22 April 2014 www.revista-piata.ro
In the end of last months, speakers with proven experience in “loyalty science”, together with more than 100 participants in the second edition of “FMCG & Retail Marketing Conference”, put the key attributes of the customer retention strategy in the spotlight, and debated on the industry’s key challenges and experiences.
The first conclusion that emerged from the discussions in the conference “Keep in Shop. Loyalty Science“ was that shoppers have grown up together with the market, and their demands and expectations have increased, and are more and more difficult to meet. In this context, the solution is to leverage their “in-trend” sensitivities: they appear sensitive not only to price, discounts and promotions, but also traditions, building an emotional relationship with the brand, and correctly targeted and multi-channel messages which convey emotions.
Another conclusion was that attracting shoppers to dedicated programmes, and using modern technologies are factors which can influence the purchase decision, in particular when it comes to young people. This is why this segment, who spend most of their time on one or another social network, must be treated with increased attention in terms of brand communication.
The conference focused on the loyalty vectors, the part played by the brand and innovation in the success of the loyalty campaigns, and measuring efficiency of such campaigns.
According to Cristinei Miclea, Director Marketing with Albalact, the price remains the most straightforward and reachable loyalty factor, but the consumer pays a price for the quality they perceive. Consequently, attention must be directed towards the product portfolio, and the way one can reach out to consumers and what they need. One should neither overlook brand’s communication, emotional aspects, and promises, as well as their best possible positioning, and the ways they convey messages.
“Similarly we should also keep in sight, as loyalty vectors, the role of innovation in terms of both new products and range extension, and packaging, thus offering consumers as many choices as possible”, added Cristina Miclea.