The Effect of Customer Loyalty Programs on the Shopping Behavior in Retail : Loyalty Programs versus Loyalty Cards in the German Food Retail

This empirical study will show how bonus programs, particularly loyalty programs and loyalty cards, have an impact on the purchasing behavior of consumers in the german food retail trade. The study was carried out by students of the Bachelor degree program in Business Administration from the University of Applied Sciences Duesseldorf. The study results are based on two study parts: firstly, there has been an oral survey of consumers in the food retail business. To study the effect of loyalty programs and loyalty cards on the purchasing behavior and customer loyalty will be found in the food retail trade. In addition, several forces were conducted expert interviews with managers who are intensively engaged in their professional environment with customer loyalty programs. In this case was of interest to which customer loyalty measures are carried out with what success and how they affect the purchasing behavior of consumers. It should also found out what at the consumers better works: loyalty programs or customer cards. In conclusion, it is fair to say that bonus programs are suitable as a tool for customer loyalty and a high impact on the purchasing behavior and attitudes of consumers in the german food retail trade. It became clear that the success of a bonus program primarily depends on the design of programs by the retail trader. An interesting bonus program with attractive premiums is critical to the consumers.