As all retail business owners know, the best customer is a return customer. This isn’t just an old adage; it’s a fact. For 61 percent of small business owners, over half of their annual revenue was generated by repeat customers. And a five percent increase in customer retention boosts business profits by, on average, 25 percent.
The best way to implement a customer loyalty program at your retail store is by investing in a retail-specific point of sale (POS) system. Many POS solutions come with baked-in customer loyalty programs, complete with marketing and analysis features. So, from a market of great solutions, we’ve gathered the top four systems for you to choose from. Read on for an analysis of the best retail POS providers for customer loyalty.
1. Comcash
Comcash, a cloud-based retail POS, has customer relationship management and customer loyalty features built into the system. Their system generates targeted emails and coupons, and Comcash includes an automatic integration with Mailchimp, the industry leader in email marketing.
Comcash’s solution also includes data analytics — helping you track your customer lifetime value and average order value, as well as identify your most profitable customers and recommend promotions to increase customer return visits. It also notes that the e-receipt is a prime gateway to receiving customer information, and ensures its webstore can also function as a customer portal to an ERP system where they can manage their own information.
Luckily, Comcash’s customer loyalty program is built in, so you have access to all of these features at no additional cost.
2. POS Nation
POS Nation is a cloud-based point of sale provider with a specialized retail solution. Its customer loyalty feature touts a loyalty card assigned to each customer, simplifying the process at checkout. POS Nation’s software gives retailers the ability to create multiple levels and tiers with their loyalty plan, allowing customers to aim for bigger rewards – and encouraging increased spending.
Its software also includes built-in customer tracking, using purchase history to personalize customer service. The POS solution then incorporates customer purchase trends to run targeted marketing campaigns designed to increase repeat business. POS Nation’s customer loyalty strategy promotes seasonal sales and keeps in touch with shoppers, encouraging them to keep coming back.
POS Nation’s customer loyalty program is ready to go out of the box, so you can enjoy these features without paying for a monthly subscription.
3. Lightspeed
Lightspeed is a nationwide POS system designed for the retail, hospitality, and golf industries. Its loyalty features tout their functionality – designed for busy retailers, they’re easy to get up and running quickly. Lightspeed uses email and SMS to cover customer communications, and offers prebuilt templates for emails, forms and landing pages. The software also has an easy-to-use outreach designer, which allows business owners to design email and SMS flows rapidly through a drag-and-drop format. A deep dive into its customer loyalty programs reveals the ability to set spend thresholds, tiers, and point multipliers with the goal of rewarding shoppers.
The POS provider also automatically segments customers based on purchase history and brand interactions, enhancing customer experience and leading shoppers towards the products they’re likely to enjoy the most. Last, but not least, Lightspeed offers a Facebook Audience Ad integration, allowing you to corner your virtual market.
Lightspeed’s main caveat is pricing – its customer loyalty feature isn’t available under its Lean and Standard programs’ ($89 and $149 per month, respectively) offerings, and can only be accessed if you shell out $269 a month for the Advanced program.
4. Clover
Clover, another cloud-based provider, offers an Android POS platform. Their customer loyalty feature is focused around the Clover mobile app, which enables your customers to place mobile orders for pickup while simultaneously earning rewards at your business.
Clover’s customer loyalty program is simple: When customers use their credit card and request a digital receipt, their contact information is added to your promotions list. Once they’ve opted in, you can stay in the know, editing customer information at any time to add notes, birthdays, food allergies, and more. And of course, personalization is the name of the game: Clover lets you create just-for-you promotions for your VIPs, giving them the white glove experience.
Ultimately, Clover’s customer loyalty program promises unlimited outreach, targeted prompts, birthday rewards, automated win-back campaigns, and much more. Keep in mind, though, that their customer engagement program comes at a price – specifically, $99 per month.
The Best Retail POS for Customer Loyalty Features
You have a ton of great options to choose from – easy Mailchimp integration, SMS and email templates, point tiers and trackings. So, which retail POS system’s loyalty offerings work best for your store?
It’s a decision that’s personal to each business, but a great rule of thumb is to choose an option that gives you the data and analytics you need to make the decisions that are best for your business. You also want to use a solution that offers built-in customer loyalty, as opposed to a feature you must subscribe to and pay for monthly. The best retail POS provider that offers all of that and more? Comcash!
With a marketing analytics program that’s way ahead of the game, Comcash will take your customer retention metrics to the next level. So, why wait? Schedule a demo with our team today to see what Comcash can do for you!