Stay with me

Patrick Williams, creator of YOU ROCK in Washington State, USA, specialises in helping businesses succeed in their marketplace. He works with small retail shops through large scale corporate businesses offering simple strategies to yield more business and greater customer retention.

To increase client loyalty Williams recommends starting a loyalty benefits programme. In a recent tip he says, "Are you looking for a way to tell your customers to 'stay with me'? Maybe it is time to create a loyalty program.

You don't have to go far to find great models. Barnes & Noble has been charging $25 every year to be part of their rewards program, giving their customers 10% off of every purchase.

There are tons of businesses who use a simple email list to send out coupons or special offers on a regular basis to keep customers coming back for more.

Keep in mind that no loyalty program will work if you have a lousy product, service or treatment.

So make sure you deliver real quality and value first, then create a loyalty program that will keep your customers coming back again and again. "


If you have a quality product, service or treatment and are ready to incentivise your clientele with a loyalty programme, CardsPlus offers an out-of-the-box gift and loyalty software to encourage clients to stay with you.

Ready to start? Call us 086 16 CARDS (22737)

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Client FAQ: What do I need to start a card orientated loyalty programme?

Card orientated loyalty programmes for retailers is a popular solution for companies looking to increase revenue and client loyalty.

There are just two key steps that we recommend to clients who are ready to start their own highly effective loyalty programme.

Back-End software:
The software can be as simple as RewardsPlus or as complicated as hiring a loyalty provider.

This back end software will manage the rewards and keep track of all details of the clients. Think of it as your heavy lifter that will do all the hard work for you.

Plastic cards:

Once you determine your system and are ready for implementation, you will just need some cards to round off the system. You can use barcodes, magnetic stripes or even contactless technology– depending on the system you choose. At CardsPlus, you can be up and rolling in just 10 days or fewer.

There you have it! Just two step to a highly effective loyalty programme in your retail
establishment.

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Loyalty Programmes Helps Restaurants!

A recent report by B2C marketing Insider spilled the beans on new research that demonstrates that customer loyalty programmes are helping restaurants gain the competitive edge and weather the rough economy.

The study revealed that:

• Seventy-seven percent of respondents said loyalty programs helped drive business during the economic downturn.
• Nine out of 10 respondents said loyalty programs give them a competitive advantage (90 percent).
• Of those that currently operate a guest loyalty program, 84 percent plan to maintain or increase their program investment in 2010.

You can read the whole report here:

Are you reaping the rewards of loyalty yet?

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Are You Squeezing the Most from Your Loyalty Programme?

Many POS systems allow for an additional module to provide client loyalty, but many companies don’t know what type of benefits a loyalty system actually provides!

We have put together a list of 8 benefits of implementing a loyalty programme.

• Increases Total Revenue
• Enhanced product purchasing
• Increases Brand Awareness
• Increases ability to track client purchasing trends
• Multiplies ProductPurchases
• Tracks Sales trends
• Enhances Marketing Effectiveness
• Boosts company image

Implementing a loyalty programme gives you the ability to grow your business faster and further!

If you would like a manage-it-yourself solution to start reaping the rewards of client loyalty, please give CardsPlus a call today.

What benefits are you enjoying from your loyalty programme?

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Retaining Clients after the World Cup Experience

Did you enjoy the surge of business with the onslaught of tourists?

The biggest boost seen wasn’t just in the tourists that have now left South Africa, but by South African companies who reached inside the country for assistance with promotional, security and marketing systems.

But now that the World Cup has wrapped up, how do we keep those clients that we gained?

Here are three tips we have found useful:

1. Reward Loyalty. Loyalty programmes and cash-back benefits give a big thank you for loyalty.

2. Build a relationship. Communicate with your clients, remind them of your services and that you care about the projects they are facing. Keep your services a dialogue to ensure that you provide your client the best value you can.

3. Forget the competition. Be the best of what you are, keep your clients first in your mind and you will not have competition winning your clients over!

How are you retaining the post-cup clients you gained?

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FYI - A Great Book on Loyalty and CRM

Many of our customers of late have been retailers who, in today's market, are looking to retain their current clientele, and increase sales through the implementation of a rewards based loyalty programme.

