Times are hard for a lot of businesses at the moment and the country shows little sign of recovering from the recession any time soon. Loyalty and membership programmes offer consumers the great value they are looking for; they can also give businesses what they want in terms of free marketing, plus loyal and regular customers.

Plenty of businesses offer promotional sales but loyalty and membership programmes are a more sustainable way to give discounts. Members know to look within their loyalty programme, whether this is through their directory or online, when they want a reliable, exclusive discount.

Permanent or aggressive high street discounts can be potentially damaging to brand reputation, as they can devalue the brand’s offering in the long-term - something that is notoriously difficult to rebuild. Loyalty and Membership programmes can be a way to combat this as the discount the customer receives feels more like a privilege. When the discount is seen as exclusive to a member, then it is perceived as something of greater value.

The Entertainment Club, operated by The Rocket Marketing Group is a great example of a loyalty and membership programme that supports the entertainment industry. The club offers discounts to members on a range of entertainment from film rental to adrenaline sports, giving members a comprehensive list of activities to keep them entertained. Featured partners include large high street brands and online retailers like Odeon, Blockbuster, HMV, Theatre Tokens, PC World, Firebox, Bowlplex, Virgin Wine and Virgin Experience Days.

A number of the businesses that are featured in The Entertainment Club have seen good sales results this year as people like to look for discounts so that they can continue to enjoy life as much during recession. In this respect loyalty and membership programmes are proving to be useful for partners, helping them to beat the recession. It certainly means that people are changing their spending habits in search of cheaper forms of entertainment, as is the case with Virgin Wines.

Emma Franklin, Virgin Wines Account Manager said: “Staying in is the new going out as people try to find ways to make their money go further. Having wine delivered at home is a perfect solution, and The Entertainment Club puts us in touch with those who are looking for just this kind of service and special introductory offer.”

Other forms of entertainment that are normally prohibitively expensive also have a role in difficult economic times – providing both a form of escapism and also falling into the bracket of affordable entertainment when they are discounted via a loyalty and membership programme. Theatre Tokens has noticed an upward trend in sales this year and feel that the economic downturn could have actually helped sales!

Helen Jones, Marketing Manager for Society of London Theatre comments: “We’ve found that during difficult times people turn to and enjoy entertainment as a way of escaping from the worries of everyday life even if only for a short time. Despite the recession theatre is proving to be popular and our sales of Theatre Tokens have increased by 14% this year compared with the first five months of last year.”

Whatever the public’s reasons for turning to Entertainment Club partners, it remains an effective free marketing tool for businesses, which is sensitive to the mood of the nation. A free marketing solution such as a loyalty and membership programme is a great opportunity for many businesses and those consumers who are continually searching for the best discounts.

Andy Huggins, MD of the Rocket Marketing Group comments: “This year we relaunched The Entertainment Club with a great new look and a fantastic website that is as informative as it is fun. There are some amazing discounts for members, on everything from movies and music to fun, food and drink. And because membership numbers are constantly increasing, then so is the opportunity for businesses to promote themselves, during the harsh economic climate.”

If your business would like to discuss becoming a partner in The Entertainment Club (or another Rocket Marketing Group programme) or for more information on the benefits of promotional marketing please contact Andrew Spratley on 01273 668822 or enquiries@rocketmarketinggroup.com

Back in January a government minister said she could see a few “green shoots” of recovery for the economy. This sparked massive debate both in and out of parliament as some people thought it was far too soon to be making such claims. This month has seen yet more signs of economic improvement therefore reigniting the debate.

The statistics seem to show slight improvements in certain areas such as the recent rise in manufacturing output and house prices, but then unemployment figures still seem to be going up. It is a confusing picture hence the debate.

All the confusion has led experts and studies to show that people are still feeling quite negative about the economy but there are some signs of improvement such as the Nationwide’s monthly consumer confidence index for May that showed a rise in consumer confidence.

