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Welcome to the April 3, 2008 edition of The Wise Marketer!

We're delighted to announce that our 900+ page guide to customer loyalty, 'The Loyalty Guide III', has been published this week, and is now available for immediate shipping. It's a complete world-wide report on the state of loyalty, giving you current and future best practices, trends, forecasts, markets, details of major players and programmes, case studies, hard-to-find facts & figures, and everything else you need to know about loyalty marketing. Full details are online now, at http://www.theloyaltyguide.com

  Customers seek more 'brand customisation'

The convergence of two branding trends has converted into an increased consumer desire for more customised product and service offerings, according to Robert Passikoff, president of Brand Keys Inc.

The first trend is consumers' heightened feeling of control over almost every aspect of their lives, and the second is the commoditisation of almost everything. Combined, these trends have created a natural craving on the part of consumers for goods and services that represent their own personality and needs, in the form of customisable...

Full story: 

http://www.thewisemarketer.com/news/read.asp?lc=z74836dx2620zj

  Loyalty track: Customer lifetime value and customer profitability

We know that, in theory, building customer loyalty increases profits. But how can we measure how effective it is in reality? How can we predict the effect an investment in loyalty will have on the future of the business? While no method can ever be perfect, measuring loyalty's effect on Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) is one of the best - and most accurate - ways, particularly if the management wants to maximise customer profitability during the whole of each customer's life cycle with the company.

CLV is increasingly being recognised as one of the most important measures of the worth of a customer. It takes into account not only the customer's value now but the expected value over their projected lifetime as a customer.

In fact, it is quite sobering to see how big the CLV can be. It is particularly important in high ticket value, low frequency businesses (motor sales or insurance, for example). The costs of setting up an account and establishing the customer are offset over many years so, in terms of profitability, the customer becomes annually more valuable as time passes.

Turning data into profit

The increased interest that managers have shown over the past decade or so in CRM, customer databases, data warehouses, and data mining is a positive development. Having such a system in place provides essential data that can be analysed to provide better business intelligence and decision-making support.

There are many business models that can be used to get an overall picture of the kind of relationships and correlations that form the basis of CLV calculations, and the effectiveness of investments in customer loyalty, profitability, and CLV will differ depending on various factors:

1. The sector

When comparing data, or conclusions based on its analysis, it is necessary to define the market sector, the type of company, the market segment and the company strategy, etc. Research shows that in different market sectors there are different correlation curves between, say, customer satisfaction and loyalty, or between customer satisfaction and profitability. Furthermore, the drivers of loyalty will be different - as will the drivers of profitability. For example, the correlation curve (satisfaction vs. loyalty) in a stable monopoly market will differ significantly from the correlation curve for a turbulent market with fierce competition.

2. The product

The correlation curve for a short term tangible product will differ significantly from the correlation curve for a long-term service product. Clearly, this means that the expected outcome of investment in increased satisfaction will yield different results depending on the market sector.

3. The period of analysis

The future period on which the analysis is based also has to be defined: results for CLV will differ depending on the projected length of time into the future or past (e.g. 3 years, 5 years, 10 years, etc.)

Building your own CLV model

Many different ways of measuring and calculating CLV have been developed, to suit different trading situations and purposes. While the values calculated can only be a guide to real future value, using the same formula over many customers does at least give a fairly accurate idea of the comparative value of different customers, or groups of customers. The calculation and use of CLV should be an essential part of every business if maximising future profit is the objective.

Get all the facts, figures & practical help you need...

Our all-new report 'The Loyalty Guide III' covers all of this in detail, with almost 1,000 pages of solid loyalty marketing data, practice, and theory - everything you need to know in one global report. It explains customer loyalty and engagement, metrics, best practices, concepts, technologies, models and the latest tools and innovations. It's packed with detailed case studies, research, market sizes, forecasts, models, charts, illustrations, and materials to support new initiatives, presentations and proposals.

Find out about the principles, practicalities, measurement, analysis, and bottom-line effects of customer loyalty, and gain expert guidance from dozens of loyalty marketing thought-leaders worldwide. Find out how to gather and use customer data to increase customer profitability, reduce churn, and to monitor and increase customer frequency, spending, and share of wallet. Most importantly, find out where competitors are succeeding or failing, and why. The complete executive summary, table of contents, downloadable samples, pricing and ordering info are online now at http://www.theloyaltyguide.com

The complete printed report can be ordered online today using any Visa, MasterCard or American Express card, or payment by invoice. Order it now at http://www.theloyaltyguide.com/order and be the best informed marketer you know.

  How transpromotion improves customer relationships

Attracting and retaining customers has never been more important to a company's bottom line and overall financial health, particularly in today's challenging economic climate, according to StreamServe's president, Chris Stone, who explains here how to use trans-promotional messaging to close the gaps between a company and its customers.

It's a missed opportunity, and it's one that organisations are keen to address. While marketers now understand the benefits of a technology platform that addresses these issues, they also realise that the effort often involves a number of challenges, including managing the many sources and formats of data input, such as...

