Whenever I’m waiting in line at CVS, I always marvel at the large number of customers who never signed up for the store’s loyalty card. If you’ve shopped in CVS at all, you probably know that virtually every sale price or offer requires the card, and buying stuff without it can be a very pricey endeavor. Anyways, as someone who is very picky about the loyalty cards I carry, I’d like to share some ways that a store can increase the number of customers who actually sign up for a loyalty program:

– Create an easy sign-up process. Don’t require any more info than the customer’s name, and let them sign up on a kiosk or at the register, instead of using paper forms.

– During sign-up, let customers check off a single box to opt-out of all marketing messages. They shouldn’t have to call you later just to use the card in peace.

– Don’t generate personalized coupons for purchases that people might feel uncomfortable about. Most people are going to be a little weirded out if their receipt includes a coupon for extra-strength hemorrhoid cream.

– Make it easy for existing loyalty card holders to get their friends and family to join. Give current members a $10 bonus for each person they refer, and grant a similar bonus to the new member once they make their first purchase.

Anecdotally, it seems like only 10-20% of the customers in my local CVS are members of the loyalty program, so I’d be very curious to see if adopting tactics like these would move the needle in the right direction.