Loyalty

Everywhere I go I get asked if I've got a card of some sort to collect points. They call it a loyalty card but is that all it takes to create loyalty?

We all know that loyalty cards are actually the CCTV cameras of the shopping world. They track our purchases and analyze the data to make assumptions about who we are, what we like and don't like. The points or rewards that we get is the small price that retailers pay for this information.

So where's the loyalty? It's just collecting data and figuring out how to sell us more. The relationship is transactional but loyalty is deeper than that.

Ask the ten of thousands of people that made their way to Wembley today if they are loyal fans of their club or whether the relationship is about transactions. I know it has to be about loyalty because fans turn up week in week out regardless of how well or bad their team is playing. That's loyalty.