Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Unexpected Discounts Can Extend Customer Loyalty

Christmas is here. Some businesses give their customers a surprise gift, a discount.

I love BBQ. A few years ago, I ordered a ¼ slab of BBQ rib dinner at one of my favorite BBQ place in the city. During the holiday season,  I had ordered the same dinner before and knew the exact amount of the order. , I remember I had the exact change ready.

The cashier told me the total and it was less than I usually paid.  The cashier said “Merry Christmas, we took 10% off your order. The owner wanted to thank you for your business. I thought that was very cool and nice.

The notion that a business owner would say "thank you" and give an automatic discount without a coupon or code, just because he could.

I started to look at different ways that some business give discounts and if they are effective.

One awesome discount I found was when a couple had their one-year old baby in a restaurant. The baby was very good, no crying. When the couple’s bill arrived they received a $5 discount for “Well Behaved Kids.”


What a surprise for the proud parents and what kind of feeling they experience. Are they going back to that restaurant? Heck, yeah!

As a business, you can have some fun like have your customers order in a different character or person’s voice like Captain Picard from Star Trek: The Next Generation or Nic Gage for a discount.




One thing that I have noticed when I am in a restaurant is someone who has their cell phone on the table during the meal and constantly checking it. 
One restaurant in Los Angeles gives a 5% discount on a meal for those who surrender their device before being seated. 



The owner said “ It’s about two people sitting together and just connecting, without the distraction of a phone…create ambiance where you come in and really enjoy the experience and the food and company.”


A discount and promoting human connection is a total win-win for the customer and the business. Surprise the customer, something unexpected at the right moment like at the counter or when bringing the check out.  What a great way to build customer loyalty and have fun.

 Plant Service, Harvest Money from the book, The Magic of Thinking Big by David Schwartz

 Hello, May I Help You, Adventures In Customer Service posts each week.

 Sources:
mashable.com/2012/08/19/discount-restaurant-no-phone/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+mashable%2Fmobile+(Mashable+»+Mobile+Feed)
http://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/restaurant-family-behaved-kids-discount/story?id=23701363


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