The reciprocity effect: How your supermarket EPOS can help you surprise and delight your customers

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Your loyalty programme can help build deep bonds and bring customers back to you again, and again.

As a society, we’re well accustomed to using supermarket loyalty programmes. We know what to expect and we know how to get the best out of them. 

The stats speak for themselves. More than 95% of UK adults are a member of at least one mainstream supermarket loyalty scheme, and 56% report that being a member of such a scheme directly causes them to spend more. 

This translates into sales, too, with research showing that loyalty programmes can boost member spend by between 15% to 25% annually. 

It’s a no-brainer as an independent supermarket to introduce your own loyalty scheme, and the key is to make that loyalty experience relevant to your business, and not a carbon copy of the loyalty programmes delivered by the big players. 

By viewing loyalty through the lens of what makes the independent, local supermarket experience special, you can deepen customer loyalty and deliver an experience that keeps customers coming back – because they want to, not because they feel they have to.

How do you increase customer loyalty?

While most of the big supermarkets have ‘loyalty’ programmes, the concept of loyalty in this scenario is largely transactional. Sign up for a scheme, unlock cheaper prices. The more you spend, the more you save. 

For ‘loyalty’ read ‘savings’. Yes, customers are rewarded for loyalty by points that can be exchanged for a number of things including further discounts, but largely the relationship is still a financial one. 

As an independent supermarket, there’s a huge opportunity to use loyalty programmes to create genuine loyalty. 

Because true loyalty isn’t bought by 1% cashback. It’s built through strong personal relationships, and the psychology of reciprocity.

What is the norm of reciprocity?

The norm of reciprocity is a sociological theory that means when someone does something kind for us, we feel compelled to do something to return the favour; to reciprocate. 

In a retail context this is hugely powerful, and can give independent supermarket retailers a huge advantage – because you can surprise and delight your customers regularly.

And the data you collect through your own loyalty scheme holds the key.

Surprising and delighting your customers

As consumers, we love being given an unexpected bonus or gift, which is where independent supermarkets can add a genuine point of difference. 

We all become blind to always-on ‘member’ offers and discounts at supermarkets, quickly viewing the ‘non member’ price as a tax for not being a member, rather than a direct benefit of having a membership. 

That’s why the concept of surprising and delighting your customers with unexpected, personalised offers is key. 

The data you collect via your supermarket EPOS can unlock a whole host of possibilities. A free gift for customers on their birthday. An unexpected discount on their next shop after a certain number of visits. A free sample of a new product. 

There are numerous ways of connecting with customers and delivering value, but the concept here is connecting like a friend – sharing generous offers and gifts based on the data you’re collecting. 

These offers and ‘gifts’ resonate more than an expected discount, and help create loyalty, rather than delivering the expected.

Your supermarket EPOS is the key to building loyalty

A purpose built supermarket EPOS helps bring all of your data and insights together, giving you greater insight about your products and customers than you’ve had before. By getting granular and overlaying your key point of difference – those personal customer relationships – you can turn your regulars into advocates, and in turn bring in a new customer segment looking for more. 

By using your supermarket EPOS and loyalty system from the perspective of an independent local supermarket, you can compete like a chain while connecting like a local – creating long-lasting relationships in the process. 

Discover how CSY’s Loyalty App can help you nurture your customer relationships – speak to our team today.