Case StudiesImproved Customer Experience and Loyalty
Merle Norman
Celeste Blankenship, the owner of two Merle Norman locations in Austin, TX, sought to replace her existing punch card program with a rewards program that was easy for her cashiers and customers. With AppCard, customers check in and earn points by entering their mobile phone number at the point of sale.
Merle Norman Cosmetics develops, manufactures and distributes its own full line of skin care and cosmetic products. These cosmetics are sold through independently owned and operated Merle Norman Cosmetic Studios in the United States and Canada.
Celeste Blankenship owns two Merle Norman locations in Austin, TX. In a highly competitive industry, Blankenship sought a solution to keep customers coming back and earn their loyalty.
In the past, Blankenship had tried a punch card-based rewards program, but it proved to be difficult to manage. Customers would often lose their cards or forget to bring them, so it wasn’t a great customer experience. “I did have a rewards program at my south studio when I purchased it, and it was a punch card. The customers often can’t find the card or don’t bring it on every visit. It just wasn’t working so well,” she explains.
With AppCard, customers simply enter their mobile phone number at the point of sale to earn and redeem points for their purchases. AppCard integrates with their point of sale, which means that points are automatically added to the customer’s account based on the dollar amount spent during the transaction. “AppCard really helps us stay on board. AppCard makes it easy, and the support that we get is super.”
“Customers get a joy in their eyes when they see how many points they have and what they can get for it. The rewards are working. 70% of my customers are AppCard members, I would recommend it for anybody.”
Celeste Blankenship, Owner of Merle Norman South Austin and Georgetown, TX
Blankenship owns two Merle Norman locations, and AppCard consolidates purchase data from both stores into a single dashboard. The dashboard allows her to drill down to see sales and loyalty data from both locations in real-time. “As an AppCard user, I can see what’s happening in my south studio while I’m up at my studio in Georgetown, and that’s really exciting. It’s very helpful for us to be able to see everything that’s happening in the background.”
Customers have really enjoyed the ease of use that AppCard provides, and the rewards have helped Blankenship to continue to provide a superior customer experience that her shoppers love.