We want to put the "smart" into cards, and believe that giving information to our clients which will help them to succeed is most important.

In light of this, we have come across a very interesting read by author Frederick Newell titled Why CRM Doesn't Work. It explores the idea of customer centric service to build long-term relationships, create customer loyalty, and bring in profits over time instead of speedy, high-pressure, one-time sales. In the chapters on loyalty, Newell goes into great detail on loyalty programmes, loyalty cards and the importance of using them as tools to drive repeat business.

Reading this book, or at least the Google preview, will give your company some insight and ideas into creative, customer based methods which will increase your sales and retain your client base.

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Powerful Plastic - from the Can Do Files

There was a day when a plastic card meant a credit card. In fact, many still refer to a typcial CR 80 sized card as a "bank card". But today, thanks to new technologies in both hardware and software, and some very creative thinking people, there are now limitless applications for this small, but powerful piece of plastic.

A loyalty card is a great customer reward tool, but how about using it to encourage education? Recently we began meetings with a forward thinking company who is wanting to encourage its employees to better themselves in their chosen field by rewarding them with redeemable points earned through reading.

Partnering with their own in house resources as well as some outside in the community, they are going to use a basic loyalty programme and loyalty cards to keep track of employees who take initiative to learn more about their line of work. These points will then be redeemable for a variety of benefits and employee rewards. (Imagine the possibilities!)

Why not consider taking your companies typical ID badge, and by adding a very inexpensive magnetic stripe and encoding - begin rewarding your employees for doing the things that would make them more valuble to you as their employer?

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Loyalty Card and Gift Card Programs – What is all the buzz?

In today’s economy, retaining business, as well as bringing in new business is more challenging than ever. Simply offering a great product is no longer enough.

Retailers and Service Providers are now faced with the challenge of adding additional value to their product line – and they need to stand out from the crowd.

We have a solution to this dilemma and a new product that we are launching – one that is growing in popularity and gives a great return to the retailer and service provider –Rewards Plus Gift Card and Loyalty Card Programme.

Why does this work?

Loyalty Cards and Membership Cards are today’s ‘Hot Ticket’, and are currently one of the fastest growing segments in the plastic card industry.

· Loyalty cards cater to every customer’s desire to feel recognized and special

· Loyalty programmes offer the ability to reward your most loyal customers, giving them a little special treatment and encouraging them to return,

· Loyalty programmes increase your knowledge of your customers by helping to record spending patterns and trends.

Retailers reap great rewards from loyalty card programmes:

* Retain/increase business with your customer base
* Collect Data on customer buying habits and sales trends
* Advertise -Put a "Miniature Billboard" of your business in your clients wallet

Gift Cards provide their own list of great benefits:

* Gift Cards are an excellent promotional tool. Gift cards build brand awareness as they place your advertising and message space in the wallets of your customers.
* Gift Cards offer Increased Turnover and Profitability – Existing store customers transform others into same store customers without any extra cost or effort to the retailer. Gift Card displays at the point of sale have a dramatic impact on human tendency to impulse purchase, thus increasing profitability. Affixing Cards to creatively designed carriers adds to the perceived value. Additionally, customers tend to spend 40% to 140% more than the face value of their card.
* Gift Card assist with collection of data- Magnetic swipe Gift Cards give you the facility to examine purchasing activity and trends at all levels enabling the production of accurate reports.
* Gift Cards assist with effective target marketing - With the collated Data and accurate reports Gift Cards give you the opportunity to carry out more effective and successful marketing.
* Gift cards ensure less returned merchandise - Gift cards ensure that the customer or the end user receives the goods that they want which in turn reduces the quantity of returned or exchanged merchandise.


Cards Plus is pleased to announce the launch of it’s all new Gift Card and Loyalty Programme- Rewards Plus

Operated by magnetic stripe readers, this programme offers extreme flexibility and great benefit for retailer and customer alike. Call our customer service department at 08 616 CARDS (or 011 894 3914) to receive more information on this revolutionary way to begin your own Gift card and Loyalty Programme

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