Customer incentives are staples in the B2C space for a reason: They promote motivation and anticipation, make customers feel good about themselves and their purchases and help drive sales. But this is only possible if the incentives being offered are valuable to the customer.
The perceived value of a customer incentive is largely based on relevance. If a customer finds personal benefit in an incentive, there’s a higher likelihood they’ll feel inspired to engage with it.
Here’s a list of five ways you can personalize customer incentives:
1. Flexibility
In many ways, incentives are the gifts that keep on giving. Not only do customers get to shop with their favorite brands, but they get an added bonus as they do.
Most incentives — discounts, limited-time offers, loyalty points — are predetermined by brands. While these can work well, they don't always account for the choices consumers want to make.
Gift cards are a best-selling incentive because they leverage the power of consumer choice. Instead of choosing from a limited selection of items, customers can get any item they want if it fits within the monetary value placed on the card.
2. Recipient
There’s a lot of criteria that goes into determining how to personalize a customer incentive, the most important factor being the recipient.
In order for the customer to get the most they can out of an incentive, it has to be specifically tailored to them. Having a good grasp on your buyer persona and the needs of your customer base can lend some insight into which unique rewards would best suit your audience.
If you have a base of 18 to 22-year-olds, a student discount promotion might be a suitable incentive. Incentives can also be based on the interests or needs of your target audience (culture/community, personal responsibilities, family duties, etc.) The more specific your incentives, the easier you make it for customers to determine if they're the right recipient for the offering.
3. Purchase history
When it comes to the customer journey, there’s nothing more personal than the products a customer chooses to purchase.
A customer’s purchase history is a direct extension of their personal wants, needs and desires. It gives you clear information about what a customer views as important and how you can help make sure they're getting what they need. Offer exclusive rewards on products your customers have expressed interest in, or products similar to those they've expressed interest in, to maximize their impact.
4. Call to action
Quick movement happens when customers feel personally connected to the action at hand.
A call to action is meant to serve your customers, but in order for them to receive its benefits, they first need to be attracted to it. If you’re going to ask a customer to complete an activity, it has to be something that matters to them. How will signing up for your email list or downloading your mobile app ensure a better customer experience for your customers?
Including specific language around this in your incentive messaging will personalize it for your audience.
5. Time specific
If you're looking for a measurement to segment your customers by, what's better than time?
With time as a baseline for your incentives, you can reward your customers in a variety of ways: first-time shoppers, loyalty program anniversaries, birthdays and special holidays, limited-time offers and more. Considering how your customers were already going to spend their time shopping with you, and then rewarding them with a personalized customer incentive, is like an extra “thank you” for their choice.
Personalized customer incentives make a strong B2C marketing tool even stronger. Catering to your customers’ needs and offering them services that will create a satisfying experience helps add to your relationship with them.
