Trust and a tangible savings effect are key to customer cards

Bielefeld, 21 March 2012 – German customers are placing ever higher demands on loyalty programmes and customer cards. According to a recent TNS Emnid survey, successful loyalty programmes must feature several attractive companies and also offer coupons that deliver tangible savings and benefits on purchases. These factors are a must for over 60 percent of respondents. Consumers are also interested in exclusive services and benefits available only with the customer card (56 percent). On average, Germans carry 4.4 cards in their purses or wallets. However, 35 percent of respondents now want to be able to use a loyalty programme not only in store but also online and while on the move. PAYBACK is Germany's most popular loyalty programme. The subsidiary of American Express is trusted, likeable and well-known.
Most consumers carry between two and five cards in their wallets or purses, with four percent even carrying between eleven and 15 cards. Seven percent do not use cards or at least don't carry them in their wallets. PAYBACK is the leading customer card, with more than eight out of ten Germans familiar with the programme and almost half of all households (46 percent) owning a PAYBACK card. Cards such as the Ikea Club card (20 percent), the DeutschlandCard (18 percent), the Tchibo and Shell ClubSmart cards (twelve percent each) and Miles and More (nine percent) are also widespread. 39 percent of respondents said that PAYBACK offers by far the greatest personal benefits, followed by the DeutschlandCard (twelve percent), the Ikea Club card and Miles and More (six percent each) and Groupon (four percent).

In other words, the market leader fulfils the actual purpose of loyalty programmes, with over half of respondents (52 percent) saying that they use customer cards first and foremost to save money. Almost a quarter of users are interested in receiving attractive rewards, while 15 percent use the cards simply because they like collecting points. The clear favourite among cards in consumer wallets with a payment or loyalty function remains the EC payment card with 85 percent. Credit cards hold second place, followed by the PAYBACK card with 31 percent.

The survey was carried out by phone in February 2012 by TNS Emnid Medien- und Sozialforschung GmbH (Bielefeld, Germany) on behalf of PAYBACK GmbH. 1,000 people over the age of 16 were questioned as part of the survey. The survey is available for download at www.tns-emnid.com and in the category "Studies" on our webpage. 

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