PROJECT
RewardME Loyalty Scheme
RewardME was the UK's first shopping centre portfolio loyalty scheme. Since launch the scheme has gained over 1 million members.
The scheme’s first incarnation was launched as a tactical activity at one Mall to combat the loss of a major anchor tenant and upcoming reconfiguration works. Shoppers could sign up to receive a membership card that gave them access to exclusive offers negotiated directly with selected retailers. Six offers were available at launch, creative was managed centrally and implemented at a local level.
The scheme was subsequently expanded to cover seven centres, then to include the full portfolio of 18 centres within the Mall group at that time, forming a major thread to the group’s marketing strategy and CRM activities. There was an opportunity to improve the amount and breadth of data on Mall shoppers, to improve the effectiveness of other marketing plans and promotions and to provide greater accountability to retail partners.
Key objectives for the scheme were to:
- Gather customer data to supplement existing basic geo-demographic and visitor metrics
- Encourage long-term loyalty
- Reinforce The Mall’s value for money proposition
- Provide greater retailer support than was currently possible
- Provide a level of measurement and KPIs to investors and retailers not currently possible in this industry
Members redeem offers by simply showing their card at retailers and customer service desks. The redemption methodology was deliberately kept as simple as possible to reduce barriers to use. Different solutions have been investigated included kiosks to print physical vouchers, however all added additional steps for the shopper and would have reduced sign-up and redemption rates.
The RewardME scheme is a key element in The Mall’s value proposition and is integrated into all major promotions across the group. It is the key driver for data capture across the centres and allows the group to provide a much higher level of retailer support and feedback than other shopping centres. Each centre currently has between 30 and 60 retailer offers running at any one time, and customers can use the same card at any of the Mall shopping centres.
Tracking is enabled through the use barcoded URN’s, with promotions, events and offers associated with promotional codes to allow for detailed reporting. Tracking data is fed back into a central CRM system allowing The Mall to identify and communicate with frequent users, see usage patterns and provide feedback to retailers.
Barcode scanners are also used to enter members into competitions and gain entry into member-only events.