Full story: 

http://www.thewisemarketer.com/news/read.asp?lc=y28557hx2621za

  Net Promoter shows word-of-mouth's value

Word-of-mouth is one of the most powerful and trusted marketing sources, and brand promoters may be worth more than was previously thought, according to a study by Satmetrix Systems of the financial impact of positive and negative customer word-of-mouth.

Building on Net Promoter, Satmetrix has now developed the Net Promoter WOM Economic Framework, which determines total customer value based on buyer and referral economics. In the computer hardware industry, promoters spend an average of US$203 more than the industry average of US$1,615, and account for about 50% of new customers acquired through positive word-of-mouth...

Full story: 

http://www.thewisemarketer.com/news/read.asp?lc=b26238ox2622zi

  Time for marketers to fix the 'report spam' button?

The online marketing firm Q Interactive has published the results of its 'Spam Complainers' survey, jointly conducted with MarketingSherpa, having found some serious problems with the way in which e-mail spam complaints are handled by ISPs and marketers alike.

Among the key findings of the study was the fact that the definition of spam has effectively changed in the consumer's mind, as 56% said they consider marketing messages from known senders to be spam if the message is not interesting, and 50% felt that too-frequent messaging was also...

Full story: 

http://www.thewisemarketer.com/news/read.asp?lc=w86443jx2623zu

  E-mail customer service ruining good relationships?

E-mail has become the UK's worst channel for customer service, according to the 3rd annual 'Multi-Channel Customer Service Study' from e-service provider Transversal, which found that e-mailed customer service requests are far less effective than using an automated online system or calling a contact centre.

With consumers increasingly demanding personalised service, e-mail should be at the forefront of providing the kind of tailored responses that convert browsers into customers. But an analysis of the survey's responses showed that too many companies simply use the e-mail channel to push consumers into other channels...

Full story: 

http://www.thewisemarketer.com/news/read.asp?lc=r42994bx2619zx

  Other news stories since March 27, 2008...

Marketing still to prove its real value
Despite improvements in the measurement capabilities and competencies of marketers, and the availability of new resources and best practices, marketing in general ... more

South Africa: eBucks goes even greener
A giant, indigenously-planted, eco-friendly maze containing nearly 2,500 trees and shrubs has appeared in the heart of Johannesburg, South Africa, as the coalition ... more

  Other News in Brief since March 27, 2008...

Communication beats pay for keeping staff loyal
When it comes to retaining employees in tough economic times, pay raises are overrated. According to the 2008 Management Action programmes (MAP) Quarterly CEO Survey ... more

Customer focus initiatives are not often successful
According to a report by the Economist Intelligence Unit, "Conquering Convergence," released by Oracle, companies in the information, communications and media ... more

Aloha Airlines' loyalty programmes to continue
Aloha Airlines has announced that it has received US Bankruptcy Court approval to continue operating as usual and has been authorised to honour all existing ... more

Maritz Motivation partners with OurEnergy
Maritz Motivation has partnered with OurEnergy, a global climate change solution provider, to offer carbon credits as a green employee incentive reward option for its ... more

FNB loses court battle over rewarding accounts
In South Africa, First National Bank (FNB) has announced the loss of a protracted court battle to keep its 'Million-a-Month' savings account alive. The Supreme Court of ... more

Marriott Rewards offers unplanned walk-in redemptions
Members of the Marriott Rewards frequent guest programme can now redeem points at the hotel front desk for free rooms at Marriott International hotels in the US and ... more

Consumers value security more than rewards online
Consumers value payment security and payment choice more than rewards when making purchases online, according to a study by Jupiter Research and online payment service ... more

LINDA extends PayBack partnership 'indefinitely'
The existing partnership between LINDA pharmacies and the German coalition loyalty programme, PayBack, is to continue, having been extended "indefinitely". According to ... more

Green Rewards continues UK launch preparation
Having recruited a chairman from Unilever, the start-up green loyalty operator 'Green Rewards' (see ) has appointed a new managing director from Procter & Gamble ... more

UK football club launches PayPass season card
Altair Financial Services has helped to create a stadium-based contactless prepaid card for the UK's Manchester City FC (football club), in conjunction with MBNA and ... more

Colorado Rapids' contactless mini reward card
The 'Colorado Rapids' MLS sports club has introduced a new 'Rapids Kickback Card' rewards programme, provided by First Data. The new rewards programme allows the team ... more

Really Simple unveils white label hosted CRM
The UK-based hosted CRM provider, Really Simple Systems, has launched a white label hosted CRM platform called 'Really Simple OEM', which allows CRM system resellers to ... more

You can always read all the latest News Briefs by going to:
http://www.thewisemarketer.com/briefs

  And finally...

If you know anyone else who might benefit from our free loyalty marketing news and research facilities, please take a moment to let them know about us. Thanks, as always, for your support.

So keep well, and market wisely.

Until next week,

Pete Clark
Co-Editor

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