Date post: | 22-Nov-2014 |
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A-Plus: understanding the customer and leveraging your relationship with them
Agenda
• Who are our Club Members• Club Benefits• Club Magazine, Supplements and Calendar• Leveraging Events• Managing the Process• A recipe for success
Background/setting the scene
• The A-Plus Card and Club was launched 1994 in Ackermans.
• 314 000 active A-Plus Cardholders
• Launched A-Plus Card in multi-brands of The Baby Company, Home
Comforts, Hang Ten, Jay Jays, Cube and Shoe City in 2006
• 115 000 Club members
• Club available in Ackermans and Shoe City
• Current model: Opt in paid for club for A-Plus Card holders only
• Club members pay R14.50 p/m for a host of benefits
Club Demographic breakdown
Gender Club members Club %Female 80009 69%Male 35546 31%Unknown 0 0%Language Club members Club %Unknown 15168 13%Afrikaans 29124 25%English 71263 62%Age Brackets Club members Club %less than 18 0 0%18-24 3092 3%25-34 30243 26%35-44 42413 37%45-54 26144 23%55-64 10200 9%65 or older 3463 3%
Why are Club Members more valuable?
• They keep their accounts for longer
– Main account retention = 62%
– Club members = 84%
• 40% of account holders are also club members
• They spend more
• They keep their accounts more up to date
Findings of Club research April 08
• A-Plus Club Magazine, Account Protection Plan and Competitions
and lucky draws were regarded as the most valuable benefits.
• 28% of A-Plus Members also belong to other retail clubs
(eg. Foschini, Jet and Edgars)
• 61% of respondents rate the A-Plus Club better than other retail
clubs.
Club Benefits
• A-Plus Club Magazine every second month and 2 Supplements a
year
• Funeral Cover of up to R10 000 (R6000 for the main member R4000
for the Spouse)
• Free access to our Dial-a-teacher tutoring service
• Free bursaries to the value of R25 000 every 2nd month
• Discounts of up to 20% on GPs consultations fees
• Free Roadside Assistance
• Access to the A-Plus Helpline
• Invitations to exclusive members’ only club events
Club Magazine: History
First Club Magazine launched in 1996
Club Magazine: Today
Club Magazine: Refreshed Sept 2010
A-Plus Supplements
A-Plus Supplements
• Increased communication with our club members
• Engagement strategy: correct product - correct content - correct
target market
• Merchandising: showcase depth of product range/s
• An effort to continually drive feet-through-the door
• Advertising revenue opportunity including sponsorships
• Increased paper quality on supplements to lift image and appeal of
Ackermans
• Widening the net: utilisation of other focused/targeted mediums
like CT/Dbn/Gauteng Child Magazines
A-Plus Calendar
• R275 000 sponsorship deal with Old Mutual in 2008
• R325 sponsorship with Hollard Direct in 2009
• Reward club members with gifts that add value to their lives
• Interactive concepts eg Recipe Calendar; Art etc
• Branding opportunity for Ackermans and third party
advertisers that has longevity
A-Plus Calendar
Club Magazine: Ad Revenue
360% growth over a 5 year period!!!!
Club Magazine: The Reader
She is confident, secure, and open to new solutions that will enhance her family’s lifestyle. She has a busy life and is able to juggle her many roles and responsibilities.
AMPS Competitor information
A-Plus Jet Edgars Foschini
AMPS Competitor information
A-Plus Jet Edgars Foschini
AMPS Competitor information
A-Plus Jet Edgars Foschini
AMPS Competitor information
A-Plus Jet Edgars Foschini
AMPS Competitor information
A-Plus Jet Edgars Foschini
Club Magazine: New Positioning
The 2010 Customer, no frills affluentThey are not battling; but
• they are budgeting, making money stretch further;
• coping - buying what they need, buying fewer, but better;
• resistant to debt; don’t want credit
• labels less important; those who buy into labels
– less seasonality, more longevity
• try new brands
• emotional - more emotional sell, more investment
When times get tough, the tough get efficient!
Source: Anthony Swart, Director, The Brand Union
New Positioning
Emotional comfort
• real everything – people, buying experience;
• stories – give them something to talk about;
• expectations – reality;
• integrity – don’t make me buy what I don’t want;
• value – to the point of even valuing how you invest in CSI
activity
Anxiety around recession is subsiding.
Source: Anthony Swart, Director, The Brand Union
New Positioning: Editorial Strategy
To be the reader’s go-to guide. Provide:
• support.• solutions. • advice. • competitions. Communicate:
• benefits.• brands available• VALUE
New Positioning: New directions
• Benefits.
• Reader generated content.
• Sense of community.
• Editorialise merchandise pages.
• Celeb cover story.
• Longer articles.
• Kids page.
New Positioning: New directions
New Positioning: New directions
New Positioning: New directions
Leveraging events: Club Workshops
• Club Workshops launched in 2007
• Hosted a total of 13 workshops (just under 1500 people)
• Focus on the key pillars of the Ackermans brand
ie. Fashion and Parenting
• Hosted in CT, Jhb, George, PE etc
• Open to club members and family and friends for small fee
• Expert speakers, lunch, goodiebags, celebrity guests etc
• In 2010, events will alsobe held in Durban. Each event has
shown increased patronage in each area
Leveraging events
• At the parenting event in 2010, introduced signing up for
club membership at the actual reader event, with 100
people signing up immediately after the event.
• Events increase customer loyalty - evidence is the
demand to attend, eg Cape Town sold out in first week
• The workshops are the most intimate touch point with the
reader. The reader gets to meet the Club Manager,
Marketing & Editorial teams.
• Winning formulae: Reward, Delight, Surprise, Spoil,
Acknowledge club members
Craft and Food workshops 2009
Fashion workshops 2009
Parenting workshop 2010
How do we manage the Magazine
• Internally we have the merchandise experts
• Externally we have the Customer Magazine experts
• Always bear in mind what needs to work for product but also be
relevant to the reader
Recipe for success
• Good Planning
• Open and Honest Communication (good AND bad)
• Understand our customers
• Be prepared to take risks
• Always needs to support core strategy of Ackermans