5 Customer Loyalty Tips for Your Package Store

Like clockwork, a customer stops by your store every Friday afternoon. For years, you’ve stocked his bar cart with his favorite spirits and mixers. In return, he’s given you a steady flow of sales and reliable revenue.

You know his face, his shopping habits, and his go-to bottles — but you don’t know his name, phone number, or email address. When the big-box liquor superstore opens down the street, you won’t have any way to reach him and win back his loyalty.

A loyalty program protects your relationship with valuable customers like these, helping you earn and keep repeat shoppers.

In this blog, we’ll share five customer loyalty tips to help you start a liquor store loyalty program.

Why You Need a Customer Loyalty Program

A loyalty program is more than a nice-to-have — it’s essential if you want to build strong customer relationships, achieve steady sales, and compete with big-box liquor retailers.

Let’s look at some must-know benefits of customer loyalty programs for package stores:

• Increased foot traffic: 70% of customers say they make more frequent purchases at stores with a loyalty program.

• Increased basket size: 56% of customers say they spend more money at stores that offer rewards.

• Reduced marketing spend: Attracting a new customer is five to seven times more expensive than simply keeping an existing one.

• Leveled playing field: Retail giants like Total Wine already offer rewards programs, so launching your own loyalty program helps you keep up.

Along with bolstering your bottom line, a rewards program boosts customer satisfaction. Today’s shoppers are more concerned than ever with getting a good deal, and loyalty programs encourage them to spend more, save more, and choose your package store for all their beer, wine, and liquor needs.

Launching a program might seem intimidating, but we’ve broken it down into five customer loyalty tips. Let’s dive in.

Step #1: Make Sure You Have the Right Tools

What tool will you use to run your liquor store loyalty program?

You have two main choices: a standalone loyalty and customer relationship management (CRM) software, or an all-in-one point of sale (POS) solution that includes loyalty and CRM features.

To keep costs and complexity low, we recommend an all-in-one POS system. This way, you won’t have to pay extra fees, juggle multiple logins, or manually transfer data between two systems.

Find the perfect POS solution for your package store using our free guide.

Step #2: Set Specific Customer Loyalty Goals

A loyalty program without a clear goal helps your customers save money, but it likely won’t make a significant impact on your bottom line.

That’s why you need a specific, data-driven goal for your new program. Here are a few examples:

• Increase visit frequency: Get existing customers to come in once more per month.

• Grow average transaction value (ATV): Encourage customers to trade up from a $12 six-pack to a $20 craft selection.
• Reduce customer churn: Win back customers who haven't visited in 60+ days.
• Promote slow movers: Use bonus point events to move inventory that's been sitting.
• Build a customer database: Turn anonymous transactions into known customers you can market to.

These goals might sound similar, but you need to take different approaches to achieve them.

For example, if you want to boost your ATV, you might offer triple rewards points when customers spend more than $50 in a single transaction. However, if you want to increase visit frequency, time-sensitive discounts or bonus rewards points can encourage customers to visit on specific days of the week.

To set your customer loyalty program goals, dig into your liquor store POS system’s sales reports.

Step #3: Determine Your Loyalty Program Structure

You’ve set your goals. How will you achieve them?

Your package store’s loyalty program should be designed to benefit you and your customers. It should also be simple to understand — your cashiers should be able to explain it in just a few seconds at the checkout counter.

Here are a few popular loyalty program structures:

• Simple point-based rewards: Customers earn one point for every dollar they spend. Once they’ve accumulated enough points, they get a discount on their next purchase.

• Tiered rewards: Customers who spend more unlock better perks, like access to exclusive bottles or tasting event invitations.

• Punch card-style rewards: After purchasing a certain number of bottles or spending a certain amount of money, customers get a discount, like $20 or 20% off.

• Personalized offers: Since you have customers’ contact information and purchase histories, you can use SMS marketing to send personalized coupons for their favorite spirits and mixers.

Consider asking a few of your most loyal customers what they would prefer! And don’t forget to check your state and local liquor laws to make sure your program structure is fully compliant.

Related Read: Segmenting Liquor Customers With POS Data: VIPs, Bargain Hunters, & Explorers

Step 4: Promote Your Liquor Store’s Loyalty Program

You might have the best loyalty program in town — but it’s worthless if no one knows about it. Make your program worth the time and effort by investing in promotion.

Let’s look at a few ways to promote your liquor store loyalty program:

• In-store signage: Hang signs promoting your loyalty program at the checkout counter and in other high-traffic areas.

• Social media: Post on Instagram and Facebook to announce your program and showcase the perks.

• Staff training: Make sure your employees know how your program works and how to encourage shoppers to sign up.

• SMS marketing: Send messages to loyalty program members to reengage them and encourage them to stop by your store.

• Using multiple marketing channels to spread the word about your loyalty program helps you reach the most customers.

Step #5: Learn From the Data

The benefits of a loyalty program go beyond boosting sales and standing out from the competition — you also get valuable data you can use to improve your package store.

Since your loyalty program consists of your store’s top shoppers, you can see what they’re actually buying. For example, if your VIP customers prefer imported beers, sparkling wines, and middle-shelf liquors, invest more in these products to keep them happy.

You can also use the data to evaluate whether your customer loyalty program is working. How many customers are joining the program? Are members visiting more frequently than nonmembers? What's the average time between sign-up and first redemption?

Answering these questions with real data helps you tailor your program and promotions to your customers’ unique wants, needs, and habits.

Start Your Package Store Loyalty Program With Bottle POS

Ready to build your customer base and make bigger sales? We’ve got you covered.

Bottle POS, our all-in-one liquor store POS solution, includes all the features you need to launch and manage your loyalty program. Plus, our software includes SMS marketing, e-commerce integration, and more to help you reach and win customers.

Start your Bottle POS journey and get a custom quote using our Build and Price tool today.