Brandon Carter
Research: Local Spending is More “Local” Than You Think
For years, marketers like myself have relied on the old adage that says "80% of consumer spend occurs within 20 miles of home." On the surface the stat makes a lot of sense, largely because it's how most of us shop. The problem is, that...
Customer Loyalty is Great for Business. Is it Great for Customers?
Last week a post on the Access Perks Blog questioned whether employee loyalty is actually good for the employee. In many companies the answer is no. In those companies, loyal employees are underpaid, do more than their fair share of work, and stick out like…
The Movement to Membership – and What Every Business Can Learn From It
Are people tired of owning things? The question sounds a bit ridiculous, but consider the growth of companies like Netflix, Spotify and Pandora. We're paying for entertainment we used to own. Programs such as T-Mobile's Jump and Sprint's iPhone Forever essentially leave us leasing our...
Engaging the Overmarketed, Savvy Modern Consumer
Consumer loyalty is tough to earn, and it's only getting harder. Even if you have a great product or service, it may not be enough to win over the hearts of modern consumers, who is exposed to thousands of brand messages each and every...
Brands We Love: TOMS Shoes
Shoes are not just a necessity or piece of personal style; they are a part of history. We've all seen some outrageous shoe trends over the decades – let me jog your memory… - 1930s: Saddle...
Four Ways Merchants Can Protect Their Coupons (and the Negative Impact of Aggregators)
People love coupons. It's a crucial part of the Access business philosophy. An entire industry of daily deals is popping up because of it. There's even a popular television show devoted to those who take it to the extreme. One thing the current coupon craze…
Customer Loyalty Goes Beyond the Mainstream
The business world has figured out that if you spend a buck with them, it's cheaper to earn the next buck from you than another first buck from someone else. It's the concept of loyalty, which we all know too well. The idea of...
The Doctor is Out in Dublin, Texas: A Lesson in Loyalty
Dublin Dr Pepper had a distinctly different flavor from the usual Dr Pepper I had tasted. That's because the Dublin varietal used Pure Cane sugar, eschewing the transition of nearly every other drink to high fructose corn syrup. It. Was. Awesome. The sugar cane gave...
Time for LBS to Up the Value
From 2009 until about a month ago, everybody knew where I was. Or anybody who might be interested. I was intensely devoted to location-based services. I started with Foursquare, then connected with Gowalla. Eventually I would mix in Facebook and Google while dabbling...
Mobile Coupon Usage Growing – Gateway to Mobile Payments?
Mobile Coupon usage is growing, according to a recent survey by eMarketer. Redemption has grown to the point where they expect over 35 million users will be redeeming coupons by 2013. That's almost a third of smartphone users. We see this as not only a...
Five Questions to Ask Your Loyalty Marketing Partner
Access' VP of Corporate Marketing, Andrew Graft, was a guest on That Marketing Show. The topic was affinity and loyalty programs - what they are, how they work and how Access' discount programs fit into the mix. Download or stream it here, and enjoy. After...
Blue Skies at Access – A Look Back at May
We asked Ashley, formerly known as Intern Ashley, to look back through the past few months of data for trends and unique spikes in activity within our merchant discount network. Using our analytics tools she then paired those jumps in activity with current events...
Brands We Love: Columbia City Ballet
Continuing our ongoing series of "Brands We Love," No-Longer-An-Intern Ashley moves beyond a brand to a different type of Access merchant: The Columbia City Ballet in Columbia, South Carolina. Between our discount program and rewards programs, Access has relationships with tens of thousands of...
Confessions of a Social Media Complainer
Hi, my name is Brandon, and I gripe at companies via Twitter. When I feel wronged, or like I'm not getting attention, I run to my 1200 followers and flame the crap out of the company responsible. "(Insert company name here) is the worst! 4…
Brands We Love: Danskin
This post, the third in a series, is brought to you by Access intern Ashley, who we've asked to provide some feedback on her favorite brands. This morning she discusses Danskin, one of the top women's fitness apparel companies in the world. From jazz shoes...
Brands We Love: Carmike Cinemas
This post, the second in a series, is brought to you by Access intern Ashley, who is still a bit scared of having her full name available for Google searching, but isn't afraid to express her undying devotion to her favorite brands. Today, she...
Brands We Love: Gold’s Gym
This post is brought to you by Access intern Ashley, who is a bit scared of having her full name available for Google searching, but isn't afraid to express her undying devotion to her favorite brands. Today, she talks about Gold's Gym and recounts...
Consumers: Don’t Make Us Work For Rewards
Mintel recently published the results of a survey on the benefits of instant redemption in reward and loyalty programs. The results emphasized the convenience, ease, and customer preference of cash back programs compared with the standard miles and points programs. This is good news for...
Would Your Company “Like” Your Customers?
Here’s a rhetorical question: If it were possible, would your brand “Like” every one of your customers? After all, there’s likely a few of them that have “Liked” you. In other words, they’ve publicly declared their loyalty. They think you’re awesome! Publicly, out loud, you’ll…
Why Access Scores Big with Major Retailers
Access’ addition of an exclusive offer from mega retailer GAP highlights our ever-expanding number of popular merchants now offering compelling deals on our discount network. So why can Access get exclusive, better-than-average offers from major retailers like GAP, Kohl’s and T-Mobile? Because Access users are...