مقاله سال ۲۰۱۶

I thought, wow–—that’s a great, great offer. You never get points when you redeem,’’said a customer of a major Canadian retailer. She was a member of the retailer’s loyalty program, which offered its branded money to its shoppers as a loyalty incentive. The money is offered in cash (voucher) form or electronically to customers who are registered, and can be spent in its stores. The customer had received the offer that read: ‘‘On October 3rd, redeem e-CT ‘Money’ right at checkout and collect 50X on the amount you redeem.’’

She interpreted the offer to mean that she’d receive a big payout, so she made a purchase to redeem $25 from her loyalty account. ‘‘I redeemed $25–—I was supposed to get 50 times that amount. To me, that was $1,250,’’ she said. The incident was featured in national media, including television news, but the retailer seemed to prefer not to explain the offer when asked. In a statement, a spokesperson simply said: ‘‘We regret the confusion this caused and we will reach out to the customer to make sure she remains a customer for life.’’ The customer felt differently: She received no additional points or money. Later, when she called to complain and the company opened a file, they made an adjustment. ‘‘They ended up depositing $6.56 in my account,’’ she said. They offered no explanation of why they weren’t fulfilling what she believed to be a promise.1 Says the customer: ‘‘But you promised!’’

In the case above, as in countless others, the consumer believed that she had entered into a psychological contract with the retailer; hence, the money would be received as promised. By spending her points on the day the offer required, the consumer perceived that she had fulfilled her side of the contract and that the company would in turn fulfill its obligations. Now the company has a very disappointed and angry customer. This is obviously not the ideal way to maintain a marketing relationship.