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Profitability of loyalty reward programs: An analytical investigation

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  • Gandomi, A.
  • Zolfaghari, S.

Abstract

Loyalty programs, as a prevalent CRM strategy, aim to enhance customers’ loyalty and thereby increase a firm’s long-term profitability. Recent analytical and empirical studies demonstrate inconsistent findings on the efficacy of loyalty programs in fulfilling these goals. In this study, an analytical model is developed to analyze the effect of customers’ valuation and their post-purchase satisfaction level on a loyalty program’s profitability. The results reveal how customers’ satisfaction plays a significant role in profitability of loyalty programs. We consider a profit-maximizing firm selling a good or service through two periods. Valuation is modeled as a deterministic parameter, as well as a stochastic variable with two arbitrary distributions. Depending on the customers’ valuation distribution, the model results in either a linear or a nonlinear optimization problem. Optimization problems are solved analytically, in terms of the model parameters. The obtained solutions provide some useful insights into the effects of customers’ satisfaction on the profitability of loyalty programs. Specifically, it is shown that depending on the customers’ satisfaction level, it may be optimal not to offer a loyalty reward.

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  • Gandomi, A. & Zolfaghari, S., 2013. "Profitability of loyalty reward programs: An analytical investigation," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 41(4), pages 797-807.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jomega:v:41:y:2013:i:4:p:797-807
    DOI: 10.1016/j.omega.2012.10.003
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    2. Yang, Hai & Shao, Chaoyi & Wang, Hai & Ye, Jieping, 2020. "Integrated reward scheme and surge pricing in a ridesourcing market," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 134(C), pages 126-142.
    3. Amir Gandomi & Amirhossein Bazargan & Saeed Zolfaghari, 2019. "Designing competitive loyalty programs: a stochastic game-theoretic model to guide the choice of reward structure," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 280(1), pages 267-298, September.
    4. Liu, Zhenkun & Jiang, Ping & De Bock, Koen W. & Wang, Jianzhou & Zhang, Lifang & Niu, Xinsong, 2024. "Extreme gradient boosting trees with efficient Bayesian optimization for profit-driven customer churn prediction," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 198(C).
    5. Kang, Jun & Alejandro, Thomas Brashear & Groza, Mark D., 2015. "Customer–company identification and the effectiveness of loyalty programs," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 68(2), pages 464-471.
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    9. Guo, Xingchen & Jiang, Changmin & Jiang, Siming & Guo, Huanxiu, 2023. "Making airline coalition frequent-flyer programs profitable: An analytical investigation," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 245-262.
    10. Bazargan, Amirhossein & Karray, Salma & Zolfaghari, Saeed, 2017. "Modeling reward expiry for loyalty programs in a competitive market," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 193(C), pages 352-364.
    11. Bazargan, Amirhossein & Karray, Salma & Zolfaghari, Saeed, 2018. "‘Buy n times, get one free’ loyalty cards: Are they profitable for competing firms? A game theoretic analysis," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 265(2), pages 621-630.
    12. McLean, Graeme & Osei-Frimpong, Kofi & Al-Nabhani, Khalid & Marriott, Hannah, 2020. "Examining consumer attitudes towards retailers' m-commerce mobile applications – An initial adoption vs. continuous use perspective," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 139-157.
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    14. Paramonovs Sergejs & Ijevleva Ksenija, 2015. "Factor Analysis of Passengers’ Satisfaction at “RIGA International Airport”," Economics and Business, Sciendo, vol. 27(1), pages 46-52, August.
    15. Maldonado, Sebastián & Domínguez, Gonzalo & Olaya, Diego & Verbeke, Wouter, 2021. "Profit-driven churn prediction for the mutual fund industry: A multisegment approach," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 100(C).

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