If you've ever fumbled in your car, purse, or even in the middle of the checkout line for a printed or emailed coupon, you're not alone.
While it may be an annoying nuisance for the other customers behind you as you review a list of potential phone numbers and email addresses for a cashier to look up your rewards program, it's probably just as annoying for you.
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This is because with the countless rewards programs available to the modern consumer, it is nearly impossible to keep track of a given retailer's savings options and promotions.
Some companies have gotten smart about incorporating their rewards programs into the checkout process. Amazon (AMZN) , for example, offers Prime members ways to save at Whole Foods simply by scanning a QR code in its app. Prime members who shop online with their Prime Signature Visa Rewards Card earn 5% back on Prime and Whole Foods purchases, which can then be used as cash back on future purchases.
But few programs are as easy to navigate. From Sephora to CVS, American Airlines to IKEA, almost everyone has a rewards program designed to entice customers to spend more within a given ecosystem. But few are easily remembered at any time.
Popular retailer revamps loyalty program
But some retailers are waking up to this, realizing that their programs are moot if they are rarely used (or worse) if they are a nuisance to customers.
CVS (CVS) It recently overhauled its loyalty program, streamlining its options into a paid and non-paid tier that offers different benefits to customers shopping in stores or online.
And others are doing the same. Staples, the school and office supply retailer serving wholesale accounts and busy students, announced the launch of its new rewards program, Easy Rewards, after receiving customer feedback that its previous program was difficult to manage.
The new program is free for all customers and offers the following benefits:
- Earn 1 point for every $1 spent on eligible purchases.
- Earn 2 or more points in the 3 categories that customers buy the most.
- Earn points on select services, like recycling.
- Access member-only savings events and other offers
- Redeem points for purchases.
- Easily track points and membership in the Staples app.
For a retailer that prides itself on its “that was easy” motto, the overhaul comes at a critical time when more stores are paying closer attention to consumer spending behavior and repeat shoppers.
And it has been taking other steps to make customers' lives easier. In 2023, it announced it would begin processing Amazon returns for customers at participating locations. It also recently announced that it would begin offering technical support and computer troubleshooting for customers confused, bewildered or otherwise confused by common technology problems, such as identity theft, computer failures and hacking.
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