A commissioned study conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of Collinson, a global leader in customer benefits and loyalty, reveals that Australian organisations are the leading force in the APAC region when it comes to driving loyalty success, while other organisations in Asia Pacific are missing opportunities to leverage strategically on loyalty initiatives to drive further engagement during the customer lifecycle.
Surveying decision-makers in organisations with revenue exceeding US$300 million, the study asked respondents to grade their own loyalty programmes based on a series of measures, and also share their loyalty initiatives and approach for improving customer experiences. The results compared APAC countries, including Hong Kong, mainland China, Singapore, Indonesia, Japan, Korea and Australia.
Creating a personalised experience for the customer has been a talking point for a while and this research has found that more than half of Australian businesses are putting a higher priority on on capturing better data for customer knowledge for use in business decision making which if completed successfully can boost customer loyalty.
Personalisation has been a priority when it comes to loyalty. Loyalty practitioners in APAC realise it is key to a standout customer experience journey and for driving customer loyalty. Of the survey respondents, 72 per cent say they intend to increase spending to improve customer experiences in the next 12 months. While they are arguably in a strong position to prove they understand and reward their customers with relevant experiences at the right moment during customer lifecycle, the research found that many Australian organisations are diligent when it comes to personalisation of customer experience:
- Australia has the highest percentage (41 per cent) of positive respondents in response to organisations that personalise all promotional offers.
- Of those surveyed in Australia, 74 per cent of organisations track and analyse the interactions between their loyal customers and their brands with the aim of improving the overall loyalty experience based on personalised, relevant content. This is compared to mainland China who reported the lowest percentage with 28 per cent.
The research reveals that Singapore is the best performing market when conducting regular loyalty-specific market research to better understand their customers, this is followed by Australia (65 per cent), Japan (58 per cent), with the lowest being Hong Kong (47 per cent).
Mary English, Executive Vice President – APAC at Collinson, said: “Today’s consumers want to buy from brands that offer convenience, relevance and a positive experience. Incorporating the data insights on customer behaviour into the customer lifecycle engagement strategy will improve the success of a loyalty programme, strengthening its effectiveness and return on investment.”
One of the most powerful aspects of a loyalty programme is maximising engagement at every stage of the customer lifecycle, instead of just recognising and rewarding customers at the point of sale. The research found that Australian organisations are best utilising opportunities to leverage on loyalty programme mechanisms to drive further engagement at every customer touchpoint. Remarkably, the majority of countries in APAC fail to make their loyal customers feel valued and special, typically because they are not providing exclusivity and convenience to loyalty programme members.
- Australia is the clear leader amongst the surveyed markets in APAC with 53 per cent providing member-only event for their loyal customers, compared to just 5 per cent in Hong Kong, 7 per cent in Korea and 11 per cent in mainland China.
- Unfortunately, only 30 per cent of respondents are adopting experiential benefits in their loyalty programmes. Whereas Australia has the highest percentage (43 per cent) among the surveyed markets in APAC.
Mary added, “Customers are drawn to the ease of participation and the rewards available in a loyalty programme, or they would not bother joining. It is about taking your loyalty strategies to the next level and creating unique and special experiences for the customer that removes common pain points and makes their lives easier. Designing a loyalty proposition based on the customer experience is the foundation to successful loyalty initiatives. Within this, organisations that offer customers the experience of choosing and receiving just the right rewards drive emotional engagement with the brand.”
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