Customer Loyalty – Myth or Business Imperative?

What does it take to win hearts, minds (and wallets!) in today's retail marketplace?

Some commentators perceive loyalty programs as nothing more than a 'promotional stunt', offering customers redemption options that simply don't engage - unfortunately, in many cases this is an accurate observation! Our leading financial institutions, airlines, and retailers all run loyalty programs - so there must surely be an ROI somewhere here. Well-executed loyalty programs can reap measurable benefits for businesses well into the future. So why is it that many loyalty programs have lost their mojo - and what will it take to re-energise them?

Loyalty is about how well you understand your customer and recognize their buying behaviour. A loyalty program is simply an enabler, a solution that facilitates your customer's journey and effortlessly builds brand engagement. Accommodating the needs of your customers ensures that you’re able to keep customer retention high, generating profit and measurable growth.

Join us as we learn from our panel of experts as we dive into the real world of loyalty and unscrew some loyalty program myths to get the facts straight up of the do's and don'ts - this time with a focus on retail franchise networks.

Gain insights into these valuable 'take-aways' from this timely conversation:

- What does best practice look like when it comes to loyalty programs in today's marketplace...

- Best practice examples of customer engagement when it comes to Retail Franchise networks...

- What role does gamification have in communication with your customers...

- What is cause-related marketing and how you can integrate this into your marketing program...

Our Panellists

Chris Conner, Franchise Consultant, Franchise Marketing Systems

Chris currently owns and operates Franchise Marketing Systems, a franchise sales and marketing firm based in Atlanta, GA. He has worked within the franchise development industry for the past decade in management positions with several franchise organizations. He has worked directly with several hundred different franchise systems as a franchise consultant and advisor.

Heidi Schoeneck, Co-founder at Grounded World

Heidi Schoeneck is a seasoned creative leader with an impressive track record spanning over two-and-a-half decades. Throughout her career, she has spearheaded creative teams at renowned agencies and has lent her expertise to some of the world's most prominent brands. Her accomplishments are not only measured by numerous awards but also by her ability to successfully market a wide range of products, from everyday essentials like tampons and cereal to financial services and cutting-edge technology.

Steve Bocska, CEO PUG Interactive Inc

Steve is CEO of PUG Interactive, an award-winning company that helps enterprises build unbreakable brand-customer relationships using advanced online technologies and gameplay principles to drive important business outcomes. Pug helps enterprises build unbreakable brand-customer relationships using advanced online technologies and gameplay principles to drive important business outcomes.

George Knauf, Franchise Matchmaker

George is a highly sought after trusted advisor to many companies; Public, Independent and Franchised of all sizes and in many markets. His 20+ years of experience in both start-up and mature business operations makes him uniquely qualified to advise both those thinking of and those operating franchise networks.