Benefits For Your Merchants

In recent years there has been explosive growth in the quantity and diversity of loyalty programs in the retail marketplace. It seems that on each and every shopping trip, consumers are offered an additional reward option as merchant and non-merchant loyalty companies clamor to place branded plastic in their hands. For merchants, it has become increasingly challenging to determine how to successfully compete in this cluttered loyalty environment. Yet, deciding not to follow this market trend may deny merchants the opportunity of gaining the loyalty of lucrative consumer segments. The question becomes how to best leverage this potentially viable opportunity.

One approach would be for a merchant to launch a proprietary loyalty program. Doing this would build loyalty for their store brand and enable them to acquire valuable customer transaction data (CRM). However, effectively accomplishing this would require significant capital and management resources to implement and maintain.

Another option would be for merchants to open their door to the numerous private-brand loyalty providers willing to send customers to their storefront. However, with the proliferation of loyalty programs in the marketplace, they run the risk of rewarding the same consumer multiple times. Moreover, without a proprietary program, merchants will likely not achieve the benefits of comprehensive CRM information.

An ideal loyalty solution for a merchant would be one that enables them to:

  • Link with a loyalty program that will continually send customers to their door without the costly risk of reward duplication
  • Achieve the benefits of robust CRM information without the expense of launching a proprietary loyalty program.

A loyalty provider who can offer their merchants a program that fulfills those objectives will enjoy a larger merchant base and increased merchant allegiance. By affiliating your program with the Help Worldwide Network, your merchants will enjoy the following benefits:



CRM Reporting

One of the key advantages of enrolling your merchants into Help is enabling them to access valuable CRM information that will significantly improve their ability to understand and market to their customer base. CRM is derived from the collection of loyalty transaction data relating to the spending patterns and interests of each of the merchant's customers. CRM can be used by the merchant to foster customer loyalty through the individualized communication of tailored benefits and offers. Specifically, using the information from Help CRM reports, it is possible for merchants to identify, retain and reward existing profitable customers, as well as encourage specific purchasing behavior of marginal or non profitable customers.



The LoyaltyShare Clearinghouse

The LoyaltyShare Clearinghouse is a processing platform that receives transaction data from the purchases of a member of a SOURCE affiliated loyalty program as well as from participating banks, financial card networks and financial card processors. The LoyaltyShare Clearinghouse then takes the data and uses it to track, match and process these files. One key benefit derived from the LoyaltyShare Clearinghouse is the avoidance of the duplication of rewards to consumers with multiple loyalty relationships.



Humanitarian Empowerment Loyalty Program (H.E.L.P)

In addition to these valuable benefits, Help merchants are also able to participate in the Humanitarian Empowerment Loyalty Program (H.E.L.P). The objective of H.E.L.P is to build a bridge of hope between local businesses, charities and worthwhile community programs across the world. A portion of the reward earned by your members is donated to community needs projects within the zip-code of the merchant at which the purchase was made. Fundable initiatives include supporting the performing arts, green space development, city renovations and school funding. Your merchants are able to indicate their involvement with this initiative by displaying a H.E.L.P decal within their establishment.



Advertising Exposure at No Cost

All merchants associated with Help gain immediate exposure as they will be added to the Help database where they can be viewed by members of any other Help affiliated program. In addition, they may be added to the websites of any Help affiliated program further increasing their brand visibility and awareness.