Missed our latest Customer Loyalty webinar with the awesome crew at Paperplanes? Don’t worry — we’re not about to make you sit through the full hour-long replay (though trust us, it’s got some juicy debates). Instead, we’ve wrapped up all the best bits right here — everything you need to know about building customer loyalty that actually sticks with no FOMO required.
We see daily how brands are great at driving signups with discounts and rewards, but struggle to build genuine connections. This means lots of participation, but not much true loyalty. If you’re frustrated with loyalty programmes that aren’t actually building loyalty, this is for you.
If you do want the full unfiltered experience, you can catch the recording here.
> Top Tips to help Measure and Build Customer Loyalty
Let’s Talk About Black Friday and Cyber Monday
Black Friday and Cyber Monday are basically the Hunger Games of e-commerce. In 2024, UK shoppers splashed out around £7.1 billion, treating themselves to fresh kicks and shiny new bits and bobs (we’ve all been there… though some more than others, looking at Kirsty, our Head of Clients and her ever-growing trainer collection!). And the spree isn’t slowing down anytime soon, with spending set to skyrocket to £9.7 billion in 2025.
It all sounds great until your customers start ghosting you for a competitor with a shinier discount code. While you’re spending a fortune trying to acquire new customers, your competitors are literally bombarding your loyal customers with targeted ads.
So what can you do about it? Keeping a customer costs five times less than finding a new one. Yet most of us are still out there searching for new customers while ignoring the perfect ones we already have. Make it make sense.
WeDoCRM Thoughts: stop pouring the bulk of your budget into acquisition, look into retention and advocacy, and turn your customers into ambassadors who not only stay but also influence others to come along. (Free marketing! The dream!)
Take the brand Skinician, which we talked about in the webinar. They nailed this by combining direct mail with their digital customer journeys. They integrated everything from Shopify, Klaviyo, and Yotpo so they could track who their loyal customers were, manage referral incentives, and send personalised physical mail that people actually wanted to receive.
Make your Loyalty Programmes Unique and Special
Nearly 92% of consumers are in at least one loyalty programme. Almost half are in MORE than five. So having a loyalty programme isn’t a massive deal anymore. If you don’t do something exciting, traditional loyalty programmes are about as exciting as watching paint dry.
We’re customers too, and we talked about this on the webinar. We want more than “buy nine coffees, get one free.” Get to know us. Remember that Daniel hates raisins. Send offers that feel thoughtful, not like they were made by a bored algorithm at 3am.
It needs to be more than just a generic email. If your customer communication strategy is basically “DEAR VALUED CUSTOMER” followed by the same message you sent to 50,000 other people, it’s not showing a lot of love.
How CRM Automates the “When” and “Why” Behind Communications
Where timing and relevance define customer engagement, automation has become the secret weapon for building stronger, smarter relationships. A well-implemented CRM system doesn’t just store contact details; it anticipates needs, identifies intent, and ensures every message lands at the perfect moment.
Top tips on how to Automate Effectively
- Map customer journey & set automated triggers.
- Use CRM data to deliver messages at the right time.
- Analyse insights to understand intent & tailor content accordingly.
- Set automated nurture flows that build trust as soon as a customer engages.
- Trigger product or incentive messages based on interest signals, e.g. cart abandons, repeat visits, or downloads.
Get All Your Channels to Talk to Each Other
Here’s where loads of brands mess up: they treat email, direct mail, social media, and their website like separate entities that never speak to each other. Something amazing can happen when you combine physical and digital touchpoints. This is what we cool kids call… “Omni-channel”.
We are in a situation where everyone’s inbox is FULL and social media is just noise; physical direct mail actually stands out. It’s tactile. It’s trusted. It’s not competing with 47 browser tabs and a TikTok addiction.
There’s a but. But… This is important; it only works when it’s integrated with everything else you’re doing.
What We Revealed in the Webinar – How To Do It
In our latest webinar, we uncovered how to turn your CRM from a data storehouse into a powerful engine for smart, automated engagement. Let your CRM think for you. It already knows when a customer’s subscription is about to expire, when they’ve abandoned their cart, or when they’ve gone quiet for a few months, so use that intelligence to trigger campaigns that actually mean something.
We also showed how automation doesn’t stop at digital. By linking your CRM to programmatic direct mail, you can send personalised, tangible touches triggered by real behaviour. See how to do it below.
Use your CRM to trigger smart campaigns: Your CRM knows things. Like when someone’s subscription is about to lapse, or when they abandoned their cart, or when they haven’t bought from you in six months. Use that intel to send timely, relevant stuff instead of random spray-and-pray emails.
Automate direct mail based on customer behaviour: Set up programmatic direct mail that triggers based on what people actually do. Birthday? Send a card. First purchase anniversary? Thank them. Looking like they’re about to churn? Win them back before they leave.
Personalise your communications: And we don’t mean just slapping their first name in the subject line. Use data like how recently they bought, how often they buy, and how much they spend (this is called RFM analysis).
Measure whether it’s working: Here’s a little trick… send your campaign to 80% of people and hold back 20% as a control group. Then compare the results. This proves whether your brilliant idea actually moved the needle or if you’re just throwing money away.
Peak Season is Coming – What Makes You Different?
As you head into peak trading season, ask yourself: what makes our loyalty experience actually different? What would make someone choose us over the competitor with the bigger discount?
The brands that win are the ones that turn customers into advocates. It’s way more fun than just sending “20% OFF EVERYTHING” emails every other week.
Want to learn more about integrating direct mail with your CRM strategy? The Paperplanes team are lovely and knows their stuff. And if you want to chat about building smarter customer journeys, you know where to find us. We would love to hear from you!
