You can find reward and loyalty programs everywhere these days. If you’ve had such a program at your property for a while, it may not be building the same mutual loyalties that it once did. That’s because the majority of these programs are not able to keep up with the needs and expectations of modern guests. And it’s no surprise given that our “always connected” society grows more discerning with virtually endless choices at their fingertips. The market’s appetite for programs that offer up random rewards is languishing. It’s time for more personalized promotions and offers based on real-time guest data using segmentation science.
Guest Loyalty – An Evolution
With origins starting around the mid-80s and possibly borrowing from the airline industry’s introduction of frequent flier programs at the time, loyalty and rewards programs have evolved over the last few decades. Much of the loyalty programs today are about getting to a static reward, and little more. They are tactical in nature: “Do this and get that.” Loyalty is shifting toward actively rewarding all visitors with individualized offers – offers that mean something to them personally
READ THE FULL ARTICLE BY HARI VADAPALLI IN THE SUMMER 2020 EDITION OF GAMING & LEISURE MAGAZINE.