The price may be right, but loyalty must be the lead role

Today’s retailers may well offer the same quality and value as the corner shop did 30 years ago (“Building loyalty schemes with lasting power”, MW 2 July) but where they need to be different is in the loyalty arena, with consistent tone of voice, constancy of messaging (though not pushy – think Arkwright, not Price is Right), simplicity and by fully exploiting the information they hold on customers for the benefit of the customers.

Weak data analysis, complacency or choking decision infrastructure within their often siloed internal management scupper the grandest of launches. The successful schemes aren’t just something the marketing team are responsible for. They have to be arrived at from auditing every department. They have to be committed to by every department and they need to be seen as a cross business strategy.

A good customer relationship, wherever they touch the brand, is one that needs to start working quickly, which works hard, and above all, keeps working.

The days of “just getting them through the door” are gone. You go cold at the till and they go cold on you. You may be open all hours across every channel, but if you don’t work at that relationship they’ll quickly go elsewhere. And more than likely, they’ll find a warmer welcome.

Jamie Pulley
Creative director
EHS Brann