Rewarding loyal customers is not a new concept. In fact, one of the first mentions of a customer loyalty ‘program’ of a U.S. merchant was in 1793. The merchant gave out copper tokens to customer which could then be exchanged for items in the store. Other early loyalty offerings used the collection of stamps, coupon inserts, and promotional items for children.
Successful merchants have always known that a loyal customer is more profitable and spends more than a new customer. Many marketers estimate that acquiring a new customer is seven times more expensive than retaining a loyal customer. Loyal customers spend more and ‘evangelize’ more via their networks of friends. Social media is not a new concept; the internet has just made loyalty a digital experience. And as digital experiences continue to grow, the new medium for customer loyalty programs is of course mobile devices.
Our next guest for #MobileChat is one such mobile customer loyalty solution. Perka describes itself as:
a smart loyalty program that helps small merchants and their regular customers support one another. Our unique system gives customers the satisfaction of being recognized with increasing tiers of “perks,” and in turn provides real, meaningful intelligence to merchants.
Perka is currently based in Portland, Oregon and New York City but is quickly expanding across North America and Western Europe. Join us Wednesday, May 1st from 9-10pm ET as we chat with Perka about how mobile loyalty is good for both consumers and businesses.
Chat more soon – Patrick Goodman
