July 11, 2023

Unlocking Customer Loyalty—The Power of Redemption in Loyalty Programs

Staci Markwood

Creating deep connections with customers in today’s world, while driving customer loyalty and brand advocacy, is a challenge faced by companies of all sizes in various industries. As a leader in the loyalty and travel space, Rocket Travel by Agoda believes that a well-designed loyalty program is one of the most effective strategies for organizations to further differentiate themselves in their market. Here’s why:

Loyalty programs drive customer acquisition, but, more importantly, provide value to retain existing ones

Loyalty programs benefit from increased revenue as repeat customers often spend more and tend to purchase at greater frequencies.

Loyalty programs provide customer insights which companies use to drive market differentiation and increase brand advocacy.

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The Keystone to Loyalty Programs: Redemption

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Beautiful Rust - Noel F.
‍WINNER

Sukhothai - Tham W.

A Glimpse into the Past with Grandma - Fernanda R.

Sunrise Moment in Bagan - Justyna S.

The Sound of Vinyl - Bruna R.

Sacre Coeur at Dawn - Rubens J.

Laundry Day - Daniel B.

Old Town - Tim C.

Punch it, Chewy - Wesley T.

Old World (in the new) - Yvonne P.

Braveheart - Trim Castle 1200 BC - Joseph N.

Sesame Street - Hannah H.

We came to this place for magic -
Maure L.

1965 Apollo Test Capsule - Erica A.

I can remember this place - Zainab L.

Retirement post school runs - Sravya M.

Let's Play - Ying Q.

Real Alcazar de Sevilla - Arun V.

Nostalgia gives us perspective and, maybe, objectivity- Valentina O.

Love lights life- Diana F.

While the ability to earn rewards is an essential step toward increasing brand loyalty, the option to redeem rewards drives repeat engagement and deepens the relationship between brands and their consumers. As a global company with extensive experience supporting our partners to increase customer retention through loyalty and travel, Rocket Travel by Agoda has built, tested, and enhanced a highly customizable platform that provides the best-in-class experience to customers looking to earn AND redeem rewards when planning travel.

We strategically leverage the capabilities of our technology and work with our partners to drive new member acquisition and further customer engagement. At Rocket Travel by Agoda, we act as an extension of our partners' marketing team by delivering a seamless experience on our sites and uncovering strategic customer touchpoints for each stage of the customers’ travel journey. Overall, we maximize the capabilities of our platform and the power of loyalty redemption and redemption economics to optimize the customer experience in four main ways:

Dynamic redemption value customized by each partner.

Customized redemption capabilities by customer segment/tier.

The option to select split tender transactions — a combination of loyalty rewards and credit card payment.

Direct API connection for refunds, which helps improve the customer experience should they need to cancel their booking for any reason.

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More than a simple technology provider, Rocket Travel by Agoda is driven by a commitment to product innovation, an unwavering belief that customers guide everything we do, and a unique approach to our partnerships — we act as true thought partners. We leverage years of travel expertise and top-notch technologies, to build customizable solutions to meet our partner’s needs to drive added value to their loyalty programs.

Changing the Travel Game — We Continue to Innovate

Rocket Travel by Agoda constantly seeks new ways to innovate and differentiate ourselves in the marketplace. Recently, we launched a new platform called TRIPS, a unique solution in the world of travel which creates a human-centered experience. This new technology will redefine how travelers plan their trips while offering the added value of earning or redeeming loyalty points to book travel or saving money by booking discounted offers.

To stand out from the crowded marketplace, brands must offer consumers competitive value by designing meaningful loyalty programs. At Rocket Travel by Agoda, we are excited to leverage our travel expertise to help partners differentiate themselves from their competitors and add value to their customers’ base through customizable technology. If you want to learn how we can work together to enhance your loyalty program, please contact us.

In-depth consumer journeys drive engagement throughout every phase of the customer lifecycle. A robust suite of transactional emails ensure customers have all the information needed at their fingertips from booking, to check-in, and post-trip. Dynamic cross-sell strategies allow us to drive high attach rates with other travel products offered by our partners, generating incremental bookings and boosting the value of each trip, and abandoned search and welcome series ensures customers understand the value of our partners’ travel platforms and stay loyal to our partners’ brands.

Personalized content leveraged throughout our emails, delivering a unique experience for the consumer. Our personalized email communications ensure each customer has all the information they need throughout their travels, easy ways to contact our customer loyalty team for assistance, and suggest travel destinations based on their personal travel preferences. This adds a level of convenience to the consumer experience and drives engagement with our partners’ brands.

Utilizing AI is quickly becoming a cornerstone of email marketing. Using artificial intelligence allows our marketing teams to quickly drive innovation through A/B experimentation. In testing, we have found it to be very effective at driving results and are developing new ways to leverage this emerging technology as email marketing services continue to expand.

Segmenting audiences based on previous engagement data to deliver new messages to the customer and drive continued engagement with our white label platforms.

Robust reporting enables us to continually optimize the performance of our campaigns, and keep partners informed of success and areas of opportunity at every phase of a partnership.

About the author

Staci Markwood is the Vice President of Global Partnerships at Rocket Travel by Agoda. With more than ten years of experience in business development and strategic partnerships in the travel industry, Staci leads a team of global strategic account managers responsible for overseeing existing and new partnerships while driving sustained growth to Rocket Travel by Agoda and our partners.