Men Define Loyalty Programs Through Honor, Women See Trust

It seems you can't venture anywhere in the retail environment without being offered enrollment in a loyalty program. According to the new Living Loyal study from customer engagement agency The Marketing Store, shoppers, on average, have 10 loyalty cards in their wallet. But although they may be called loyalty programs, two in three customers don't think being loyal to a brand is important. 

"There’s an opportunity to maximize marketers’ investments in established loyalty programs by using data they likely already have about their customers’ preferences," says Jeremy Ages, director of strategy and planning, The Marketing Store.

Ages says men and women define loyalty from very different perspectives. Oh yeah, he also says 'storytelling' is important to engage the consumer and enhance their experience with your brand. No, that's not me pitching content marketing; he really did say it.

"While it may seem obvious, men and women approach loyalty differently and marketers should take this into consideration when crafting the language of their messaging," says Ages.

Read Larissa Faw's story in MediaPost