Martin Gahbauer, Nationwide’s chief economist, said: “The more modest change in overall consumer confidence this month is no surprise and, as we continue to see contrasting news about the state of the economy, it is likely that confidence will remain fragile. While some reports suggest tentative signs of a slowing in the pace of economic decline, it is important to remember that a number of sectors are continuing to contract and any recovery is likely to be sluggish. What is clear from our findings is that while consumers remain pessimistic about the present situation, they appear to be much more confident about the future than they were at the beginning of the year.”

It is a confusing time economically and it can be hard to know what information is reliable, as much of it is speculation or figures which can be interpreted in a number of different ways.

What’s clear is that even during times of consolidation, businesses need to continue to market their brand and encourage customers to become brand loyal because economic recovery is inevitable sooner or later. This may mean that finding alternative or free marketing solutions to match public spending habits and cultural changes that happen during a recession. Now is a good time to foster relationships with new brand loyal customers so that when the green shoots of recovery bloom, there is a customer base to benefit from.

The Rocket Marketing Group operates a number of loyalty and membership programmes which give businesses a free marketing solution. All the partner business has to do is offer an exclusive discount to the loyalty and membership programme member. Loyalty and membership programmes tap into the current consumer trend of discount shopping. People can become less brand loyal unless the brand offers value as well. Our loyalty and membership programmes collectively have an active membership base of over 100,000 all actively seeking discounts and brands to shop from. The loyalty and membership programmes may be a free marketing solution that helps make sure that businesses do enjoy the green shoots of recovery when they appear.

Contact Us if you would like to discuss a loyalty and membership programme as a free marketing solution for fostering new brand loyal customers for your business.

Advertising is expensive and whilst it is essential, it becomes increasingly difficult for a business to advertise through the traditional mediums when advertising budgets are being slashed. Companies are looking for more cost-effective ways to promote their brands. There are lots of marketing options and some can prove to be just as effective. This is in part due to the changing times (people absorbing media in different ways) and the improvement of the channels for advertising online etc. This is compounded by the fact that most people now spend time looking for the exclusive discounts available not just the brands they are familiar with.

In a report researched and compiled by the World Advertising Research Center (WARC) on behalf of the Advertising Association (AA), it was found that the total UK adspend fell by 3.9%, but when separated and analysed by medium it revealed that while newspaper expenditure fell the most (12%) and spend on every other medium also fell, internet expenditure was up by 17.3%.

Internet advertising is an attractive media choice and marketing option at the moment because it can be more cost-effective than other forms of advertising. The rise to stardom of sites such as Facebook and Twitter just add another dimension which is yet to be completely and successfully tapped into.

Another cost-effective option is to look at the free marketing options. Loyalty and membership programmes offer a way to market a brand for free and are operated by a third party, meaning minimal human resources for the business involved. All the business has to do to feature in a loyalty and membership programme is offer an exclusive discount to the club members. This also answers the public’s demand for exclusive discounts on the items/ services they purchase. The members use a directory and/or website featuring all the businesses and their exclusive discounts, to look through when they want to shop or plan an experience. The Rocket Marketing Group operates a number of different loyalty and membership programmes including The Big Savings Club, The Entertainment Club, The Home and Garden Club and JML VIP Club. These clubs collectively have a membership base of over 100,000. The captive audience is considerable, so surely this is something that most businesses offering products and services would benefit from?

Contact Us if you would like to discuss how a Rocket Marketing Group, loyalty and membership programme can be a good marketing option for your business.

Loyalty and membership programmes can really help generate customer loyalty because of the positive association consumers feel when belonging to a club and enjoying the privileges and exclusive discounts.

When the average exclusive discount is multiplied by the number of different businesses offering a discount in a loyalty and membership programme the joint saving of a loyalty and membership programme for a member is huge.

The member sees the savings as a whole and therefore what is a relatively small amount for one business can appear to be more to a consumer. This is because the exclusive discounts are seen in the context of the complete amount saved with a loyalty and membership programme, such as The Big Savings Club.

This table shows the real value of the savings that can be made using a sample of the best exclusive discounts Big Savings Club Members can use*:

When members save this much money the associative value for brands featured in The Big Savings Club can be immense. This is the advantage loyalty and membership programmes have over seasonal sales, one-off vouchers and promotions. The loyalty and membership programmes also offer a continual point of reference for members, helping to generate customer loyalty.

