In the current competitive environment, it costs five to seven times as much to acquire a new customer as to retain an existing one. Yet, very few companies actually pay attention to the trade partners who make the bulk of the purchasing decision process.

Companies working through trade channels and dealerships constantly face the same issue of making quality products available for customers through unreliable partnerships with the painters, electricians, plumbers, mechanics, and retail partners who make the actual purchase decision. In the absence of any reward mechanism, the channel partners don't have a real incentive to work with a particular company when the margins are the same.

The Loyalty Gap Costing Brands Business

Across all major global industries, such as FMCG, paints, electricals, construction & automotive, brands across the board are experiencing issues of disengaged channels. Traditional loyalty programs based on paper coupons and/or manual rebates are outdated, cumbersome, and difficult to monitor on a large-scale basis. The true cost of not addressing the gap includes:

• Loss of revenue due to lack of engagement from the channel and decreased purchase behaviour.
• The absence of a preferred brand in terms of well-structured incentive programs from its competitors.
• Avoidable compliance issues due to manual payment and non-reporting of GST.

The move from unstructured loyalty systems to digital loyalty solutions is not an option; rather, it has become a necessity to compete in the trade ecosystem.

What is a Channel Partner Loyalty Program?

Channel partner loyalty programs involve an incentive strategy designed to motivate distributors, dealers, retailers, and even trade influencers such as painters, electricians, plumbers, and mechanics who make purchases of, sell, or promote the products of a particular brand. Such loyalty programs target the individuals who have a significant influence on influencing buying decisions when installation takes place.

Modern channel partner loyalty programs have advanced from being holiday-based gifting programs into systems that use technologies such as QR codes, online onboarding procedures, cash-back rewards, and even real-time dashboard monitoring systems.

Scan-and-Earn Process

The most efficient digital loyalty program relies on scan-and-earn technology, whereby reward redemption and participation are made simple by just scanning the code printed on the product pack:

• Special QR codes/Smart label stickers are printed by brands on product packs.
• Partners scan using a dedicated app, WhatsApp, website or USSD if the user does not have a smartphone.
• The process scans the code and awards reward credits immediately.
• The brand tracks participation, redemptions, and performance from different regions using an interactive analytics dashboard.

With secure serialisation, each code will be scanned only once to ensure no fraudulent activity occurs.

Benefiting from Loyalty Programs

Paints & Hardware Industry

Painters switch from one brand to another instantly due to the rewards scheme linked to each purchase made via scanning.

Electricals & Wires Industry

Electricians are loyal towards brands that provide instant cash-back as well as point systems on a product basis.

Automotive & Lubricants Industry

Mechanics' loyalty programs based on QR verification assist manufacturers in detecting fake products.

FMCG & Agro Industry

Farmers and retailers are quite enthusiastic about scan and earn schemes.

The Key Aspects of a High-Performing Loyalty Platform

There is a great difference between various loyalty platforms. And here is what the best ones have in common, which includes the VCQRU platform:

• Digital KYC: Automated onboarding and identity verification ensure that only qualified partners get rewards.
• Multiple Ways to Participate: Participating can be done using the application, WhatsApp, web portal, or USSD, with nothing downloaded.
• Live Performance Dashboards: Monitoring your loyalty program progress by region, product, and partner types in real-time.
• In-built Fraud Detections & Scams: Duplicates and fraud detection from day 1.
• Variety of Rewards: Fully customizable cashback, points, gift certificates, digital vouchers, and rewards.

Impact on Business: The Data Speaks for Itself

ROI analysis of digital loyalty programs in the global channel has held true time and again when deployed in the real world.

2X-5X: Growth in channel partner participation

30-60%: Increase in repeat business

4X-10X: ROI from loyalty programs in major industries

15-35% revenue growth is typically witnessed from better dealer/retailer participation, and in sectors such as automotive spare parts, where counterfeits abound, they usually lie at the higher end of the spectrum. Most loyalty programs can be implemented within 7-10 days.

Dual Loyalty and Anti-Counterfeit Benefits

The second major advantage and one of the most effective, but least utilised strategies, includes the use of both a loyalty reward program and anti-counterfeit solution in one process. Thus, in one action, a person earns bonus points and also verifies the item's genuineness, providing brands with security and loyalty.

A supply chain vision based on QR technology is also a significant advantage for the brands in comparison to manual control because it allows identifying grey market diversion and any suspicious activity, and, at the same time, helps develop a database of real channel partners in real time.

Final Thought

Loyalty among channel partners can be considered not just an option, but a necessity for companies selling their products via a trade network. Thanks to the technology of scanning and earning QR codes, instant cash back, real-time analytics, digital Know Your Customer strategy, and reliable rewards, brands can build solid connections with painters, electricians, plumbers, merchants, and mechanics, making up the majority of people who decide whether to buy or not.