Do Consumers Want Social Media Or Mobile Offers?

According to a new survey, the answer would appear to be no, they do not. The survey, carried out on over 2,000 people in the UK by IPSOS Mori and the Logic Group, suggested that receiving offers across digital channels overall is less popular than other channels. Some 40% of respondents said that they did not want to receive loyalty scheme offers across digital channels, although 46% said they would be open to them in physical stores, and 47% would be happy to use a credit or debit card as a loyalty card.

Just one fifth of respondents (21%) said they would be happy to receive offers via mobiles or social media. This reluctance was particularly high amongst older respondents; half of those aged 45-54 said they did not want such offers, and 54% of those aged 55-64 said the same.  Conversely, 33% of 15-24 year olds said they would be interested in receiving loyalty points through "new technology channels", and 29% of those aged 25-34 said they would.

Does this mean that the rollout of internet marketing loyalty programmes or digital loyalty schemes across digital wallet services from the likes of Google, MasterCard and Visa, are doomed? Of course not. For many consumers, the rollout of digital wallets combined with existing cards will mean that the new technology is introduced slowly, giving them time to absorb the benefits. Digital loyalty schemes are likely to see greater uptake amongst younger consumers to start with, as with most new technology based products, with slower creep into the older groups as the benefits and ease of use become more obvious.