The Rocket Marketing Group operates a number of different loyalty and membership programmes. They are free for businesses to be featured in when they offer an exclusive discount to members. The largest of the loyalty and membership programmes The Rocket Marketing Group operate is The Big Savings Club and with over 56,000 members the opportunity to reach a new audience and generate customer loyalty is impressive.

Contact Us if you would like to offer consumers an exclusive discount with your business through a loyalty and membership programme, encouraging consumers to spend money with your company and have a positive experience attached to your brand.

Offers correct at time of publication and subject to terms and conditions. *Big Savings Club savings have been calculated from average UK family spending figures from the “Expenditure and Food Survey” and “Family Spending Survey”, Office for National Statistics, 2006. All member privileges quoted are correct at December 2008 and may be subject to change. All figures have been rounded to the nearest pound.

This summer the recession is set to continue but there are a number of factors which will help certain businesses do well during this period. Tapping into these and understanding how to make the most of valuable consumers will be the key to a successful summer. Some of the elements that could help British businesses do well this summer include:

The good weather

Early predictions have told us that we should have a hot summer in Britain this year. Although the forecasts are not completely reliable, we have been blessed so far with the sunny weather.

Chief Meteorologist at the Met Office, Ewen McCallum, said: “After two disappointingly-wet summers, the signs are much more promising this year. We can expect times when temperatures will be above 30 °C, something we hardly saw at all last year.”

Not only does the good weather put Brits in a good mood but it means that they become valuable consumers as they spend money on their gardens, barbeques, days out, nice food for picnics etc. These are all important for British Businesses to have a successful summer.

Ian Cheshire, Group Chief Executive of Kingfisher plc, said: “We have made a good start to the year, boosted by better weather and a later Easter.  B&Q in particular capitalised well on this increased demand, growing its market share and doubling its retail profit.”

Less people are going abroad for summer holidays

Despite the rise in the amount of budget airlines and cheap package deals over the last couple of decades, a foreign holiday is still considered a treat. In the last year a lot of people have been looking for ways in which to cut back and they have been realising the easiest way to do this is by forgoing luxuries and treats. This has largely been bad for British businesses but the reduction in the amount of people taking a foreign holiday could be a blessing for a lot of others. When Brits stay at home for the summer they are valuable consumers.

RAC revealed that nearly two-thirds of those that holidayed abroad last year are staying put this year and short distance travel plans are up 33% on 2008.

The Caravan Club has noticed a positive change this year reporting that advanced bookings for 2009 are up by 40% on 2008.

More people visiting Britain

The weak pound may mean that we don’t get much for our money in Europe, but this works both ways. Can we expect people from other European countries to flock to Britain for a cheap holiday? For them it’s possibly the best time to visit the UK, at a time when they’ll get more for their Euro. If this proves to be true Britain will get a new group of valuable consumers.

Interest rates at an all-time low

This has an effect on the amount of disposable income people have. For those on a tracker mortgage the interest rate drop will not have just eased the financial pressures on them, but could well have released another pocket of disposable income. Brits are being cautious with their money but with savings rates also low it’s not as appealing to save any spare money either.

It is important to make sure that the British people who are spending money in the UK do so with your business and one way to do this is by marketing your brand through a loyalty and membership programme. The Rocket marketing group develop loyalty and membership programmes, offering members discounts from a range of companies offering everything from shopping to leisure. It is completely free for companies to feature in the loyalty and reward programmes when they offer an exclusive discount to members. Across all the clubs Rocket has over 120,000 full active members nationwide. Therefore this makes it a powerful marketing tool for British Businesses. Loyalty and membership programmes target those in the UK who are looking to spend money on a good deal. Targeting these consumers could make this a successful summer for your British Business.

Contact Us if you would like to discuss how a loyalty and membership programme can work with your business to encourage consumers to use your products/ services, and help you have a successful summer.

The British public’s spending habits have changed in the last year, not only with how much they are spending but what they are buying. Consumers expect a bargain and there are plenty of sales on the high street to cater to this. But the changes in peoples’ lifestyles extend beyond the brands they’re buying, as it’s also impacting on the way they spend their time. Striving to save money is no longer a taboo and there is an increasing amount of consumers having money saving fun.

