Bobby Capielo, President of Cigar Store Online, told Loyalty360 that he wanted to give back to his loyal customers. As a result, he launched the Cigar Store Online Rewards program.
A recent poll of customers suggested they wanted to be rewarded for their loyal patronage.
“One main reason was to reward all of our loyal customers by giving something back to them so we created a program to help improve the stickiness of our present and future customer base,” Capielo said.
The Cigar Store Online Rewards program is anchored on “the more you buy the more you earn” principle. The program automatically enrolls all customers with store accounts, while others without one can create theirs via CigarStoreOnline.com. Members receive 500 points when they sign up.
For every $1 spent at CigarStoreOnline.com, customers receive 100 reward points. Every successful referral takes 15% off the original price of their order. Rewards are redeemable through the Rewards Redemption Page, which can be accessed through the Rewards Widget located at the bottom page of the online shop.
The rewards, which can be used for all purchases on the website, are issued as coupon codes or store credits and should be applied upon checkout.
“We never had a loyalty program before and this is the first one and a first for online cigar stores as well,” Capielo said. “Ease of use for our customers through the technology provided by this application was critical in our decision to move forward with the program. The customer loyalty program also includes getting points for referring a friend and helping build fans to either like us on Facebook, recommend Twitter followers, and signing up for our email newsletter.”
Capielo looked at other industry loyalty programs for guidance.
“We all know about the frequent traveler rewards that airlines offer as well as credit cards and so on,” he said. “People are savvy these days and want something back and so do I with my personal transactions. With that in mind, we wanted to do the same thing to allow customers to use points in exchange for merchandise. Giving something back as appreciation for being a customer is the foundation of our loyalty program.”
Cigar Store Online also serves as an informational website for cigar enthusiasts. From choosing the right product to lighting a cigar, the online cigar store products and accessories hub has given customers the comprehensive information they need.