LoyauT study | List of loyalty programs that stand out

Canadian consumers have on average 14 loyalty program membership cards in their wallet or on their phone. Among all those offered in the country, Proxi Extra (Harnois Énergies), Chipotle Rewards (Chipotle restaurants) and Club Câlin (Mondou) respectively occupy the first three places in the top 10 LoyauT 2023, produced by Adviso R3 and Léger.

Furthermore, the reduction in purchasing power (80%) and the impression of being able to scrounge up savings (66%) top the reasons which push consumers to join the various programs available, also concludes the survey whose Results were revealed this Tuesday. People are even willing to change brands of orange juice, for example, if they are promised to accumulate more points on their card or to save money. Another trend: premium programs – those where membership is paid – are popular and have more consumer confidence.

Programs that stand out

Thus, in addition to Proxi Extra, Chipotle Rewards and Club Câlin other programs such as PC Optimum (Maxi, Provigo, Pharmaprix), Inspire (SAQ), Starbucks Rewards, Domino’s Rewards, Walmart Rewards, Journie Rewards (Ultramar), Air Miles (at Irving in the Maritimes) also rank among those generating the most engagement and affection from their members. Still according to the study, these 10 programs are also the most likely to influence customer behavior when it comes to making purchases. Thus, the evaluation of three indices (engagement, behavior, affection) using the responses provided by consumers made it possible to establish the ranking. Personalized offers, especially in the case of Proxi Extra and Chipotle Rewards and deep feeling of attachment because it concerns pets (Club Câlin) are all reasons explaining why these programs perform well, analyzes Hans Laroche, senior loyalty consultant at Adviso R3.

If these stand out, the “saturation rate” compared to all the loyalty cards offered on the market increases, he emphasizes. It is that the number of cards “Yes, people are members of 14 programs, but they will make a choice and they will use the most relevant to them. People will use 7 to 8 programs on a regular basis. »

Another observation: the rate of regular use of a program by consumers increased from 89% in 2019 (before the pandemic) to 66% this year. “It dropped during the pandemic. People, for hygienic reasons, showed their cards less, mentions Mr. Laroche. It never came back. »

He then adds that the growing increase in the number of programs which contributes to a certain saturation can also explain this decrease.

Inflation and “double dipping”

Good news, however, is that consumers who join a program are normally loyal to it. “The proportion of members who cease to be active from one year to the next is generally less than 5%,” specifies Mr. Laroche.

At the moment, the increase in the price of goods and foodstuffs is one of the main reasons why customers are scanning their various membership cards.

“There is a link with inflation. And we also see that people understand the programs better than before, notes Hans Laroche. They now understand that they can have points on total purchases, exclusive in-store discounts. »

“People will even change their choice of products to maximize the number of points,” he adds. If you go to the supermarket and you see that there are 500 bonus points on Oasis juice and that you normally buy Tropicana, you might buy the Oasis brand that week. »

To qualify for even more discounts, people don’t just take out their loyalty card once they get to the checkout. He also pays their bill with a credit card – independent of the loyalty program – which also allows them to accumulate points, hence the expression “double dipping”. According to the study, 72.2% of respondents use a rewards credit card combined with a loyalty card.

Premium programs

Another observation: consumers have more confidence in a program… when they have to pay to register like Amazon Prime or the brand new program from Lululemon, retailers of yoga and sports clothing.

According to data provided by Hans Laroche, loyalty increases by 31% for a premium member compared to one who does not pay money to have access to the basic program. In addition, the behavior change index increases by 27% while the perception of generosity increases by 75%.

“Even if I pay $9.99 per month, I find the program even more efficient and generous,” emphasizes Hans Laroche. It’s really strong. »