Michela Baxter, Senior Director of Loyalty at HelloWorld, told Loyalty360 that one of the biggest challenges today for loyalty marketers is keeping customers actively participating in their programs.
That is the driving force behind the launch of HelloWorld’s new brand, Human Loyalty, which was born from integrating its proprietary technology with traditional loyalty strategies, promotional experiences, and gamification solutions that trigger an emotional consumer connection and build long-term brand affinity.
HelloWorld’s Human Loyalty™ platform combines many of the company’s multiple loyalty solutions into a comprehensive brand offering. Types of programs include: Points-based programs, rebates, continuity, advocacy, surprise & delight, B2B, B2E, engagement hubs, and custom global enterprise solutions currently in market in 20 countries.
“When we asked our clients about their loyalty challenges, what they needed, and what their customers were demanding, we quickly saw how, as a marketing solutions provider focusing on promotions and loyalty, we could help solve their challenges,” Baxter explained. “That was the beginning of Human Loyalty™, a new brand launched under the HelloWorld name. Our goal is to provide our clients with a tool to build a holistic brand-customer relationship and then maintain that relationship through active engagement. We took all of this into consideration as we built our range of services so that clients can now have an end-to-end, one-stop shop for this type of customer engagement.”
HelloWorld launched two packaged purchase-based loyalty solutions: Human Loyalty™ Core and Human Loyalty™ Advanced, which offer businesses of all sizes simplified ways to craft a proven loyalty solution. Designed particularly for the Consumer Packaged Goods, Retail, Restaurant and Media industries, these solutions drive results such as growth of member base and product purchase and illustrate consumer frequency and type of digital engagement.
The Human Loyalty™ Core Solution is designed for clients just starting out in loyalty or those with sensitive budgets. The Human Loyalty™ Advanced solution is designed for mature clients with existing communities who want to grow their member base and innovate with enhanced engagement actions.
Clients benefit from a single destination for loyalty solutions. Specifically, we offer in-house technology and end-to-end services, including legal execution for regional and international campaigns across 20 countries, reward and prize management, UX and creative design, program strategy, and data analytics.
Baxter believes the new offerings will definitely enhance omnichannel customer engagement.
“Human Loyalty was forged with a multichannel execution top of mind,” she said. “Because our technologies reach consumers on their phones, online, in-stores, and through social channels, brands can now have a streamlined experience when shopping for their loyalty solutions and, in turn, can connect with their consumers from all angles, at every point in the shopper journey. Creating a cohesive, combined experience that transcends the different digital and physical points in the shopper journey is critical to the Human Loyalty approach.”
Engagement is about building and maintaining lasting relationships, rather than just brief transactions, Baxter noted.
“Think of it as the difference between a relationship with a casual acquaintance and the relationship with a partner,” she said. “Human Loyalty is the latter. It’s built on the idea of long-term connections, both in connecting brands to their consumers with a strong, emotional element, and in creating relevant touch points in the shopper journey to keep a brand top of mind. Digital technologies enable us to keep that relationship alive. Today, merely delivering rewards, offers, and content isn’t enough. In other words, they need to be relevant to me to keep me interested in your brand. When you give me the information I need, when and where I want it, when you surprise me with special thank-yous, when you treat me the same on the web, in-store, and on my phone, when you acknowledge me for my loyalty in big and small ways, that’s what keeps me emotionally connected to you as a brand.”
Baxter said that a loyalty solution is an important component of a customer’s relationship with its biggest fans.
“And like all healthy relationships, they requires attention, care, and continual growth,” she added. “Human Loyalty is an approach that treats this relationship as a living entity that thrives through active engagement and evolution. The Human Loyalty brand is also a combination of our proprietary loyalty technology with promotional experiences, and gamification solutions that are designed to deliver active engagement throughout the customer journey. These technologies are flexible and can scale over time to adjust to changing customer demands. This unique combination of engagement strategies and technologies creates a comprehensive, single-destination loyalty offering to the market.”
What is the key to customer loyalty and customer retention?
“Showing your customers that you understand them through more personalized experiences and communications, while delivering value that is relevant to the individual is the key to retaining your most valued customers,” Baxter said. “This often is easier said than done. Harnessing actionable customer data and using technologies to deliver critical engagement levers such as personalized experiences, tailored communications, promotions based on preferences, and unique and aspirational rewards will help brands succeed in achieving their retention goals. This is what Human Loyalty is designed to do.”