application showing the consumer buying show tickets with their points. While my hotel still has my loyalty (for now) their competitor now has my attention. For price-conscious consumers, that can be all it takes for them to slip away to a competitor.
Improve Retention with Mobile Applications
If you’re thinking about adding mobile to your customer communications strategy, you may be unsure where to start. We can help you connect with your customers anytime, anywhere with mobile communications.