For retailers in the garden space, the transition into fall often brings a predictable shift. The frenzy of spring planting and summer sunshine winding down, and foot traffic naturally begins to slow.
But a dip in the temperature shouldn’t mean your relationship with your customers goes dormant. In fact, the slower season is the perfect time to shift your focus away from acquiring new customers and lean heavily into your existing customer base.
Here is how you can leverage your loyalty program to drive off-season revenue, keep your brand top-of-mind, and set your store up for a successful holiday rush.
Remind Them What They’ve Earned
During your peak season, your regular customers were likely racking up loyalty points. The problem? By the time October rolls around, most of them have completely forgotten about the rewards they earned in May.
Use the slower months to run targeted re-engagement campaigns. Tie their point balances to relevant off-season needs—like winterizing their gardens or buying early holiday gifts. A simple email campaign reminding a customer that they have a $15 reward waiting for them is often the exact nudge they need to walk back through your doors.
Empower Customers with Self-Service
One of the biggest hurdles to getting customers to use their loyalty points is the friction of finding out how many points they actually have. Historically, this meant calling the store or asking a cashier to look it up at the register—which slows down the checkout line.
This is where RCS LoyaltyHub becomes incredibly valuable. LoyaltyHub gives your customers a convenient, self-service way to check their loyalty rewards without needing to contact your staff.
Because LoyaltyHub connects directly via API to your NCR Counterpoint system, shoppers get accurate, real-time data. You can easily embed the portal on your website or create a QR code for in-store signage, fully customized with your store’s logo and branding.
Prep for Holiday Gift Card Sales
As the weather gets chillier, the focus inevitably shifts to the holidays.
Just like loyalty points, unredeemed gift cards represent missed opportunities for return visits. LoyaltyHub allows customers to securely check their remaining gift card balances online using email verification. When customers can easily see they still have $25 left on a card from last year, they are much more likely to come in and spend it (and usually spend more than the card’s value while they are there).
Support a Leaner Off-Season Team
It is common for seasonal retailers to operate with a leaner staff during the slower months. You want the employees on the floor focused on merchandising, restocking, and providing great service to the shoppers in the store—not answering the phone to look up point balances.
By offloading those routine inquiries to a self-service portal, you reduce the workload on your team while actually improving the customer experience. Your shoppers get the answers they want instantly, and your team gets their time back.
Keep the Connection Going Year-Round
A slower season doesn’t have to mean a dead season. By removing the friction from your loyalty program and making it easy for customers to engage with their rewards, you can turn one-time summer shoppers into year-round brand advocates.
Want to see how easy it is to give your customers self-service access to their rewards? Reach out to the RCS team today to learn more about LoyaltyHub for NCR Counterpoint.
