Loyalty Trends for 2022 – Remain Authentic and Essential

Uncover how brands are attempting to drive customer loyalty in 2022

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Loyalty Trends for 2022
Loyalty ManagementInsights

Published: January 24, 2022

Rebekah Carter

As the world around us continues to evolve, customer preferences change, and businesses transform, customer loyalty is still essential to business success. Loyalty is the key to cultivating repeat purchases and long-term, satisfied customers. Without it, your organization simply can’t thrive.

Loyalty is particularly important now, in a world where customers are actively reassessing what’s most important to them. Companies need to start thinking about what matters most to their target audience, This means taking a closer look at the buyer journey and upgrading your approach to cultivating customer engagement.

Let’s look at some of the loyalty trends which might influence your business in the year ahead.

Increasing Demand for Authenticity

Since the pandemic, consumers have had to become more cautious in the way they spend their money and show their loyalty. Expectations are higher than ever, and customers are increasingly unwilling to connect with companies they don’t believe they can trust. To develop loyalty in the years ahead, brands will need to think about how they can demonstrate authenticity on a greater scale.

According to FleishmanHillard’s global 2021 report on the Power of Authenticity, consumers now expect their favourite brands to have a clear strategy for diversity, equity and inclusion, alongside a dedicated approach to climate change and protecting the environment. As our priorities as a global community continue to change, 64% of customers want companies to take more of a stance on matters they consider to be important.

Loyalty Reward Options Diversify

For companies considering reward programmes for their most loyal customers, it may be time to think beyond things like discount coupons and gifts. Experts believe tomorrow’s customers will be looking for a wider range of “rewards” which help them to feel like a more valuable part of a growing community. There’s a great example of this in the “Vans Family” ecosystem.

The Vans shoe brand has a strong brand identity reflected by the Vans Family loyalty programme. When you’re part of the “family”, you can engage with the company in a variety of different ways, and earn not just points of purchases, but exclusive access to new designs, special experiences, and even behind-the-scenes views of upcoming products.

Analytics Will Evolve

To cultivate customer loyalty in 2022 and beyond, companies must understand their audience and the factors that drive their purchasing decisions. Today’s consumers are looking for highly personalized interactions, whether they’re buying products online, interacting with sales assistants in-person, or even using self-service systems.

As a result, companies will need to ensure they have the right analytics systems in place to capture information about customer sentiment and experience throughout the full buyer journey. A comprehensive approach to mapping the consumer journey from start to finish will be essential, as will innovative new tools for leveraging information. For instance, we’ll likely see a growing demand for speech analytics and interaction analytics tools to assess the voice of the customer.

Customers will Demand Digital

Digital transformation is driving the customer experience in 2022. Thanks in part to the pandemic, clients and consumers have grown increasingly accustomed to the idea that most of their interactions with brands should be happening on digital platforms. Because of this, companies are having to evolve to suit a more digital customer journey.

To ensure ongoing customer loyalty, brands will need to make sure they can serve their audience on all the channels they use, from social media to SMS and beyond. The switch to digital will even influence the way companies create and deliver loyalty programmes. For instance, 70% of loyalty programme members today currently access their rewards using an app. Apps for tracking loyalty rewards and memberships will help to engage a much more digitised audience.

Amazing Experiences Remain Essential

Although great experiences aren’t exactly a new concept in the loyalty landscape, they’re still something that requires significant consideration as we head into 2022. Going forward, customers will expect a more hyper-personalised experience from companies, particularly now they know how much access to data and information modern businesses have. Already, we know 91% of consumers are more likely to shop with brands that provide offers specific to their wants, and 31% of consumers say they wish their shopping experiences were more personalised.

Wherever your customer’s journey might go, you’ll need to ensure you’re investing in the right tools and solutions to deliver seamless, frictionless, and personalised experiences every step of the way. Paying close attention to the expectations of your customers by issuing surveys and holding CSAT or NPS surveys with consumers will make it easier to determine what drives amazing experiences.

Brands Continue to Innovate

In a transformative environment where customers are interacting with companies through virtual assistants, and exploring AI-enhanced apps, innovation is likely to play a significant role in the future of loyalty. Now is the time for companies to start experimenting with new solutions in the digital landscape, to see what resonates with their target audience. Sentiment analysis tools and AI analytics will help with gathering valuable feedback during these experiments.

Geolocation, for instance, could be an excellent way to provide consumers with more personalised experiences. Wi-Fi proximity and Bluetooth beacons enhanced with geofencing will allow companies to send specific push notifications to loyalty members, engaging clients wherever they go. Dynamic loyalty rewards that adapt to suit customer preferences could also help companies to create more memorable experiences for their clients.

Customer Loyalty is Still Crucial

Ultimately, there is no one-size-fits-all strategy for ensuring customer loyalty. Nevertheless, companies can improve their chances of connecting with their audience by staying up-to-date with the trends. Remember, listen to your audience and your front-of-house CX staff to learn more about what your audience wants in return for their loyalty. The more you pay attention to your customers, the more they’ll be able to drive your loyalty campaigns.

 

 

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