Possibly the simplest example of money saving fun is to make something yourself; this can be anything from clothing to food. The drop in restaurant trade and increase in supermarket profits suggests that more people are cooking dishes and meals themselves – both saving money and spending time on a new hobby. Back in December 2008 electrical store Comet noticed a rise in sales for gifts that were designed to save people money. Sales of coffee machines and breadmakers were up 433% and 1275%. Coffee machines can help Brits save up to £500 on regular trips to the coffee shop and breadmakers produce around three loaves for less than the price of one in the supermarket. Chocolate fountains, were popular in 2007 but in December 2008 were bottom of the wish list, below microwaves and toasters.

In December, Bob Darke, Commercial Director at Comet commented: “Christmas shoppers are taking advantage of great deals with many opting for practical gifts for friends and family that will help them save money in the longer term.  This week we’ll have many more deals on a wide range of electrical products to appeal to all our customers.”

The horticultural trades are also performing well in uncertain times and gardening is being taken up by the younger generation as they develop their gardens for social use. The recession is greatly impacting on what young adults are spending their money on and the statistics showing this indicate a definite social and cultural change and a trend towards consumers having money saving fun.

The key findings of the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA)  GIM Garden Intentions 2009 survey reveal that: 29% intend to spend more time working in their garden this year, 25-34 year olds are most likely to increase the amount of time working on their gardens (44%). The reasons given for spending more time working in the garden include: prospect of better weather this summer (48%), growing interest in gardening (37%), plans for a major garden overhaul/ redesign (23%), intentions to grow more fruit and vegetables (22%), working less and spending more time at home (18%). For relaxing and entertaining 31% of respondents plan to increase their use of their garden this year. Once again it was the 25-34 year olds that are most likely to spend more time relaxing and entertaining in their garden (42%) this year. 9% also stated that they are cutting back on more expensive pastimes and 8% cutting back on holidays away from home this year – and spending more time in the garden.

We can see the country’s need to save money; even if it means a lifestyle change it doesn’t mean people are enjoying life any less – Brits are actually having fun spending time saving.

The Rocket Marketing Group understands the need to have fun whilst saving money and operates a range of loyalty and membership programmes that offer members exclusive discounts on a range of products and services. The programmes include The Home & Garden Club, The Entertainment Club, and The Big Savings Club. The loyalty and membership programmes all mean that members can have money saving fun, helping them to enjoy themselves more often. The success of these loyalty and membership programmes show that people are actually having fun spending time saving.

Contact Us if you would like to discuss how a loyalty and membership programme can work with your business to encourage consumers to use your products/ services, however they like to spend time saving.

With the state of the economy many businesses have realised the importance of giving their customers more in terms of offers and services, to ensure consumer loyalty and profit growth. Traditionally this has been the domain of businesses such as supermarkets and increasingly so in recent years as they have expanded into areas such as clothing, banking etc.

Not all businesses have the capacity to expand in this way but there are other ways to diversify and offer non-core products and services to encourage consumer loyalty. One option for businesses is to offer customers the opportunity to buy into a bespoke loyalty and reward programme which carries their branding but is operated by a third party such as The Rocket Marketing Group.

By a third party managing every aspect of the extra offering of non-core products and services through a loyalty and membership programme the business receives free added extras for the brand without having to commit additional resources.

These programmes can essentially offer non-core products and services at a discounted rate to customers who become members. The programmes can be fully branded with a company’s logo so that they feature under the umbrella of the one brand. The products the programmes offer can also be completely bespoke depending on what a business wants to offer customers. All of this means that a company’s customers don’t need to go anywhere else to complete their shopping experience. This has to help with consumer loyalty whilst providing an effective way for a business to gain profit growth through earning incremental revenue.

In the current economic climate businesses that offer the full service shopping experience at value prices are doing very well. A good example of this is the supermarkets that offer a wide variety of products and services at value prices and are reporting profit growth when many other sectors are experiencing a downturn.  Sainsbury’s profits have recently reported a total sales growth of 5.7 per cent in the preliminary results for the 52 weeks to 21 March 2009.

