One of the challenges that brands within this industry face is the wide spectrum of audiences with varying needs, wants and expectations to be taken into consideration. Consumer-loyalty programmes are under pressure to continually deliver that extra bit of magic to retain, engage with and grow the database. With such a wide choice of programmes available to the consumer, brands need to question how effective their loyalty programmes are today in engaging with their customers and achieving their business objectives.

“ IT’ S ALL ABOUT HOW WE MINE OUR DATA TO CREATE MAGICAL, CINEMA-GOING EXPERIENCES.”

According to the 2016 Truth Loyalty White Paper released earlier this year, 26 % of economically active South Africans are using customer-loyalty programmes, with more than 100 programmes on offer. How to cut through the clutter and remain customer-centric is the challenge that companies in this competitive sector face.

As the country’ s leading cinema chain, Ster-Kinekor has had to tackle this conundrum head-on since the launch of its SK Club loyalty programme in the early 1990s. Its biggest challenge is how to remain relevant to its audience, which ranges from the young child to teenagers, young couples, families and senior citizens.

“ Catering to our extensive audience base through

SK Club has its own significant implications,” says Darren Hampton, general manager: CRM of Ster- Kinekor Theatres.“ One of the ways in which we have addressed this is by introducing multiple tiers within our loyalty programmes, which offer different and relevant benefits to the different age groups. We have also realised the importance of partnering with third-party brands, which assist us in extending our offering to cover the various life stages of our customers.

“ For us, the key trends we see within our loyalty programmes are personalisation, gamification, exclusivity and instant gratification. Data lies at the heart of these trends, and it’ s all about how we mine this data to create magical, cinemagoing experiences. As a brand that is centred on the experience, our loyalty programmes have to augment this. Our members need to feel that they are being recognised and rewarded for their interactions and activity with the brand.”

Members of the SK Club loyalty programme enjoy benefits and rewards such as half-price movie tickets on Tuesdays, earning and burning points, dedicated catering queue lanes at cinemas, personal profiles on its online channels, which recognise behaviour and genre preferences, and invitations to exclusive

screening events and cinema openings. Future plans include seamless and preferential booking options.

“ What is encouraging for us is the increase in acquisitions among our student and young adult audience, a target market that is all about instant gratification,” says Hampton.“ For this group, their everyday world comprises of instant meal options, real-time data purchases and music on the go.

“ With the plethora of entertainment options out there, having an existing relationship with our audience means we are able to better tailor the overall movie-going experience. All this is to ensure that every visit to the cinema is a truly great moment,” concludes Hampton.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Website: www. sterkinekor. co. za Mobile site: www. sterkinekor. mobi Facebook: Like Ster-Kinekor Theatres Twitter: Follow @ sterkinekor For queries: Call Ticketline at 0861 Movies( 668 437)

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