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Retail workers face money challenges at alarming rate

31 May 2023

A report published by financial institution Claro Money’s wellbeing division on the effects of money worries for retail workers found that 73% of retail workers feel negatively about their... Read more…

Federation of Independent Retailers says more needed to be done to support smaller businesses in Wales

24 May 2023

Whilst it has welcomed some elements of the Welsh Retail Action plan, the Federation of Independent Retailers (the Fed) said more is needed to be done to support smaller businesses.
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Nearly half of customer service staff consider quitting over growing customer abuse

22 May 2023

More than two-fifths (44%) of customer service staff are considering leaving their roles due to increasing levels of cost-of-living fuelled abuse from customers.
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Friendliest high-street businesses include hairdressers and coffee shops, reports new study

22 May 2023

More than half of Britons (55%) say they have received helpful life advice from a local small business owner, new research reports.
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Mixed picture emerging about Coronation effect on retail

9 May 2023

A mixed picture is emerging about the effect of the Coronation weekend across the UK's retail sector.
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Nominations open for British Business Awards 2023

9 May 2023

Nominations have opened for the 2023 British Business Awards.
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Independent retailers look to loyalty schemes to keep up with supermarkets

9 May 2023

Independent retailers are racing to keep up with rivals and retain customers as the battle for loyalty intensifies among supermarkets.
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Government urged to reinstate Tax Free shopping with UK Retailers missing out as sales surge across Europe

9 May 2023

The European retail sector has enjoyed its best month for international spending on Tax Free goods since the end of the pandemic after sales surged by 40% month on month in March 2023, taking... Read more…

Consumers feel protective of independent shops and want to support them for their ‘social good’

27 Apr 2023

New research has found that consumers feel protective of independent shops and want to support them for their ‘social good’.
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Worldwide retailers seeking new ways to attract shoppers as spending slows

26 Apr 2023

Europe's cost of living crisis has benefited discount retailers, but mid-market names are being squeezed as shoppers watch their spending, executives and analysts at an industry conference said... Read more…

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Independent retailers look to loyalty schemes to keep up with supermarkets

Posted on in Business News

convenience storeIndependent retailers are racing to keep up with rivals and retain customers as the battle for loyalty intensifies among supermarkets.

Last month, Co-op announced it was following Tesco and Sainsbury’s by introducing lower prices exclusively for members of its loyalty programme. Last year, Tesco saw a huge uptake of its Clubcard, and Sainsbury’s recently refreshed its Nectar Prices scheme.

Speaking at the ACS Conference in Birmingham last week, PwC’s head of consumer markets, Lisa Hooker, urged convenience stores to prioritise delivering loyalty locally now, “to retain and engage customers” in a “difficult economic environment”.

Speaking to Better Retailing, Mandeep Singh, owner of Premier Singhs in Sheffield, introduced a coffee loyalty scheme in his store two years ago to compete with Tesco.

“Usually, we charge £1.49 for a coffee, but with the card it’s £1. We give away a barcoded card that we scan every time they make the purchase. We’ve gone from selling virtually zero cups a week to 700. It doesn’t have to be complex. Let someone else be first and adapt it yourself second.”

Mo Razzaq, owner of Premier Mo’s in Blantyre in Glasgow, is also in the process of relaunching his own scheme, which uses a QR code giving customers the chance to earn money off their shop every time it is scanned.

Several convenience specific programmes have been created in the past year by providers helping to give retailers a head start.

Ian Hepworth, Managing Director of Jisp Rewards, which launched last year, said:

“80% of UK shoppers now regularly use a smartphone loyalty rewards or voucher redemption service and this has been driven by the cost-of-living crisis placing greater stress on shoppers’ budgets, with consumers sighting rising grocery prices as the second biggest concern after energy costs.”

He added that programmes like this “help increase brand awareness, as customers are reminded of the retailer’s brand every time they use a card”.

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