Loyalty Programs Suffer from Spam Shyness: Survey
Consumers won’t give their e-mail address for loyalty marketing programs because they’re afraid it’ll trigger spam. That’s the conclusion of a recent Maritz Loyalty Marketing survey.
Consumer reluctance makes it tough for marketers to fulfill loyalty program awards online. Some marketers are offering additional rewards, such as extra points or cash back, to persuade members to give an e-mail address.
The survey of 1,205 adults showed that 56% prefer to redeem rewards online, but only 20% of loyalty marketing communications is actually conducted via e-mail. (Forty seven percent of respondents prefer point-of-purchase redemption; 30% prefer mail; and 20% prefer telephone.)
Many consumers give a work e-mail address, where filters can divert loyalty mailings. That forces marketers to design e-mails clearly so they aren’t filtered out.
“Online loyalty communication is the anti-spam because it is a pure consumer opt-in environment where no products are being solicited,” said Derek Vest, director of dialogue marketing for Fenton, MO-based Maritz, in a statement.
