3 Ways to Boost Loyalty Program Enrollment

Loyalty programs can only succeed if your guests use them, no matter how well your loyalty program is designed, which means you have to get strategic about enrollment. Customers want to quickly understand the value of signing up, and they want to do it fast. Meanwhile, employees want to know what’s in it for them if they can get people on board.

Let's look at three ways the top convenience stores are driving loyalty program enrollment.

1. Expand Enrollment Methods

Brands need to reach as many customers as possible in as many ways as possible. I spend countless hours designing industry-leading loyalty programs, but every program’s success requires the right number of enrollment methods.

The best loyalty programs engage the masses. They reach outside the top 5-10% of customers to grow customer lifetime value and attract new customers.

Here are six popular methods of enrollment with unique advantages:

1. Mobile App: Provides immediate access to full loyalty program functionality.
2. NFC Payment: Fits seamlessly into a transaction and caters to younger customers.
3. Kiosk: Grabs the customer’s eye and prevents in-store lines.
4. Reverse Enroll: Expands marketing ability via a QR code or hyperlinked banner.
5. Text-to-Join: Enables customers to enroll on the go, and on their own time.
6. Physical Loyalty Cards: Caters to older customers, and it’s fast.

2. Promote Your Program

There are two broad steps to promote a program. First, make sure your program is easy to understand. Ideally, customers will do some of the work for you through word-of-mouth. But they’re not going to rave about terms and conditions, so make the program perks clear.

Second, consider the best ways to reach your customers. No matter how much technology one puts in place, it still matters when a cashier asks, “Are you a member of our rewards program?” at checkout.

Train your employees on the value of your loyalty program, and craft FOMO messages to drive customer interest. Employees should be capable of selling a customer on the loyalty program within 5-10 seconds. A great method here is offering immediate rewards on the transaction at hand. For example: “Would you like to join our loyalty program and enjoy a free snack with your coffee if you join?”

3. Incentivize Your Employees

Give your employees some skin in the game! Competitions and rewards are great ways to motivate and recognize your hardest working representatives.

Here is one way to structure incentives:

General Registration Thresholds: Any store that hits the general thresholds gets a reward.

The Bottom Line

In a program’s first year, you should spend 80% of your time driving participation. Make sure that you’ve covered the right enrollment methods and that your employees and executives understand the value of your loyalty program.

Loyalty program success begins with your team. Develop the right internal and external messaging around your loyalty program, then find ways to make it easier for customers to join.