Many companies have recognised the importance of reward programmes as an effective tool to attract new customers and retain existing clients. Let’s take a look at the various reward programmes available in the UK.

O2 Rewards

O2 offers rewards to its Pay As You Go customers. O2 Rewards gives 5% (for the first six months) or 10% (when you have been a Pay As You Go customer for over six months) on top-ups.
But O2 also ensures that its other customers are also rewarded through O2 Priority, which is open to all Pay and Go, Pay Monthly and business customers. The reward programme is free and provides exclusive offers, prize draws and the opportunity to purchase tickets to events at the O2 and O2 academy 48 hours before they go on general sale.

iGaming

Another sector offering rewards to customers is the iGaming industry. King Billy casino, for example, provides customers with four welcome bonuses for their first four deposits. The best online casinos also offer rewards such as free spins. This is an effective way to attract new customers as it gives players the opportunity to try out online casino games for free or double their deposits. Another advantage is that it helps companies stand out in a competitive market.

Nectar

The Nectar loyalty card scheme offers customers the opportunity to collect points with participating companies and retailers. This includes Sainsburys, Esso and eBay. Customers earn one Nectar point for each £1 they spend in-store or online and one point for every litre of fuel they purchase in Sainsbury’s petrol stations. The points can subsequently be converted to cash and redeemed with a wide range of partners, including Argos, British Airways and Dulux Decorator Centre. It has been reported that the cost of failing to use your reward card is estimated at an average of £257 a year.

M&S Sparks

The M&S Sparks reward programme gives customers personalised offers and selected customers will receive small gifts. A further feature is that Marks and Spencer make a donation to the charity of your choice each time you scan your Sparks card. Each week, M&S Sparks offers the opportunity for a Sparks customer to receive their shopping for free when using their Sparks card in-store and online. This comes on the back of news that the food hall is joining forces with Costa. The coffee chain will now sell M&S food in its 2,500 stores and Costa also has its own reward scheme called Costa Club offering a free drink when customers have purchased eight drinks.

Waterstones plus

The Waterstones plus reward programme provides customers with the opportunity to earn points when they make purchases in Waterstones shops, cafes and online. In this reward programme, customers receive a Plus Stamp for every £10 they spend with Waterstones. When customers have collected ten stamps, they are rewarded with £10 to spend at Waterstones. The programme provides exclusive early access to book events and monthly prize draws. Meanwhile, plus Student offers university students an additional 5% discount on all purchases.
Customer reward programmes are an important element of customer acquisition and retention. Customers are rewarded for their loyalty in the form of redeemable points, prize draws, and exclusive offers, which is an effective way to earn extra value from regular purchases.