engleski

Customer Loyalty Programs in Croatian FMCG Retail

Since the beginning of marketing research, the construct of loyalty has been under the spotlight not only for academics but also for practitioners in various industries. Whereas, the concept of loyalty has often been somewhat inconclusive for academics, providing for loyal customers represents a conditio sine qua non for business success and nurturing customer loyalty should be a fundamental part of any retailer’s strategy. Offering the customer an incentive to return is an excellent strategy for developing loyalty. Loyalty programs are most effective when they utilize technological options and focus on relationships, not just numbers. The Croatian economy is slowly showing signs of recovery from the 2008 economic crisis. The recovery of the retail sector is mostly driven by grocery sales and the overall growth is closely linked with general economic indicators. Considering the facts that loyal customers are worth more, with respect to loyalty measures such as share-ofwallet, share-of-visits, CLV, etc., the question remains: Do major Croatian retailers recognize the importance of loyalty in today’s environment and if so do they develop an adequate loyalty strategies? Main goal of this paper was to investigate, analyze and present findings related with application of the customer loyalty programs in Croatian FMCG retail. Exploratory research has been conducted on main Croatian FMCG retailers who account for 80% of the total market share. Findings provided an in depth insight into the application of the loyalty programs as well as an outline of the best practices which could be useful for managers working in this field.

marketing; loyalty programs; FMCG retail; Croatia

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