Steve Allmen
Co-Founder & President, Loyalty & Co.
Dan Howe
President, More Rewards
The 2017 Colloquy Loyalty Census reported memberships grew 35% from 2012 to 2016, to the tune of 175 million total members in Canada. Retail made up more than half the number, though coalition programs showed the fastest growth at 78%.
There are now several programs, such as More Rewards, that include different retailers. To accommodate a greater consumer desire for personalization, the More Rewards program is entering a new phase in its history, introducing new ways for members to earn more personalized digital offers for their loyalty.
Operating for over 25 years, it has navigated the shift from paper to plastic, and on to digital. What started out as a certificate program in the 1990s, it is now a powerful marketing platform with over 3.4 million members in Western Canada under its loyalty program delivering personalised offers.
Driving loyalty
“The cornerstone for the success of a coalition loyalty program is having a grocer as the anchor,” says Steve Allmen, Co-Founder and President of Loyalty & Co. Allmen believes members want to earn more and redeem faster, which is why programs that rewards points on a large number of what a customer spends have been popular with consumers. They are likely to collect and receive bigger and better rewards more consistently.
Save-On-Foods has been the foundational partner of More Rewards, with over 80% of member transactions through the program. More retailers have since joined, including Petro-Canada, Panago Pizza, Aviva, and Coast Hotels, among others, amounting to 2,000 retail locations accepting More Rewards cards. All told, the program issued over 11 billion points in 2018 alone.
“Consumers don’t want to carry 10 different loyalty cards, and only get a small amount of value from them,” says Dan Howe, President of More Rewards. “That’s why many brands can save money and get more engagement by partnering with More Rewards versus building their own program.”
“We have invested in building a wide variety of redemption options for our customers including grocery products, travel, gift cards, and tickets,” says Howe. “We are in the ‘thank you’ business. Our goal is to excite our customers so that they’re so happy with their free rewards they’ll want to tell their friends and family about it.”
Howe says the program is expanding its “emotional experiences,” like tickets to sporting events and travel. Its travel program allows members to book a trip with any combination of points and cash.
“Most people think they deserve something if they’re giving up their data in exchange for their loyalty,” says Allmen. “And many members dream big, whether it’s a trip, hockey tickets — something for being part of a program that includes various retailers.”
Consumers don’t want to carry 10 different loyalty cards, and only get a small amount of value from them.
Dan Howe, President of More Rewards
Building partnerships
More Rewards uses member data to personalize offers and communication. Howe cites an example from Save-On-Foods, whereby customers receive a threshold offer tied to how much they’ve spent in stores through the retailer’s app. This means more meaningful incentives tied to individual consumers spend and higher return on marketing investment.
“Our goal with partner expansion is to find great, like-minded brands that can help build value and grow the combined customer base,” he says. “We provide better technology and tools to drive loyalty with existing partners. The Data Management Platform (DMP) better segments and targets customers in digital media buying, and that’s a big strategy for More Rewards going forward.”
He adds the “sweet spot” is looking at consumer habits to provide incentives to change them. One example could be someone buying diapers from Save-On-Foods, but not wipes. He feels offering bonus points, tailored to exactly what that person buys is the best incentive.
