I really enjoyed sharing insights about loyalty in the Age of the Customer at Forrester's Customer Experience Forum East back in June. I got some great questions from the audience about how to start planning and advancing their loyalty strategy. Next up, I'll be continuing the conversations at Forrester's Customer Experience Forum West in Anaheim, CA, November 6-7. And, a few weeks later I'll also be at our EMEA Customer Experience Forum, November 17-18 in London. Here's a sneak peek of the content I'll be sharing at my track session. I hope to see you there!

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In 2014, customer loyalty is a bit of an anomaly. Customers are empowered, informed, and have myriad options to choose from. They don’t really need to be loyal. But for companies doing business in the Age of the Customer, earning customer loyalty is more important than ever before. Satisfied loyal customers are the only reliable source of growth.

So, what do loyalty strategies look like today? For most companies I talk to their loyalty program is their strategy. While narrow, this approach doesn’t completely miss the mark. After all, the premise of a loyalty program is to create a mutually beneficial exchange for rewarding customers and collecting customer insight. And, for many marketers I talk to in retail, hospitality, and other industries, their most valuable customers are active participants in their loyalty program. The issue is that programs today are better positioned to “lock-in” customers rather than leverage member insights to drive personalization and improve the way they serve their customers. The traditional means of “driving” loyalty with points and discounts are no longer sufficient. It’s time for companies to evolve their approach to loyalty programs and strategies with a focus on relationships, advocacy, and engagement.

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