Loyalty programs are the kind of stuff that feels like a must-have for any service. You know these apps that let you gain points whenever you shop somewhere and get rewards when you often buy there. The problem is that these loyalty programs aren't always easy to create, especially if you want to make them digital. Sure, rewarding people who come to your service sounds great, but isn't there a simpler way to do it? 

Back in 2015, Clive Schlee, CEO of the UK fast food chain Pret a Manger from 2003-2019, wrote this (1):

A couple of years ago, Pret decided to channel the cash we could have spent running loyalty card programmes into a fund for each shop to spend on rewarding its customers. It was as simple as that. We didn’t tell our team members whom they should favour. We let them decide. They could welcome a new customer, cheer up somebody having a bad day or recognise a regular. They could use it to solve a problem. Like everything in Pret, it’s just about lots of individual human relationships, day after day after day.

Action question

What are expensive ideas and trends (like a loyalty program) that could be done in a much easier and fun way by giving more power to your employees?

Footnotes

Daniele's note