Kroger Tops Loyalty Program Survey

CINCINNATI — Kroger Rewards was named the highest-rated loyalty program in the grocery sector, according to a new study of U.S. consumer loyalty programs by Maritz Loyalty Marketing, New York.

The Kroger program, which is facilitated by Kroger’s partnership with DunnhumbyUSA, received an 83% overall satisfaction rating in the study, whose finding were compiled in the Maritz Loyalty Report.

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Highly rated programs from other sectors included: financial services/Chase Ultimate Rewards (84%); entertainment/Carmike Cinemas Rewards (79%); retail/Kohl’s Rewards (73%); hospitality-hotel/IHG Priority Club Rewards (67%); and airlines/Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards (58%).

Overall, 65% of members are satisfied with the loyalty programs in which they participate. The Maritz Loyalty Report also includes customer ratings on more than 35 program attributes. Some of those attributes, also considered key drivers of satisfaction, include: Program values (pride of membership, program uniqueness, meeting customer needs); program mechanics (ability to earn and redeem points, quality of rewards); ability to interact with programs (website, mobile, customer support); and program innovation (program freshness, access to exclusive events, personalized experiences).

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The Maritz Loyalty Report results suggest that 71% percent of members would join more loyalty programs, even though the average member is already enrolled in 7.4 programs. The report also found that members are only actively participating in 63 percent of the programs in which they are enrolled.

“Our study revealed that 47% percent of members have stopped participating in one or more programs in the past year. This number is disconcerting for program operators, yet of even greater concern is that only seven percent of these defecting customers actively defect – meaning, they actually formally request to leave a loyalty program,” said Scott Robinson, senior director of loyalty consulting for Maritz Loyalty Marketing, in a statement. “Given the high percentage of passive defection, it is paramount that loyalty marketers proactively identify the early warning signs of disengaged members.”