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28/09/2010 -
A growing number of credit card issuers are investing in loyalty and rewards programs to spur customer spending at point-of-sale terminals - and many are succeeding by keeping programs simple and flexible.Canadian consumers want rewards programs that focus on their priorities and are tailored to their needs rather than ones that offer perks for purchases they never plan to make, the Vancouver Sun writes. Some cardholders want airline miles and travel perks, while others want discounts on products.
In fact, according to a recent RBC survey, 33 percent of respondents indicated a desire for cash rewards, followed by 27 percent who preferred merchandise rewards and and another 23 percent who wanted travel perks.
"Canadians are tired of being restricted by rewards programs that require them to shop at certain stores or earn bonus points on only a handful of categories," Capital One Canada communications manager Laurel Ostfield told the paper.
Some financial institutions and retailers are going so far as to connect their loyalty programs with charitable giving initiatives. For example, Stephanie Bertossi, an Aeroplan cardholder, donated 200,000 points to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Nova Scotia and helped to raise more than $220,000, according to the paper.
