مقاله سال ۲۰۱۶

 مجله تحقیقات بازاریابی – Journal of Business Research

The use of loyalty programs (LPs) is quite popular in a variety of industries, from drug stores, supermarkets, and clothing and department stores to airline and banks. They are among the most popular marketing tools that companies use to collect information, increase customer retention, and enhance customer relationships and loyalty (e.g., Kang, Alejandro, & Groza, 2015; Meyer-Waarden & Benavent, 2009). The number of companies adopting LPs has rapidly increased and reached approximately 40% growth between 2011 and 2014 (Colloquy, 2013, 2015). The outcome of that proliferation is consumers’ enrollment in a larger number of LPs. For example, in 2014, one U.S. household participated on average in 29 loyalty schemes. The largest share of LP memberships (39%) is concentrated in the retailing sector. Within this sector, fashion department stores, the focus of this article, experienced a 101% increase in their LP memberships between 2010 and 2014, with 229.6 million memberships (Colloquy, 2013, 2015). This growth is continuing to increase, with a Mintel (2015) report forecasting that department stores’ LP memberships will increase to 419 million in 2020, showing the continuous importance of LPs. One of the main reasons for this growth is the benefits fashion retailers offer to their customers (Colloquy, 2013).

Previous research (e.g., Leenheer, Heerde, Bijmolt, & Smidts, 2007) highlights the importance of the type and nature of the benefits such schemes offer to generate customer loyalty. Surprisingly, these studies indicate that higher rewards and monetary incentives by themselves cannot guarantee customer loyalty. Thus, recent studies investigate comprehensive sets of benefits LPs offer and their potential to increase customer retention and profitability (Evanschitzky et al., 2012; Mimouni-Chaabane & Volle, 2010). This approach departs from prior research that focuses on the magnitude, grading, and timing of loyalty rewards (e.g., Keh & Lee, 2006; Liu, 2007; Yi & Jeon, 2003).

Despite research evidence showing a positive effect of LP benefits on customer satisfaction and retention (e.g., Mimouni-Chaabane & Volle, 2010), many high-end fashion retailers do not have LPs. Only recently have some high-end fashion department stores begun launching LPs (Colloquy, 2013, 2015). However, many luxury retailers question whether LPs can be effective or appropriate in luxury retailing (Jones, 2016; Thompson, 2014). One argument is that these stores perceive LPs as a sales promotion tool that reflects a “down-market” strategy and thus is inconsistent with high-end clientele desires (Thompson, 2014). Luxury fashion retailers commonly build loyalty through topend and differentiated customer experiences (e.g., superior service, intimate relationships, special offers and exclusivity with customer-only events), which tend to be incompatible with the benefits of traditional point-collection LPs. If LPs are to succeed in this sector, they must be attuned to the needs of high-end fashion retailers’ clients and adjust their rewards to deliver more flexibility, more recognition, special treatment, and more experiential components (Dilger, 2011). For example, many LP ranking lists place high-end fashion department stores, such as Bloomingdale’s, Neiman Marcus, and Nordstrom, at the top, though they are newcomers in the LP arena (e.g., Consumer Reports, 2013).