Internet is preferred medium for frequent travellers
58% prefer to earn or redeem points online
The internet is the preferred medium for travellers, with 58% preferring to earn and redeem points or check loyalty program balances online.
That is one of the findings in the 2010 Frequent Traveller Survey of 36,000 US travellers, conducted by loyalty technology company LoyLogic. The survey found that the preferred media after the internet were mobile (20%), in store (11%), SMS (4%) and lastly Facebook (3%).
With the ever-fluctuating cost of air travel and with the average US domestic ticket price in the second quarter of 2010 costing $341, the survey found that it was no surprise that 43% of those surveyed indicated that travel was their preferred non-core reward category. Merchandise (26%) and experiences (10%) rounded out the top three categories, demonstrating that consumers want a wide variety of options when it comes to redeeming their rewards beyond the standard offerings of traditional loyalty programs.
Survey takers indicated it was either very important (41%) or nice to have (45%) the ability to earn miles or points with online merchants within their own country or region.
While 75% of travelers are satisfied they can use their points or miles on what they want and when they want, 22% would like more redemption options and 3% indicate they can never use their points or miles on reward options that appeal to them.
With responses dominated by members of US-based loyalty programs, 2 out of 3 voters would like to have the ability to redeem for items that can be shipped anywhere in the world.
The future of loyalty programs
With almost 2 billion loyalty program memberships in the US and more worldwide, the survey found that the “one-size-fits-all” loyalty program will no longer suffice. Consumers have more options and more control than ever and it’s vital for businesses to provide consumers with rewards they want to earn in order to maintain customer engagement and encourage repeat business.
The next generation of reward programs must offer unique, desirable and, importantly, attainable reward options. In order to increase the participation rate of businesses’ loyalty programs, they must offer lower level redemption offers, to encourage earlier engagement in the loyalty program, and increased revenues over time.