In the first issue of COLLOQUY’s new journal, Enterprise Loyalty in Practice, published this past fall, we spoke to Bari Harlam, Senior Vice President of Member Engagement of CVS Caremark, regarding that organization’s experience going through the Enterprise Loyalty process.
Harlam pointed out that the data from the company’s loyalty program, CVS ExtraCare, is used to identify opportunities from its most profitable customers, who can offer some quick successes in integrating the loyalty data into the company’s operations and marketing. The beauty category was offered up as a prime example, as having access to information about customers who buy beauty products could offer hypotheses and opportunities to test and find out how to boost sales and customer loyalty.
The news, then, that CVS recently launched an extension to ExtraCare, the ExtraCare Beauty Club , is not surprising — it’s clear that CVS wants to boost its access to loyalty program data even further, gaining even more opportunities to find out what their most profitable beauty customers want and how to service them appropriately with everything from offers and promotions to store layout and checkout.
This is the first-ever beauty club program for a chain-drug store, but I can imagine it won’t be the last — drugstores are where many women do their beauty shopping, and if companies can find out what women are buying in the beauty area, they may be able to discern what customers want in other areas of the store. I like how the new Beauty Club offers the expected discounts and points, but also extra benefits on the customer’s birthday as well exclusive coupons, tips and beauty-specific sweepstakes opportunities.
This is a step in the right Enterprise Loyalty direction — are you seeing any other great examples of investing in a loyalty program to gain access to this type of data and analytics that can be used across the enterprise?
