One way to inspire loyalty among customers is to give them a compelling reason to come back – and in case of busy moms, one such reason is rewards of the type they might not necessarily buy for themselves. And the formula works: with the exception of December, which exceeded the average monthly growth rate, the commission earned by ClubMom.com on sales driven through the site has risen 10% to 20% each month since last April.
“The nature of the incentives in the Mom Rewards catalog is key," says Shawn Collins, affiliate manager at ClubMom.com, which along with its offline presence, ClubMom, targets moms with aggregated offerings from major retailers, CPG manufacturers and service providers. Spa visits, shopping sprees and other self-pampering items form the basis of the awards catalog at ClubMom. Registered members who purchase from those ClubMom partners earn points redeemable for those luxuries.
“Our research shows these are things a lot of moms want, but refuse to indulge in themselves. So our rewards catalog has nothing but things for them. Where they might otherwise get something for their husband or kids, with us, they don’t have that option – we sort of force them to treat themselves to something,” Collins says.
ClubMom currently has about 125 retailers in its online program. But Collins says a critical reason for the program’s success is that points can be accrued for purchases cross-channel. Members can call customer service or log in to see what their current balance is, and they can either redeem from the awards catalog online or offline. ClubMom.com spreads the word with about 5,000 affiliates and also secures incentives from partners on top of the points -- such as free shipping promotions, for example – to keep moms coming back to the site.
Loyalty incentives will take to the road this summer as ClubMom launches
a 12-city, profile-raising tour that offers moms at the local events goodies such as makeovers and gift bags. “We hope to use this as a retention device for current members,” says Collins. “And also, to spread the word and bring some new members in.”
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