Argos exposes loyalty attitudes

Card villains, card cynics and card sluts are just some of the categories that consumers fall into when it comes to their attitudes towards store loyalty cards.

This is according to the latest research by Argos Business Solutions (ABS) – the loyalty and incentives division of catalogue store Argos. The study was undertaken by Hallam Hopper Associates, examining store loyalty schemes and users.

Consumers fall into six categories, according to the research. Card villains are loyalty schemes which involve too much time and effort and ultimately earn little reward. Card heroes put little responsibility on the customer, keeping them well-informed and offering immediate results. Card enthusiasts are truly loyal customers. Card cynics use their cards reluctantly not really believing they can get something for nothing. Card sceptics would rather keep the money in their purses than take part in the scheme. And card sluts believe most cards do not accumulate points fast enough.

Phil Gayton, general manager of ABS, comments: “The findings validate our long-held belief that true loyalty rewards have to be more than straight store discounts. Consumers are far smarter than many marketers give them credit for.”