A recent blog article by myKaarma CEO & Founder Ujj Nath, posing a great question, “Are QR codes  a technology asset or failure?” motivated me to respond with my own viewpoint on this matter, as it is a divisive topic for sure!

I have been in this space for a while and seen…

Rewards programs are indisputably a staple in common society. Most retailers have them and consumers have come to expect them.

The problem is that most retailers view rewards programs as an expense, rather than a revenue generator. Sure, there are discounts and other things that come along with rewards programs – and those are the “expenses” some retailers…

Occasionally, when creating a great customer experience a business will have to go above and beyond for its customers. These little WOW moments can easily take a repeat customer and make them loyal, or even take a loyal customer and make them into a brand advocate.

Author and thought-leader…

In this era of dealership expansions and acquisitions, groups are often put in the unenviable position of inheriting promises or perks that were offered prior to the dealership acquisition. One would think that it is simply a matter of grandfathering the customer into a perk offered by the previous owners. However, one automotive group chose to take a different approach, as…

The landscape of sales and promotion at car dealerships is changing rapidly. Advances in technology, the rise of social media, and a shift in cultural values all have an impact on how your dealership interacts with customers. Many companies are currently grappling with learning to effectively market to different generations and cultures. It is likely that your target audience includes a generational mix of everyone from millennials to baby boomers, as well as people from different…

The landscape of sales and promotion at car dealerships is changing rapidly. Advances in technology, the rise of social media, and a shift in cultural values all have an impact on how your dealership interacts with customers. Many companies are currently grappling with learning to effectively market to different generations and cultures. It is likely that your target audience includes a generational mix of everyone from millennials to baby boomers, as well as people from different…

Creating a truly successful, profit-generating, and reputable dealership in your community requires more than selling one vehicle at a time.  While having your sales team consistently hit (and surpass) their quotas each month is certainly an integral component to longevity in the marketplace, it’s critical your dealership builds long-term relationships with each and every customer ~ transforming 1^st time buyers at your dealership into loyal, referring car buyers.  This…

Today’s tech-savvy shopper relies on internet research and mobile technology to make purchasing decisions. Every time potential customers conduct a search, it creates a digital moment ~ a brief, online interaction that answers an immediate question or need.Creating a website that is mobile friendly will help your dealership provide information in response to these moments.  Further, being aware of the major digital moments…

Auto dealerships face a unique challenge when it comes to growing customer engagement. In general, the modern customer is inundated with advertising and people have become adept at tuning out messages. However, your brand has an opportunity to rise to this challenge and can use great rewards programs as a cornerstone of customer engagement. Here’s how:

Deemphasize sales

Although it may seem…

The average U.S. household now belongs to more than 18 loyalty programs, for a total of more than 2 billion memberships. That’s an awful lot of loyal customers. But, all these programs and cards can have an unintended effect: customer loyalty fatigue.

Most consumers do still participate in their ‘favorite’ loyalty programs, and for many businesses, it’s a…

From factory rebates to free upgrades to free car washes, new and used car dealerships use millions upon millions of incentives to boost sales each year. Some new car operations question why they should offer any other kind of incentive beyond the factory rebate. The answer is…

Loyalty programs surround us. We live in a world filled with keychains on which multiple little plastic mini loyalty cards dangle. There aren’t many places where we spend our money that don’t offer a rewards program or, at the very least, track our purchases via a quasi-rewards program that only allows us to purchase items at the “loyalty” price, versus the…

When consumers think of loyalty programs, they typically think of racking up miles, or frequenting a business in exchange for rewards, perks or freebies. No matter what business you patronize, there is a good chance that it is offering some sort of loyalty incentive. In fact, many argue that loyalty programs are so prevalent nowadays that they are losing some of the initial…

Delta Airlines recently revamped its loyalty program changing how rewards are distributed to its customers.  In an article in Knowledge@Wharton, Peter Fader, Wharton Marketing Professor, applied the concept of customer centricity in reviewing Delta’s current…

Oftentimes, businesses adopt a rewards program to thank their frequent customers and to encourage and increase the likelihood that they will return. While these are both excellent reasons to have a rewards program, a business must carefully consider how to structure the program and what to offer to not only promote engagement with their customer, but to also create…

The LA Times reported this month that, in an interesting move, AMC Entertainment, the owner of over 300 movie theaters including 25 of the 50 highest grossing theaters…

As social media gets more and more entrenched in our daily lives, it’s becoming the easiest and most visible place for one of the most important things your company can have but can’t buy – word-of-mouth marketing.

You can have your customer experience down pat, a loyalty program that rocks and customers lined up to do business with you; but does that mean…