Here’s a very good way to look at it: “Arrive at a party early, and you’ll feast on whatever you want. Arrive late – and you settle for leftovers and scraps. The table’s already been picked clean.”
FACT: Rewards-based marketing is spreading like wildfire right now driven by the floundering economy. And just like all airlines, hotels, and rental car companies – all restaurants and pizzerias will have a rewards program in place within 5 years (To ignore this exploding trend would be like a caveman – ignoring fire).
FACT: Those restaurant owners who start now – will lock in customers now. And as those customers become more vested in the program earning more and more points, perks and rewards – they’ll be unlikely to “switch.”
The only question is: “Would you like to have hundreds or thousands of customers locked in to your program today, earning points, perks and rewards today – spending their dining dollars with you today – and staying loyal with you starting today? Or will you be starting from scratch, scrounging for stragglers once it’s too late?
Southwest Airlines waited… but only after losing their best customers to the competition did they jump in. Instead of owning and keeping their high-spending customers – they had to fight like hell to get them back… not where you want to be.
This “party” has already started… and it is filling up fast. Being “fashionably” late to this party will insure an empty plate for you.
This is NOT a party you want to be “fashionably late to.”
