You now know the importance of having a loyalty program for your brand. Whether partnering up with a well-known company or developing your own, data showed that loyalty program usage is at an all-time high.
Exhibit A
According to www.smallbizgenius.com, 77% of people are likelier to stay with a brand if they have a loyalty program.
Exhibit B
Access development has collected significant data regarding customer loyalty and loyalty program usage.
So these pieces of evidence tell us how successful loyalty programs attract customers.
The next step? Create the loyalty program, DUH.
However, it begs the question, what factors do I need to consider when creating a loyalty program suited for my business?
Here are the key factors you must consider when developing a loyalty program.
Warning: the content you're about to read contains technical information. Viewer discretion is advised.
1. Properly Designed
Design is everything. What makes one app successful more than the other can be its simplicity. Functionality and proper design are crucial to loyalty apps because they help customers navigate the app better, see other services and use the app more regularly.
Customers must have an easy time using your app; that's why the UX/UI design must be sleek, minimal, and organized.
Set of rules to be followed when designing an app:
- Prioritize your content and make the action buttons frequently used by customers to be at the forefront.
- Make every action button visible so they can see it on their phone.
- Keep your menu in the same place on all pages so users won't have to search for it.
- Keep your vital call to action '(CTA) buttons within thumb reach.
An important thing to note here is the golden rule of designing apps; according to research by Steven Hoober, 49% of people rely on one thumb to accomplish things on their phones.
So, it's best to place frequently-used and top-level actions at the bottom.
- Use well-known icons and layouts as much as possible.
2. Available to your niche customers.
When creating a loyalty app, you must research what type of customers you're luring & the type of devices they use.
Here's where the technical content comes into play.
There are two types of developing an app.
- Native apps: are the ones built specifically for one platform.
- Cross-platform apps: they are compatible across multiple platforms like iOS and Android.
Based on the research you've done on knowing what type of devices your customers use, you can start creating the app suited to the majority of the users. However, its recommended to make the app flexible and more compatible with the three main OS (iOS, Android, and Windows.)
"All of that is fine and understandable, but how will I be able to do all of that? "
Don't worry. We are getting into the internal business part. You must choose a reputable company for app development, which takes us to the next point.
3. Done by Professional Third Party
Developing an app requires lots of time, money, and energy. This is why outsourcing is the best solution for you.
Why? because you will...
- Save Time: By having a team with experience in app development from A to Z, they can develop your loyalty app quickly, saving you both time and money.
- Get High-Quality Product: Once again, professionalism and experience matter.
As mentioned above (reason number 2), your app should be seamless and easy to navigate. A team of professionals will achieve this. That's why you must work with a reputable software development company. (Zealpay is definitely your go-to for this) 😉
Now, After all the technical jargon is out of the way, what other factors must you consider?
Let's talk about maintaining loyalty; what do customers want?
4. Personalized experiences
The personal, the better. Customers love tailored offers and discounts made for them. Use the data you've collected from the loyalty app and create a personalized ad, that way, you get their loyalty and even recommend you to others.
5. Offer noteworthy rewards
Think about your customers for a second; what do they need? Based on their usage of the loyalty app, they sure order a lot, which means they always pay shipping fees. So consider making a special offer like a discount on their next purchase, or if they reached a certain amount of products purchased, they get free shipping.
6. Create a Game with Points
Keep your customer engaged and entertained. Gamification helps customers stay on the app for longer and get invested in earning more points to redeem later, which leads to increased sales.
Conclusion
It's essential to think about what serves your brand best, and the way to do starts from the very beginning. Making the app better, simpler and appropriate to the customer is your answer. Get to it and contact us now.
