This week’s riff: I was talking to my son, Dylan, about his favourite pizza restaurants. Without hesitation, he told me his very favourite was Pizza Hut. Why? Well, they have an ice-cream station where you can serve yourself as much dessert as you want!
In other words, he doesn’t want to go to Pizza Hut because they have the best pizzas! Instead, his choice is driven by the added extras he can get there.
‘Added extras’ can be critical in building loyalty and differentiating yourself from your competitors. Back in the 1990s, the growth of Tesco was inextricably linked to the introduction of Clubcard, while, more recently, Amazon’s ‘added extras’, offered through Amazon Prime, have become a key driver of loyalty and growth.
Meanwhile, every time I use my loyalty card at Waitrose I’m offered a free coffee – which seems to be hugely popular with the shoppers I see there – and that same ‘trick’ is used by my client 7-Day Windows for its trade customers, so that when they arrive every morning to collect the windows they will be installing that day they can get an ‘added extra’.
So, what is the ‘added extra’ that could make the difference to the loyalty of your customers and the growth of your business? What’s your equivalent of Pizza Hut’s ice-cream station that will help you become your customers’ number one choice?
Off The Record: Don’t by Ed Sheeran
And for a couple of weeks I only wanna see her
We drink away the days with a take-away pizza
© Stuart Cross 2017. All rights reserved.