Oct 21, 2015
Loyalty Knows No AgeBy Abby (Kleckler) McGarry

Everyone has a loyalty program. OK, not everyone, but a lot of airlines, coffee shops, gas stations and retailers have some sort of reward system for shopping with them. But who joins these programs and what do they expect?

New research from COLLOQUY, in its “Customer Loyalty in 2015 & Beyond” report, caught my attention. Sixty-three percent of Millennials said they joined a loyalty program within the past year; 55 percent of the general population (18-65 years old) joined one.

The goal is always to find new ways to attract Millennials; maybe this is one area that hasn’t been explored enough.

Twenty-five percent of Millennials say they joined a loyalty program because it offered access to members-only events, 40 percent for access to members-only sales.

And possibly the most interesting stat: Millennials scored 24 percent higher on the loyalty-needs-to-be-fun meter. Does your garden center add any fun elements to its program? Are there competitions? A social element?

I’d love to hear about them at [email protected].

North Carolina Bound

I’m headed to the Raleigh area in a couple weeks to see some garden centers ready for the holidays. I’m in agenda-planning mode, so let me know if there’s something that’s just too good to miss.

Deadline Extended to TODAY

For the past 16 years, GPN (Lawn & Garden Retailer’s sister publication) and Nexus Greenhouse Corp. have partnered to recognize an undergraduate student who is poised to be a standout in this industry.

The 2016 GPN/Nexus Intern of the Year will receive a check for $3,000; be featured in an article and on the cover of the January 2016 issue of GPN; receive travel and hotel expenses to Cultivate’16 in Columbus, Ohio, next July; as well as a full Cultivate’16 registration.

To be considered or if you know someone who should be considered for this award, click here. The extended deadline to apply is Oct. 28, 2015.

Cheers,

Abby


Abby (Kleckler) McGarry

Abby (Kleckler) McGarry is the managing editor of Lawn & Garden Retailer. Contact her at [email protected].