Are you looking for ways to promote your smoke shop? According to a brand loyalty report from 2018, a whopping 77% of consumers say they are more likely to shop with a business that has a loyalty program and 63% will change their buying habits to maximize their loyalty program benefits. If you’re trying to increase your profits, starting a vape shop loyalty program is a no-brainer. Here at Lifelong Merchant Services, we can help you implement a program that will have your customers coming back again and again to shop with your small business.
How Loyalty Programs Work
Customer loyalty programs are not one-size-fits all, but they do all have the same goal in common: to increase customer retention so someone who makes a purchase at your shop comes back to your shop in the future. Vape shops are very popular in most areas, so customers have choices. A loyalty program can ensure customers come back to your shop, rather than stopping at one of your competitors. In other words, if you all carry the same products at the same prices, a loyalty program will help you stand out. Even if stopping at another shop is more convenient for some reason, they’ll make a point to shop with you in order to take advantage of loyalty program benefits.
Speaking of benefits, loyalty programs can offer a variety of rewards to entire members. Here are just a few options:
- Discounts or free items when customers spend a certain amount of money or purchase a certain number of items
- Freebies upon sign-up and for special dates like birthdays
- Members-only everyday discounts
- Specials sales only available to members
- Notifications about new products
When you work with Lifelong, you don’t have to keep track of your loyalty program manually. We can help you set up the program using our POS system. It’s all done automatically when the customer checks out so you don’t have to deal with annoying paper punch cards or manual email address entry.
In short, whether you are a new vape shop just getting started with your business plan or an experienced vape shop owner, we can help you use a loyalty program to make more money.
Vape Shop Loyalty Program Tips
Starting a loyalty program is going to automatically increase your customer retention. However, there are a few things you can do to make your program as successful as possible. Instead of focusing your vape shop promotion ideas only on new customers, make sure to devote some time to your current loyalty program members as well. After all, these are your ride-or-die customers who are going to spend the most money and be your best advocates with word-of-mouth marketing. Here are some top tips for seeing better results with your smoke shop loyalty program:
- Think about a cool name for your program. It should be memorable and include your shop branding so that people remember to come to your shop to take advantage of the loyalty program and instantly recognize your emails.
- Give customers flexible options for earning rewards. If you limit the products available, you’ll limit the number of customers who will find the program valuable. It’s okay to exclude some products or have some limitations. Just make sure you don’t put so many restrictions on the program that it is no longer relevant for customers.
- Review the data. Our POS system allows you to look at what your loyalty program members are buying and how much they are spending. You can compare this to non-members to understand how to better serve your customers and increase profits even more.
- Be consistent with your vape shop marketing for your loyalty program. You should send out consistent emails (we can help!) and mention the program regularly. Otherwise, members will forget they’ve even signed up.
Customer Service is Key
Remember, a loyalty program won’t mean much if you aren’t also providing excellent customer service. At its heart, this kind of membership is a way to build a community around your shop. When you have a loyal community, you won’t need to work as hard at marketing your vape shop business. Without top-tier service, no one will want to be a member of that community, though, even if you offer discounts and other rewards.
FAQs about Vape Shop Rewards Programs
We’re happy to help you with all aspects of your smoke shop marketing, and we would love to give you a free demo of our products. If you have any questions, our team can answer them for you. Here are a few frequently asked questions to help you get started:
How much does it cost to create a loyalty program?
Our vape shop loyalty program feature is included in our POS system. You don’t pay extra for this feature. If you need help marketing your loyalty program, we have digital marketing services available for as little as $99/month. We have solutions to meet every budget, and our clients see real results!
What type of loyalty program makes the most sense for my vape shop?
You can set up different kinds of programs, like one for frequent shoppers who purchase a certain number of items, one for dedicated shoppers who reach a certain level of purchasing (i.e. spend a certain amount of money), etc. We recommend tailoring your program to what entices your customers most. Not sure? Do a poll or other types of market research. When you do data research on your customers with the help of our POS reporting features, you can make the best decisions for your business.
Are there other vape advertising ideas that can help me reach more customers?
We’d be happy to speak with you more about your digital marketing and advertising goals. There are certain rules you have to follow when promoting age-restricted items, but our team is well-versed in smoke shop marketing. Contact us today to set up a free demo of our POS system and digital marketing services.
