The research carried out by Perkler (http://www.perkler.com), a new online community that allows people to organise all their loyalty programs in one place, asked 1,000 men and women to reveal all about their shopping habits and uncovered some shocking findings. Despite more than eight in ten of Aussies (around 17.9 million*) being members of loyalty programs, 56% of us save less than $100 on them a year as we don?t bother to redeem our rewards.
A typical Australian family (mum, dad and two kids) who are members of standard loyalty programs (e.g. Woolworths Everyday Rewards, local coffee shop, McDonalds, Qantas Frequent Flyer, etc.) could save on average a whopping $4,100 a year, simply by remembering to show their loyalty card and then redeeming the rewards they?ve clocked up. That?s a massive saving - the equivalent of a family holiday – which means a lot in the current economic climate.
Despite industry statistics stating that most people are a member of 16 loyalty programs, the research revealed that the average Australian woman recalls owning only five loyalty cards. More than half of women surveyed (52%) said they rarely cash in their perks or rewards with just 32% redeeming them on a regular basis and only 15% of these savvy shoppers carefully „scheduling where and what they?re going to spend their money on based on offers from loyalty programs?. Aussie men are even less in love with loyalty programs with the average male recalling being a member of just three programs and most (55%) rarely using them to trade in discounts or rewards.
Co-founder of Perkler, Justin Barrie, says: “In today?s financial climate you would think most Aussies would be trying to cut costs and save dollars wherever they could. It?s quite scary to see just how little we make the most of the free discounts and rewards we can claim through shopping at different retailers. I think often people are unaware of what they?re actually entitled to – you don?t have to always clock up points, some retailers offer cash back or products on the spot.”
So why is it that Aussies are happy to moan about the cost of shopping but don?t take advantage of the benefits? A whopping 97% of respondents say they would use loyalty programs more if it was easier to earn discounts or rewards, while 33% say it?s too hard to keep track of the programs they?re a member of and what the perks are.
“Our new site aims to make it easier for people to find out what perks they can get from loyalty programs so they can save money by exchanging their shopping for rewards,” continues Barrie. “We want create a nation of Perklers – savvy shoppers that love saving money through the thousands of perks offered by different companies and brands!”
When it comes to the perks we do redeem, retailer discounts such as supermarket, clothing and furniture offers are most commonly claimed (54%), closely followed by petrol (48%) then coffee (39%).
The survey also revealed some other interesting findings:
- Supermarket and retailer loyalty programs are most popular with 75% of Aussies being members of at least one program
- 49% of Aussies love claiming free coffees and meals through local outlets loyalty programs
- 68% of people redeem points more now as a result of the current economic climate
- 5% of people reckon they save more than $500 by actively using their loyalty programs
For more information visit http://www.perkler.com