I was delighted to participate in this morning’s Champion Green webinar on the topic of consumer loyalty, along with Duncan Graham of Retail Excellence Ireland, Cormac Quinn of LoyalBe and Sven Spollen-Behrens of the Small Firms Association.

As our economy opens up again, it is critical for small businesses to find ways to generate and maintain consumer loyalty. Over the coming weeks people will have more choice than they’ve had for many months now about where they shop and which businesses they support. While we know most people are genuinely motivated to support local, we also know that this doesn’t always translate into action. We need to ‘nudge’ people along the path to supporting local on an ongoing basis.  Our research shows that tapping into local community spirit is one way to do this, as there is an underlying association in people’s minds between local community spirit and supporting local businesses. Sharing stories or images that represent positive spirit in the local community will prompt people in the right direction, as well as creating a feel-good factor. Our research revealed that when people reflect on community spirit in their local area, they feel proud, happy and inspired. They’re also significantly more likely to support local businesses.

If you’re a small business and you haven’t done so already, join the Champion Green movement at www.championgreen.ie where you will find a wealth of ideas, advice and practical support for local businesses. If you like the sound of a loyalty scheme that is simple and seamless to use whatever the size of your business, and cost-effective to implement, check out the loyalBe loyalty platform endorsed by Champion Green, at  www.loyalbe.io.  If you would like to learn more about ways to encourage people to support local, or learn more about behaviour generally, get in touch at: hello@behaviourwise.ie. We would be delighted to hear from you!