We get it, you’re a small business. You’re like a superhero and your power is the superhuman ability to multitask. You can balance your accounts while responding to emails and/or coming up with your next great marketing campaign. As you’re running your business like a well-oiled machine, we know you’re constantly trying to find ways to bring in new customers. But how much thought have you put into your repeat customers? Are they being rewarded for their loyalty? And what if no one knows about your two-for-one latte special, or the sale on bicycle tune-ups next week?
Well that’s where we come in.
Vicinity is both a loyalty platform and as a customer relationship management (CRM) system. Every time your customers flash their Vicinity card at the point of sale they get points, and you can set customizable discounts and reward levels. It’s the 2014 version of the “buy 9 coffees and get one free” card – apparently some large fast food chains (who shall remain nameless) didn’t get the memo about those being so 1999.
So how do you get set up? Simple – Vicinity hooks into your existing point-of-sale system. We set you up with a Vicinity terminal and loyalty cards, and every time a customer buys something they just tap their card and go. You also get access to a merchant dashboard where you can set your reward levels, send out promotions, and designate VIPs (very important purchasers).
Vicinity is being used by hundreds of businesses – Dark Horse, Healthy Planet, and Desmond & Beatrice to name just a few in Toronto – and thousands of customers, so by joining the network you’re getting exposure to locals who might not have heard of you (we know, they obviously didn’t read your glowing review on BlogTO). But don’t worry, the points your customers earn at your store stay there – points that are awarded at your business can’t be used for getting a morning cappuccino at that other place down the street.
And we know that it’s all about the ongoing relationship: you can’t just woo your customer once, you have to keep them coming back for more cupcakes. Vicinity gives you a unique database tailored just for you and your customers, so you can send emails with targeted promotions and specials, send SMS messages to VIPs, or just tell your Vicinity members about the soup du jour.
Request a consultation with our team – we’d love to come in and browse the shelves, order a latte, and introduce the Vicinity program. Our goal is to get everyone to love their ‘hood and shop at the businesses that make it awesome (that’s you).
In our next post we’ll outline what to do once you have Vicinity installed – how to get your customers to sign up, and how to make the most of your account. In the meantime follow us on Twitter and Facebook and share your latest news – we love to spread the Vicinity small business love.