What motivates a repeat purchase from a brand? While quality matters, loyalty is often driven by added value — exclusive discounts, perks, or rewards — that enhances the customer experience. Loyalty programs not only reward customers but also boost brand performance. And when it comes to marketing those programs effectively, print stands out as a powerful, underutilized tool.
Print can be an extremely effective way to market loyalty programs and engage customers on the value your loyalty program provides. Here, we’ll take a quick look at how print can be a powerful communication channel in marketing the benefits and advantages of your loyalty program.
Personalization connects with customers
Marketing is most effective when it's personal. Humans naturally respond to things that feel relevant and familiar — and personalized print makes that possible at scale. Personalized print tailors marketing messages and offers to each individual customer in a way that relevantly integrates their specific preferences — everything from location and demographics to their individual buying behavior — to connect on a psychological level.
Creating this type of impactful messaging goes beyond simply using a customer’s first and last name. This kind of data-driven print leverages detailed customer information including location, customer lifecycle or milestones, and purchase history to create targeted messaging that better engages customers.
The impact is real. For example:
- 58% of brands rank personalization as their top priority to increase engagement and loyalty
- Brands that tailor rewards to individual preferences see 40% higher redemption rates
- 32% of companies report that personalization boosts brand advocacy, with customers more likely to share positive experiences
Print also fosters trust. 82% of consumers trust print ads most when making purchase decisions. When personalized, printed materials feel more authentic and can help customers feel recognized, strengthening emotional connections with a brand.
Print has the staying power to stick around
Unlike digital content, which is often scrolled past and forgotten, print engages multiple senses, making it more memorable. Between the tactile experience and fewer distractions, people can better retain information from printed materials when compared to digital ads, which can help brands create a lasting impression.
Research shows that only 44% of people recall digital ads, but 75% of consumers remember receiving direct mail from a brand. This means print marketing materials have a greater capacity to stay top-of-mind for your target audience.
What’s more, print mailers that include offers or QR codes tend to stay in homes for days — or even weeks — until redemption. That means extended brand visibility, not just for the recipient, but also for others in the household who see the piece.
Print can be part of an omnichannel approach
Digital marketing remains essential, but print plays a key supporting role in a truly omnichannel strategy. Research has found that consumers engage with at least three to five different channels before they make an actual purchase, so the more ways to reach the consumer, the better your odds of retaining their loyalty.
Print automation tools now allow brands to integrate print seamlessly with CRM platforms. This enables event-based or trigger-based mailings — like birthday rewards or loyalty milestones — making printed communication both timely and highly personalized. With a print automation solution, brands can leverage personalized, timely direct mail as part of an omnichannel approach with a variety of customer touchpoints across the print and digital landscape.
Print can drive digital engagement and interaction
Print also serves as a bridge to digital experiences. Features like QR codes, custom URLs, augmented reality (AR), and near-field communication (NFC) transform static pieces into interactive content.
With a simple scan, recipients can explore:
- Personalized landing pages
- Loyalty dashboards
- Product galleries or videos
- Limited-time online promotions
These integrations don’t just enrich the customer journey — they also provide valuable performance data. Brands can track key engagement metrics like video views or file downloads in service of better understanding how their messaging is connecting with customers, making it easier to demonstrate ROI on print marketing efforts.
When executed strategically, print marketing can amplify the success of your loyalty program — boosting engagement, retention, and advocacy. And when combined with automation and/or digital integrations, print becomes a high-impact tool that drives loyalty at every stage of the customer journey.
Quantum is a strategic print automation partner helping brands create personalized, data-driven print campaigns that strengthen customer loyalty. Let’s build your next campaign together. Contact us today to get started.
