Top 3 must-know promotion trends to watch

In many ways, we are still feeling the reverberations of the unprecedented events that unfolded in 2020. The profound changes brought about by the global pandemic have left an unforgettable mark on our lives and the way we conduct business.

This sudden shift not only disrupted established industries but also paved the way for innovative solutions and digital transformation. Today, we find ourselves navigating a transformed business landscape where ecommerce has become the new normal.

Read on to see our predictions for the top three customer loyalty and promotion trends in the months ahead.

Loyalty program membership has been increasing steadily, year-over-year for a long time. But we’ve reached the point where the majority of loyalty program memberships go unused.

Statista's report on customer loyalty shows that in 2022, the average U.S. consumer belonged to 16.6 loyalty programs - but used just a little less than half of those.

This means businesses now need to do more to make their loyalty programs worthwhile and attractive to their customers. Many brands have turned to the paid loyalty program model to give their customers a better experience, and also to get better results themselves.

Customers pay a monthly membership fee, and in return, they get more exclusive membership rewards and perks.

This increasing interest in paid loyalty programs has also been compounded by the pandemic. The market is now saturated with standard loyalty programs that don’t offer customers features like personalized rewards or loyalty tiers.

Research by McKinsey suggests that paid loyalty programs have some tangible benefits for consumers and businesses alike. They provide:

McKinsey estimates that consumers spent $25-30 billion on paid loyalty programs in 2019, which was a 25 to 50% increase from the previous year.

‘Omnichannel’ is a term most eCommerce professionals will be familiar with. It’s most commonly used in relation to marketing. But it also applies to promotions in much the same way.

An omnichannel marketing strategy includes a unified, streamlined operation with a cohesive experience across all platforms. An omnichannel promotion solution also aims for a streamlined experience, specifically in relation to the promotions offered to customers when they shop.

The average consumer now uses multiple platforms to shop, frequently switching between channels during their shopping journey.

The pandemic has accelerated this change, pushing more and more consumers to step out of their normal comfort zone when it comes to shopping. This includes trying new brands and shopping behaviors.

Geofencing is another technique that is becoming increasingly popular in the world of promotions. It’s by no means new, but improvements in smartphone and GPS technology have made it much easier to use geofencing effectively in promotions.

Here you can see a quick example of geofencing with Talon.One:

We all had to get used to restricted movement this year, so geofenced promotions gained new relevance. While vaccines will, fingers crossed, put an end to lockdowns, we’ll still have to deal with the restricted movement for another few months at least.

Many brands have used geofencing in their lockdown promotions, so consumers are now more familiar with the concept. Meanwhile, there will be more demand for promotions that encourage movement and getting out of the house.

Keep an eye out for some creative use of geofencing in promotions by big brands as we move towards summer.

In 2023, numerous brands faced challenging trading conditions, but promotional activities proved instrumental in driving growth for many businesses. See, for example, how fashion brands can use personalized promotions to drive profits in the year ahead without cheapening their brand image.