How to Choose the Right Loyalty Platform Provider for Your Business

Brands must select loyalty software to connect with their existing systems and tools. This includes eCommerce, point of sale, email marketing, customer relationship management, and mobile applications. Look for a provider that offers customizable communications to align with your company’s branding and tone. You also want fine-grained validation rules to make sure you’re promoting to loyal customers.

Integrations

The best loyalty program software should seamlessly integrate with your POS and e-commerce systems and any other apps you use to operate your business. Look for loyalty platform providers that offer system integration through APIs, which eliminates data silos and makes it easy to track performance. In addition, look for a platform that allows you to offer a personalized experience and rewards that speak to your target audience’s demographics and behaviors.

And make sure the solution can handle multiple languages, as most consumers prefer to use their native language. Loyalty solutions provide a treasure trove of data on customer behavior, including their preferences and purchasing patterns. With these insights, brands can fine-tune their marketing strategies and deliver more targeted campaigns that hit the bullseye every time.

Scalability

Loyalty programs require significant scalability to meet today’s buyers’ expectations for value, convenience, and personalization. The right full-service provider will offer a dedicated team to support loyalty initiatives and deliver the ROI you need from your marketing budget. For medium- and large organizations, look for a loyalty platform built to scale and integrate easily with existing technology tools. This will help you avoid putting new software into a maintenance backlog or introducing an additional tool your IT team must manage. If you choose an independent provider, ensure it has a flexible API for easy integration and is designed for future growth. Also, ensure security by confirming the provider meets data regulations for your markets.

Customer Experience

A personalized customer experience is crucial when it comes to loyalty programs. Digital natives are more demanding and can easily switch brands if they feel their business isn’t valued. Choose a provider that supports your team during the learning process and protects your customers’ data. Look for a cloud-based solution that’s secure and complies with legal norms. A scalable, easy-to-use platform that supports multiple marketing channels can help you manage customer interactions efficiently. This also helps you optimize customer engagement and increase program participation.

Security

A top loyalty platform provider should offer secure registration for members, complying with laws and regulations around privacy and data protection. It also should make gathering relevant information about customers easy without overwhelming them with requests. The level of security required depends on the business size and how many in-house IT resources are available to support a customer loyalty software solution.

A medium or large enterprise will have more resources to deploy an on-premise or SaaS solution and a dedicated team that manages other applications. Choosing the right loyalty program provider is a challenging task. Still, it can be made easier by clearly defining the business and technical requirements to help narrow the options. Preparing an explicit request for a proposal can also make the selection process more effortless.

Analytics

A loyalty platform should support your marketing team with clear and concise terms and conditions. This is particularly important if you operate in a GDPR or CAN-SPAM-applicable region. Moreover, your platform should ensure data privacy and allow you to create marketing permissions and opt-in consent. Lastly, look for out-of-the-box loyalty gamification tools that marketers can use to reward customers for specific milestones (e.g., earned points, purchases, feedback).

Some platforms also offer a built-in social media management tool that allows you to send personalized messages to your community and engage your audience. If your brand is new or launching a new loyalty program, choose a provider offering API-first solutions and easy system integrations. This will give you the flexibility and agility to adapt your program as your business grows.

Automation

In an omnichannel world, loyalty programs should allow participants to manage their points and rewards in a mobile app or online member portal. A good customer loyalty program also includes a way for customers to communicate with the brand through branded social media channels or email campaigns. Consider your business’s technical requirements before choosing a customer loyalty platform provider.

The right technology stack can help you meet your business needs while making it easy to expand as your operations grow. Look for a provider with a white labeling option and an API-first strategy to make integrations easier. Then, consider whether your IT team has the resources to handle a new software solution. Your loyalty program should integrate with other systems without installing and maintaining additional software.

Marketing Automation

When choosing a loyalty platform provider, look for one that offers out-of-the-box marketing automation. This can help you optimize your entire customer journey. For example, it can ensure that piping hot leads stay visible in ‘no man’s land’ and are quickly routed to the right marketer or sales rep. This vendor type provides a full-service approach to managing the program, including strategy development and implementation, program design, performance measurement, and ongoing management services. This type of vendor may also provide a range of add-on services, such as assistance with direct mail.