Justin King, Sainsbury’s chief executive, said: “Our business is growing because we have responded quickly and effectively to a rapidly changing environment. Total sales for the year were up 5.7 per cent and like-for-like sales excluding fuel were up 4.5 per cent..In addition we have continued to drive cost efficiencies offsetting over 75 per cent of cost inflation and delivered further profit growth.

Fixing fundamental parts of our operation through our ‘Making Sainsbury’s Great Again’ recovery programme has placed the business in a strong position. Although consumer confidence in the UK has declined during the year, our performance improved as a result of the strength of the Sainsbury’s brand and actions we have taken to adjust our offer to changing customer trends.”

So producing a white-label loyalty and membership programme can be an effective way to compete with the full shopping services and consumer loyalty of businesses such as supermarkets. The programmes can act as a way to simulate the success of supermarkets by adjusting a company’s offering in reaction to changing customer trends.

Contact Us if you would like your business to offer non-core products and services to your customers through a loyalty and membership programme, encouraging them to stay loyal to your brand.

During harsh economic times it’s good to hear of a success story and this is one such case. The Rocket Marketing Group specialise in developing, implementing and managing loyalty clubs, reward programmes and incentives promotions and recently reached its one millionth sales order using SAP Business One, business management software. This is a massive achievement for a company that only installed the system in March 2007. SAP Business One systems manage every aspect of the company including CRM, finance and stock control. This provides stability and consistent quality standards, allowing the business to grow and handle multiple programmes simultaneously.

The Rocket Marketing Group was established in 2001 and has been growing rapidly ever since. The company currently has over 120,000 full active members to its loyalty clubs and reward programmes and works in partnership with over 100 UK businesses, from large businesses to small retailers.

The company’s figures show a 375% growth since the installation of SAP Business One, from a turnover of £1 million in 2006-2007 to £3.75 million in 2007-2008. SAP Business One was instrumental in giving Rocket the capacity to expand whilst not compromising on quality. From managing just one membership club in 2007 Rocket has seamlessly grown and now operates a total of 5 different reward programmes. Using this system and maintaining quality standards have meant both profits and efficiency have greatly improved whilst operational costs have reduced.

Alan Saunders, Operations and Business Development Director said: “SAP Business One has been significant in the growth and stability of the company. It helps to ensure that the business is operated in a way that is efficient and controlled. The Rocket Marketing Group’s success, most notably its excellent standards of quality and efficiency has also been recognised by The British Standards Institute which awarded us with ISO 9001 Quality Management accreditation, and SAP Business One has been a large factor in this.”

The recent economic downturn has certainly helped improve the popularity of The Rocket Marketing Group’s products, as people become increasingly interested in discounts and non-core offers. Loyalty and reward programmes give consumers what they need and can create loyal customers for the businesses involved. SAP Business One has enabled Rocket to react and act upon the needs of consumers and their demand for discounts across a variety of sectors.

The one millionth sales order signifies a success story for everyone involved and is cause for celebration. With this in mind Rocket passed on the good fortune to the lucky customer who placed the one millionth sales order. They were treated to a slap-up meal at a local restaurant courtesy of The Rocket Marketing Group.

Contact Us to join the celebrations and find out how you can work with The Rocket Marketing Group.

If you believe what the statistics show, then staying in is the new going out. Over the last year the recession has taken hold of Britain and as a result the general public’s spending habits have changed. Through the real fears of redundancy, recession and rising fuel bills people have become more money-conscious. It’s almost no longer a taboo to collect discount vouchers, look for cheaper entertainment or seek discounts in shops and online. A lot of people find the easiest way to save money is to change their spending habits and stop buying non-essential goods and experiences. So how does this affect the businesses that offer these products and services and is there a way to make them affordable during a time of such uncertainty?

Research from Abbey Credit Cards conducted in January has revealed that: “British dining habits are being dramatically affected by the changing economic climate, with over half (56 per cent) of Britons cutting back on eating out.”

They also found that: “Dining ‘al desko’ is also gaining momentum with 17 per cent more starting to take a packed lunch to work in the last 12 months to save money.”

