Getting people to join your app loyalty program requires more than just offering discounts. In-app stories and push notifications can help you inform customers of the benefits they’ll receive by joining.
With customer expectations for personalization rising, your mobile app must be able to do more than reward purchases. Here are several effective strategies to maximize your loyalty program:
Incentives
Incentives are an essential best practice to encourage loyalty and drive app rewards program. For example, you can offer discounts to consumers who spend at certain thresholds or accumulate enough points. Alternatively, you can offer them free tickets to events and entertainment, subscriptions to additional products and services, or even donations in their name to a charitable organization.
To maximize your rewards program, you need to provide consumers with the correct information about their current status in your program. Consider displaying their progress with a rewards chart in the app to help them understand how close they are to achieving their next milestone, such as moving up a tier or earning a birthday deal.
You can also create automated messaging that highlights promotions and their benefits to customers based on their rewards history. It will ensure they’re not missing any reward opportunities and keep them engaged with your app.
Push Notifications
Push notifications are a secret weapon for many businesses. They can provide value to app users with real-time updates like weather reports or news and promote sales and discounts.
However, it is crucial to strike the right balance when using this tool. A push notification campaign that is too aggressive may lead to users muting or even uninstalling the app. Alternatively, a push that is too passive may need to provide more engagement.
The best way to avoid this is by focusing on the timing of your notifications. For example, it is better to send a push about a weekly sale on food products at a time when users are likely to be shopping for groceries (like Sunday afternoons). It also helps to consider the different user segments and their respective time zones. It is important not to wake up your customers in the middle of the night.
In-App Purchases
In-app purchases offer developers colossal revenue potential, incredibly if priced relative to how much users use the app. In-app purchases also don’t require physical inventory or overhead, and they can be used in conjunction with other monetization strategies for a diversified revenue stream. However, there are some risks to consider. For example, some people may dislike paying for in-app content or features, and a small percentage of in-app purchases can lead to chargebacks, which can be expensive for businesses.
In addition, in-app purchases can provide valuable insight into user data and customer behavior. For instance, it can reveal which aspects of the app are most popular, allowing developers to focus on improving those features. It can result in better resource allocation at the development and maintenance levels.
Similarly, in-app purchases can boost app retention by giving users a sense of ownership and commitment to the app. For instance, when users pay for a subscription service such as Netflix or Spotify, they receive regular renewal notifications, encouraging them to continue using the app long after it has been purchased.
Mobile-Exclusive Freebies
Loyalty programs are a great way to show customers that your app is a valued component of their online and mobile experience. By integrating loyalty incentives into your app, you can help users feel appreciated and benefitted by your brand, which keeps them returning to spend time and money on your platform.
A standard loyalty model involves:
- Letting users accumulate points for various actions, such as making their first purchase.
- Sharing on social media.
- Referring friends.
They then use these points to redeem rewards, such as discounts or in-app items. This reward system can be further enhanced with mobile-exclusive freebies, allowing users to unlock special offers or in-game accessories unavailable outside the app.
You can promote these exclusive rewards using a variety of omnichannel marketing strategies. For example, you can showcase your loyalty program in a welcome series or push notifications to inspire new and existing users. You can also remind them of the perks they’ll gain from joining the loyalty program via email retargeting, encouraging them to download and use your app to take advantage of these benefits.
Surprise Rewards
When it comes to boosting app loyalty, surprise and delight are the key ingredients. Your rewards program can be revitalized, and sales increased by incorporating an unexpected element of surprise that leaves customers feeling incredibly appreciated and acknowledged.
For example, suppose your customers have earned enough points to unlock a seasonal reward in your mobile app. In that case, you can trigger a surprise push notification letting them know that they’ve got an exclusive freebie waiting for them at one of your brick-and-mortar stores. This surprise can also be used to celebrate employee birthdays, company milestones, and holidays like Valentine’s Day.
Another effective way to surprise your audience is by offering a personalized experience tailored to the individual’s unique behavior. For instance, you could include an interactive story showcasing a user’s rewards journey and history in your app and then ask them what rewards they would like to see in the future. It is a great way to boost engagement while collecting valuable customer data for future app optimization.
