Why loyalty schemes have mobile future

Paul Godwin suggests that the future of loyalty programmes may lie in a universal card that is supported by a large collective of brands (MW last week). While this might free up space in people’s purses, going mobile has to be the logical next step.

The Tesco and Nectar loyalty programmes are experimenting with mobile applications that let customers see how many points they’ve earned, but the sticking point is how to redeem those offers.

Although you cannot swipe a phone through a card reader, you use the Chip and PIN terminal to redeem coupons and vouchers by entering a PIN code displayed within an app or text message on the phone.

Russell Buckley CMO, Eagle Eye