Customer loyalty is, arguably, the most important facet to consider in any marketing strategy. But, do loyalty marketers sometimes over-think things?
Loyalty360 caught up with Ryan Massimo, Marketing Director at Dell, to find out his thoughts on the issue.
“Honestly, I think we over-complicate marketing these days, trying to segment marketing techniques any way we can,” Massimo said. “At the end of the day, if a company considers the customer first, has a strong value proposition, speaks to this value in all channels and, most importantly, delivers the promise in store, customers will be loyal. If 50% of customers consult with a friend before making a purchase, the value of your brand, the purchase and post-purchase experience needs to be stellar and easily articulated. Loyalty starts and ends with experience–a loyalty program engrained within the fundamental customer journey can help.”
When Dell started its Dell Advantage program, officials thought of it as a separate purchase path for customers on Dell.com.
“Now we see our program as a way to strengthen our entire online store experience,” Massimo said. “To do this, we are integrating the loyalty program into Dell.com and enhancing our online technology to allow greater access to the benefits our customers desire the most such as fast shipping, rewards, and exclusive offers. Our biggest focus has always been on ensuring our customers have the best experience possible when visiting Dell.com. This includes easily identifying the products they want at a valued price point. Moreover, we’re always adding desired electronics beyond the PC to ensure our customers are able to easily purchase everything they need for their technology environment from audio to PC software and accessories, wearables, smart home/office, etc. Focusing on the complete experience will give our customers more confidence in Dell.com and helps us earn their loyalty. It also inspires them to evangelize on our behalf.”
For Dell, insights from its customer loyalty program have proven time and time again that customers like to be rewarded for their loyalty and are likely to purchase more frequently as a result.
“While this may seem like common sense, having the proven insights helps us make business sense across product lines and business units,” Massimo said. “Dell’s brand advocates buy Dell systems more frequently when rewarded for their loyalty and are more apt to buy a diverse set of products from Dell and the partner offerings we host online. We initially introduced rewards as a way to raise awareness that we sell a lot more than PCs on Dell.com such as TVs, gaming consoles, video games, cameras, wearable technology, etc. The average PC cycle is about one every four years, but we are finding our loyalty members are using their rewards to buy additional PCs within that timeframe.”
Dell’s goal is to offer the best PCs, electronics, and support in the industry at the best price, as well as provide an amazing shopping experience through aggressive loyalty benefits such as cash back and expedited shipping.
“We aim to provide an intuitive, effortless shopping and ownership experience that is memorable because of its ease,” Massimo added. “This means having what the customer wants, delivering it when they want it, and making it easy to use when they get it–all the while saving them time and money.”