As part of the consumer snapshots series, Interact RDT has released a new infographic on loyalty programmes in SA.
The research was run through our O2i (Online, On-demand Insights) initiative, which was launched to make access to South African consumers more affordable and convenient.
The loyalty programme survey was created and released to the O2i Panel database. Once the respondent target was reached, results were collected, analysed and compiled in infographic form.
As a result, the loyalty programme infographic is incredibly insightful in terms of uncovering local consumers’ usage, support and perceptions of loyalty programmes in SA.
What makes research like this so significant is that it provides an across the board view which can then be explored more deeply in the specific context of a given brand.
In terms of loyalty programmes in SA, organisations stand to gain a clearer understanding of who exactly supports loyalty programmes, why they do, and how they use them.
While Loyalty programmes have gathered steam in the last 5 years or so with the emergence of eBucks and Smart shopper etc. there seems to be a lot still lacking.
In fact, South African companies have to contend with an often poor ROI, consumer relationship issues, unexplored mediums and staying fresh, engaging and exciting as time goes by.
Perhaps the most crucial steps any SA company can take to ensure their loyalty programmes don’t become obsolete, is to continually monitor public opinion and action decisions based on what consumers actually want.
Whether it is points, cash, rewards or discounts – loyalty programmes must appeal to a brand’s specific followers while still being in line with its desired image and reputation.
Most importantly, consumers need to see inherent value in the programme and feel that they benefit directly from being a member, if not; loyalty programmes won’t necessarily have any effect on actual customer loyalty.