A lot of customer loyalty is squandered because people simply don’t remember which product they bought before. This is especially true with everyday consumables like paper towels, which lack any visual cues to help people recognize them in the store. Sure, the brand names might be easy to recognize, but how do you identify which one was the best within a series of largely unmemorable product experiences? Without this information, many shoppers just start at square one and pick the product that’s on sale.

The solution to this problem is to give customers a tangible memento to associate with the product. For my paper towel example, the manufacturer could just print their brand and product name on the cardboard tube inside each roll. That way, when the supply runs out, the customer has an obvious reminder of what they were using. Plus, you can make sure they keep that reminder close at hand by printing a coupon right on the cardboard tube.

With this simple modification, a part that usually gets discarded becomes a brand building and promotional tool. It prevents customers from forgetting which brand they prefer, and gives them a financial incentive to stay loyal during subsequent purchases.