July 10, 2017
More than half, 53 percent, of Americans enrolled in a loyalty program are participating because the program is easy to use, and currently there are 3.8 billion memberships in customer loyalty programs, according to the 2017 Colloquy Loyalty Census.
While membership remains on the upswing, the growth in 2016 was not as high as in 2015, which boasted a 26 percent growth rate, according to a press release on the census.
"The membership growth slowdown signals the U.S. loyalty market is maturing, and retailers need to up their game on how to attract and retain members within their loyalty programs," Melissa Fruend, LoyaltyOne Global Solutions partner and Colloquy Census author, said in the release.
"In order to improve loyalty marketing, brands must optimize the overall experience by creating more personalized and relevant experiences for their best customers," she stated in the release.
U.S. consumers are big on loyalty programs for the discount potential and a program's easy-to-understand strategy.
When it comes to abandoning such programs, more than half, 57 percent, cited the program took too long to earn points or miles.
