Near Field Communication and Loyalty- a lovely combination by Robert P. Sabella

Near field communication (NFC) and Loyalty can become one of the agile solution for your business. Read on an interesting article written by Robert P. Sabella of NFC Boot camp.

"Loyalty: it’s devotion, duty, or attachment to somebody or something. It’s also the relationship that we, as consumers, have with the things we buy and the people we buy them from. Loyalty has been part of the marketing lexicon since the earliest stages of trade — finding ways to not only attract customers, but to keep them devoted or attached to the brand, product or service, to build a relationship with the customer. Loyalty is also one of the key criteria in creating competitive advantage and is often an integral part of a company’s business strategy. Numerous loyalty programs and systems have been implemented in the marketplace: coupons, giveaways, points programs, and more. But more important is the way technology has enhanced the loyalty program and its evolution over the past few years.

As technology — and specifically mobile-enabled technology — has crept into every facet of our society, consumers demand convenience and access on-the-go more than ever before.  That being said, loyalty programs have had to evolve and adapt. While coupon clipping and physical loyalty cards still serve as a viable option in some market segments, the days of overstuffed wallets filled with customer reward cards and envelopes full of clipped coupons (does anyone remember when The Entertainment® Book membership was strictly in hard copy?) are drawing to an end. The consumer relationships built with paper and plastic are now bonded by bits and bytes. 

Enter near field communication. I titled this blog, NFC and Loyalty … a beautiful friendship; that’s because NFC enables so many possibilities within loyalty programs, allowing brands to communicate and interact with consumers (and retailers) on many different levels. The content delivery is limitless, whether video, images, games, surveys and questionnaires, discounts, and more.

With NFC, incorporating a mobile marketing strategy plays a much larger role in loyalty programs. NFC allows consumers  to interact with anything, anywhere, anytime — with just the tap of a smart device. The ability of consumers to redeem a coupon electronically, with a tap, facilitates ease of use and increases redemption rates.  Its analytical benefits for the brand are two-fold:

• The brand gains information and insight on the retailer collecting the coupon, providing information on your most profitable outlets, redemption times and trends, market segment; and
• The brand gains consumer-specific information on redemption, buying preferences, and other potential products within the brand umbrella purchased at the retail site"

Author: Robert P. Sabella
 
Read full article..