The key to exceeding your customers' expectations is in their hands.
Mobile applications have entered our daily lives, it is extremely difficult to imagine a world without them. That is why the statistics, which reports that the average owner of a smartphone uses about 30 applications per month, does not surprise anyone. At the same time, knowing that a regular retail client is active in six or seven loyalty programs, we can reasonably assume that these 30 applications should include at least one loyalty application - although we should definitely expect more. Why is this information relevant? Because it shows that using loyalty applications has become a common element of our daily lives.
The purpose of the loyalty application is to become the best communication channel for doing business. And for many retailers, this is exactly the case. The prospect of benefits in the form of discounts and rewards helps companies convince their customers to download applications and share their personal data - information that can later be used to create personalized offers that are more likely to get to the point. The effectiveness of loyalty programs is proven hereby.
However, given that we live in a time when consumer attention is scattering, companies cannot expect their customers to be constantly busy with their mobile loyalty program applications unless they make them even more attractive.
An important question is how?
Interface design
Nobody wants to become a member of the loyalty program if the application interface is poorly designed. The application should be user-friendly from the moment it is launched. Of course, this does not change the fact that his images should attract attention and comply with current trends; every entrepreneur knows that we all buy with our eyes. However, companies should still focus on maintaining practicality in developing mobile applications for Android or iOS.
To help retailers find the right balance, modern mobile app developers are now incorporating the latest AI / machine learning algorithms into their loyalty management systems. Thanks to these technological innovations, companies can find patterns in the behavior of their customers, analyze them and use the results to develop a user interface that meets the needs of their customers or allows users to customize its layout without any IT knowledge.
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Store Shopping Experience
In addition to practicality from a design point of view, a modern loyalty application should be useful in the real world, that is, it should serve a specific purpose (or several) in a shopping environment, such as providing customers with personalized, location-dependent product offerings.
To do this, you can turn your application into a virtual guide that directs customers to certain areas of the store (internal navigation), or an application that presents them with new product offers, using push messages whenever a client passes a certain stand or storefront (contactless marketing).
We also must not forget about mobile payments, which allow customers to buy goods using discount coupons, loyalty points or saved credit cards. Today’s customers can also save a lot of time by placing their orders in advance, paying for goods before they arrive at the store. This mobile loyalty program has been enhanced at Starbucks, for example, whose application has recently been recognized as the most popular loyalty promotion application (48%) in the US market. The application allows users to buy a cup of coffee on the way to their chosen Starbucks cafe and pick up the order as soon as they get there, which will help them avoid waiting in line.
Out of store interaction
Do not think that working indoors is the only area in which the application can effectively stimulate customer loyalty. To make apps more popular with their target customers, companies must find a way to reach them, even if they are outside retail stores. This is where gamification begins. Badges, leaderboards, quizzes, mini-games - all this can help form an emotional connection between the client and the application. Elements of gamification are also important for introducing special offers that are designed exclusively for the most dedicated users of mobile applications. The list of features goes on and all of them are worth a try.
Customer service
And last but not least, it is imperative to provide the right customer support at all times. Whenever a client is looking for a solution to a problem, the application should offer some valid self-service options (for example, frequently asked questions or a knowledge base), as well as means of interaction with a company representative through a contact form or in real time - chat. Customers should also be able to evaluate the application and its services so that the company can fix and improve it over time.
Mobile app development is in full swing. Loyalty applications are still evolving, becoming more and more technologically advanced solutions. Therefore, in order to succeed in achieving the best results in the loyalty program for business, each company should start by working with a well-known and reliable technology provider that can cover all of the above. It is important to find one that meets the needs and requirements of your company. You can order the development of a mobile application in Kazan at Futureinapps.