And it is not just the catering industry that is being hit by the public changing their spending habits and cutting back. Cheaper entertainment has seen an increase in business over the last year, as we saw earlier this year when companies such as Cineworld revealed their yearly figures, reporting a rise in sales.

On this, Chairman, Anthony Bloom commented: “Movies have an enduring appeal and a visit to the cinema is relatively low cost when compared with other forms of leisure and entertainment.”

People will continue to spend on large items but maybe less regularly, so what can these businesses do to encourage more regular sales during harsh economic times particularly companies offering experiences that aren’t considered cheap entertainment?

Price Reductions through a managed reward programme can reap good rewards even when people feel they have to change their spending habits, as they encourage a continuance of a certain type of lifestyle. In The Big Savings Club reward programme, The Rocket Marketing Group position companies that are larger, non-essential purchases next to everyday essentials and cheaper entertainment such as supermarkets and cinemas. For members the special experience or product doesn’t seem like so much of a luxury/ treat but rather a privilege of belonging to a reward programme. They need not cut back or go out less often; they can use it as an aid to maintaining a certain lifestyle because there are discounts on everything including Shopping, Entertainment, Travel, Health, Fashion, Kids and Motoring. It is a way for people to cut their spending without cutting back. Higher value products/services offering a discount include:

10% extra free on Theatre Tokens
10% free on Leisure Vouchers
15% off Virgin Experience Days
Up to 50% off Haven Holidays
15% off Champneys.

Contact Us if you are a company that would like to be featured in one of our reward programmes. It is a completely free marketing option; all you have to do is offer an exclusive discount for the reward programme members.

Offers correct at time of publication and subject to terms and conditions.

The British Bankers’ Association reported that the amount banks lending to small businesses rose by 239 million in January, proving that small businesses can still emerge and grow despite the current economic climate. In some instances small and medium sized companies are actually better equipped to deal with harsher times as they can be more streamlined, determined and focused on consumers needs. But are there things that small businesses can do to optimise these advantages and boost consumer confidence?

Commenting on this data, BBA statistics director, David Dooks, said: “There have been net rises in term lending to small businesses each month since last autumn, albeit at levels below last year’s monthly average, reflecting subdued business investment in the economic downturn. At the end of last year, the outstanding level of term lending was some 9 per cent higher than a year earlier. The many small businesses that don’t borrow are drawing on cash reserves to fund current cash-flow needs, such as January’s tax payments. Despite the recession, people are still embarking on new business ventures, as shown by the number of new start-up relationships in early 2009 being in line with last years average.”

There’s always room for small to medium sized businesses to flourish in the current economic climate because of the unique relationships they can foster with their customers. It is so important to get the small details right and build mutually respectful relationships with consumers, as it’s far easier to adapt to individual needs and build brand trust and consumer confidence at a grass roots level. But businesses that rely on reputation and word of mouth can’t afford to make mistakes. So it’s particularly important during the current economic climate to give customers what they need and make sure that their recommendations become an effective form of free marketing. This is something that has become increasingly important and recognised by all businesses, whatever their size.

In its latest quarterly referendum survey, members of the Forum of Private Businesses voted for restoring business confidence (65%) and restoring consumer confidence (63%) as the two issues they most want the Government to prioritise in the 2009 Budget in order to support their businesses.

For smaller businesses, finding ways to reward customers is particularly important when trying to develop and enhance consumer confidence during the current economic climate and that’s why The Rocket Marketing Group offers a number of reward programmes including The Midweek Dining Club, The Home & Garden Club, The Big Savings Club and The Entertainment Club. These are particularly good for small and medium sized businesses to be involved with, as they offer free marketing on a national scale to an ever growing customer base of 300,000 people. All our partners have to do to receive this free marketing, is offer an exclusive discount to our members. It is a way of giving customers something back for remaining loyal to the brand.

The Rocket Marketing Group’s range of reward programmes are also available to be sold to a business’ existing customer base. We currently work with clients such as JML who generate commission by selling a range of clubs to their customers. This gives JML incremental revenue and gives the customers a wider range of products and services at a reduced rate, which they associate with JML, making it more of a one stop shop for consumers’ needs.