Across Australia, rising living costs are directly impacting consumers and their discretionary spending. In the current economic climate, the hospitality industry is certainly feeling the pinch as consumers look to decrease spending and increase value.
Nationally, there has been an increased uptake in the use of consumer loyalty programs to make spending go further, a trend that, when used correctly, can help venues increase footfall. One such example is a new app-driven initiative by Applejack Hospitality, Summer Points Frenzy (SPF).
Open to members of the Applejack App Loyalty Program, the initiative allows punters to reap real-time rewards when they spend money in Applejack venues around Sydney. Earning 10 points for every dollar spent in an Applejack venue, SPF members can then convert points into free menu items.
Alex Barron, Applejack Group digital marketing manager, spoke about the group’s efforts to connect with customers and strengthen their brand positioning through loyalty schemes.
“Along with the excitement of giveaways and exclusive offers, the Applejack Summer Points Frenzy is a strategic move to optimise our loyalty rewards system that we’ve been building over the past three years, so customers can receive even more value for dining with us.
“There is a sense of responsibility to our 18,000+ App users to bridge the gap between earned points and experiences with Applejack. We want to empower our customers to unlock the benefits they’ve earned, educate App users around the full potential of the Applejack App and ultimately reward customers for their loyalty to our venues.”
With 10 million points earned across the system, but yet to be redeemed, Applejack hopes that the summer campaign will encourage users to visit venues and redeem their points before a scheduled points clean and reset on Friday 1 March.
While rewards-based loyalty programs are instrumental in getting customers into venues, they are also a great tool for collecting first-party data, which can be used to enhance customer experiences and deliver personalised promotions.
Off-premise, retailers are already utilising data in this way, and in speaking to National Liquor News for the 2024 Industry Leaders Forum, Gavin Saunders, CEO of Liquor Marketing Group (LMG), explained the importance of implementing loyalty programs and using data correctly to drive sales.
“Loyalty presents a great opportunity to further enhance a retailers offer to the shopper. Greater knowledge of the shopper allows for more tailored promotions and drives higher conversion. While loyalty is complimentary to the retail offer, the fundamentals of pricing, service and experience need to be maintained.
“LMG has seen the power and insights of first party data through the Zen acquisition and trial, but collection of transaction data is just one component. Equally important is ensuring that the engagement enabled enhances your brand’s offer.”