In these times of capital crunch, consumers are cashing in on the benefits of loyalty cards. Air Miles have recorded a phenomenal growth in redemption across the GCC market.
In the UAE, Air Miles' online redemptions have increased by more than 600 per cent compared to that of last year, with instant redemptions growing by another 700 per cent.
In times when consumers are being more savvy than ever about on what they are spending and are going out of their way to find great value retail propositions, Air Miles said it was seeing a clear trend of increased online redemptions this year.
Online redemptions saw a staggering 900 per cent growth in Qatar compared to last year and more than 2,000 per cent in Bahrain.
Dave Battiston, CEO of Air Miles, said: "The retail loyalty programme members in the UAE are redeeming the Miles they have accrued to do their everyday shopping at Spinneys or Lamcy Plaza as well as for treating themselves to holidays, spa treatments and investing in electronic gadgets."
The multi-participant loyalty programme have exchanged their Miles for a wide variety of shopping vouchers, holidays, electronic goods, among others.
"We're always looking for new and innovative ways to offer great value to our members and make it as easy as we can for them to be rewarded for their everyday shopping. We will continue to run exciting promotions to ensure they are rewarded for their loyalty to our participating retailers," he said.
Air Miles had earlier launched two promotions for shoppers offering rewards at 10 per cent below all published figures when members redeem online.
"This offer even applies to the special top value 'star products', which are already knocking around 40 per cent off the price; so now members can get another 10 per cent off these special deals simply by redeeming online," said Battiston.
"The strategic thinking behind this limited time promotion was to increase the value to our member base. In fact, in March not only did members get free rewards for the Miles they earned, but they also required fewer Miles to enjoy those rewards when redeemed either online or in store.
"This ultimately encouraged the number of redemptions and raised awareness of the benefits of the Air Miles Programme. Long term, we will continue to provide excellent value to our members. This is an excellent way for our participating companies to reward their customers for their loyalty to their brand and enables them to maintain a competitive edge during these challenging times."
Air Miles Middle East, the leading coalition loyalty programme in the UAE, Qatar and Bahrain, is managed by Rewards Management Middle East FZ-LLC, which is 60 per cent owned by Groupe Aeroplan, a leading international loyalty management corporation.
While partnering with airlines in the rest of the world, Air Miles does not offer accumulation of miles while flying in the Middle East.
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