Now that patio season is in full swing, using customer loyalty programs in tandem with summer promotions is a surefire way to keep your visitors happy and rewarded for their patronage.
Canada Day and the week surrounding it is a HUGE shopping opportunity for restaurants and retailers alike. Everyone will want to get out and celebrate! How can you set yourself up for success? We’ve listed 5 tips below for how you can use your customer loyalty program to bring in revenue this Canada Day.
1. Make it easy to earn and easy to redeem
The quicker your rewards members can earn cash back, the more likely they are to return to spend more. Boost revenue this season by communicating clearly with your customers on how they can get more loyalty rewards FAST.
Maybe for the week leading up to Canada Day, or the weekend after, your customers can earn double the rewards when they visit during certain times of the day.
Ensure it’s easy to earn and easy to redeem loyalty rewards. Plus, tell your customers via social media, your staff, or otherwise about how they can participate. As a result, you’re sure to get more bang for your buck this holiday.
2. If customers buy more, they get more loyalty bucks back
A great way to get customers to spend more is to give them more rewards in return. Think about Shoppers Drug Mart’s 50x the points deals. Give your customers even more reason to choose your restaurant over the competition by offering huge rewards incentives.
Plus, you could run a promotion like “spend $X and receive X”, like an appetizer card or a Canada Day-themed item. Maybe you could have a special Canada Day dessert that only those who spend a certain amount can receive.
Ultimately, the more you reward your customer for spending their Canada Day celebration with you, the more they’ll be happy to spend as they enjoy their day with you.
3. Run promo(s) for a longer time to garner more participants
Some restaurants will choose to remain open on Canada Day, while others will be closed. Especially if your business will be closed, you should be running your Canada Day promotions all week long in order to capture as many customers as possible. You can use your customer loyalty program throughout the whole week to your advantage by offering extra perks for longer periods of time.
4. Offer things your customers really want
Know your customer! Think hard about what your customers would love to receive on a patio for their Canada Day celebration. Is it a special drink? A limited-time food item? Is it related to earning points or cash with your customer loyalty program? Put yourself in their shoes and think about how they already spend at your business, and pick something that will really wow them. If they’re impressed, they’ll likely spend more!
5. Take advantage of patriotism and promote “shopping Canadian”
There has been an increase in the general public wanting to support their local establishments by shopping Canadian-made and Canadian-owned. Even if you’re a chain business, but especially if you’re a mom-and-pop-type restaurant, put this message front and centre this Canada Day. We’ve talked about loyalty in this post, but what about loyalty to community? Customers will feel good about supporting you! Plus, if your customer loyalty program is used as well, they’ll have even more reason to spend with you.
To wrap up, customer loyalty programs are an important tool in your toolbox this Canada Day for boosting your overall holiday revenue. Your existing best customers (ie. your loyalty program members) should be your focus; did you know that it costs up to 5x more to acquire a new customer than it does to keep an existing customer? By rewarding them even more than usual, you’ll ensure they’ll pick your restaurant over the competition, and enjoy their stay with you that much more. Now get out on the patio and enjoy that summer sunshine!
