3 End-of-Year Opportunities Grow Customer Loyalty During The Holidays

The end of the year is always a great time for reflection. People everywhere take the time to look back at the past year: the events that happened, the accomplishments they made, the experiences they had, and more.

For loyalty programs, this time of reflection is also a good time to continue growing existing relationships with customers, both new and old.  By creating memorable customer experiences, such as limited-time gifts or holiday-themed events, businesses can strengthen their relationships with customers, encouraging repeat engagement and positioning themselves favorably as they head into the new year. 

As your brand approaches the end of December, take these opportunities to create deeper customer connections and show your appreciation for their year of loyalty.

Create End-Of-Year Summaries For Loyalty Program Members

Anyone who has a Spotify account looks forward to the end of the year for their Spotify Wrapped collection, which gathers all the top songs, artists, and podcasts a user has listened to into a nice summary.

There's a lot of entertainment that comes with seeing one's Spotify Wrapped collection. Having all your listening habits listed out lets you see what crazy genres you wandered into, the artists you unknowingly obsessed over, or the song from the beginning of the year that you listened to hundreds of times and then promptly forgot about around August. The fun only increases with the ability to share your Spotify Wrapped collection on social with friends and family, which lets you poke fun at your fellow streamers' listening habits or bond over the colors of your "audio auras". 

This tactic of using End-Of-Year reports or summaries is a great way for brands to continue nurturing their loyalty among their customers. Not only are these summaries entertaining to look through, but they also help to reaffirm the brand's existing relationship with its customers, especially loyalty program members.

EOY summaries or round-ups provide customers with a visual representation of how the brand-customer relationship developed and grew over the year. Customers can see points or rewards they've earned, badges or recognitions from challenges or brand events, products they've purchased and enjoyed, and more. These round-ups help to highlight key customer-brand interactions over the past year while also showing your brand's appreciation for their engagement. 

Additionally, EOY summaries for each unique customer create the type of relevant, personalized messaging that is growing in importance in the customer journey. Customers are increasingly wanting more 1-on-1 interactions with brands where they're seen and treated as individuals rather than just part of an audience. Sending loyalty program members a tailored summary of their program experience within the past year is another way to provide more personalized touchpoints that help grow customer loyalty even more. 

Share Brand Growth and Successes

Along with loyalty program member EOY summaries, you should also consider sending out summaries that share brand achievements or successes from the past year with your customers.

A vital part of growing customer loyalty is creating more than a transactional relationship with your customers. This means creating opportunities for brands and customers to engage outside of purchase transactions. Sharing brand highlights and successes with your customers serves as another way to show customer appreciation.

Realistically brands can not exist without their customers' support, so keeping customers and loyalty program members informed on brand achievements from the past year helps to tie their actions, big and small, to the brand's success. It helps create more brand-customer connections that develop into deeper customer loyalty.  

Similar to member EOY summaries, brand summaries can highlight fun facts from the past year, such as:

• New products launched
• Charitable or CSR initiatives launched or goals reached
• Recaps of brand events, both virtual and in-person
• Awards or recognitions won

Utilize 'Surprise and Delight' As A Special End-Of-Year Reward

In the hectic craziness that comes with one year ending and another about to begin, it's nice to just receive a small token of recognition or thanks without any prompting. Inputting a small "surprise and delight" for your loyalty program members as a thank-you for their ongoing loyalty can be a thoughtful gesture that your customers will appreciate. These thoughtful surprises not only foster a sense of appreciation but also create memorable experiences that resonate with customers.

To have a maximum impact, try to avoid generic 'Surprise and Delight' that could come from any nameless brand. Instead tailor your Surprise and Delight' to fit your brand and products, such as free samples or gifts, or even a personalized discount for the customer to use on their favorite products or wishlists. You can also make the experience more special by being sure to add personalization tokens to your customer communications notifying them of the gift and thanking them for their loyalty. 

These types of 'Surprise and Delight' experiences add an extra layer of consideration that reinforces brand loyalty. Implementing such initiatives during the festive season can significantly enhance customer satisfaction and close out the year on a high note in their mind. It also helps start the new year off right, helping to build a more profound emotional connection between the brand and its customers and setting the foundation for future purchases and engagements to come. 

Grow Customer Loyalty During The Holiday and Beyond

As the end of the year holiday season approaches, companies have a unique opportunity to show appreciation to their customers and foster loyalty through thoughtful gestures and inclusive campaigns. The festive atmosphere sets the perfect backdrop for initiatives that not only reward existing loyalty but also attract new customers eager to join rewarding programs. By strategically focusing on customer appreciation during the holidays brands can yield lasting loyalty, and make customers feel valued and connected well beyond the holiday season.

The end-of-year is a good opportunity to use reflection for growing your customer loyalty, and the opportunities don't stop on December 31st. Check out our resources for more ways to grow customer loyalty in the new year and beyond.

If you're looking for greater detail into how to start your own loyalty program or take your existing program to the next level, get in touch with us today!