Driving Loyalty
A regional bank gave away big prizes, from a car to smartphones and cash. But most customers didn't know they were in the draw, and many winners thought the bank's call was a scam. I designed a Customer Club, on the web and in the app, where members see their points, redeem them and follow the prize draws.
Informed, but not involved
The bank told customers about their points only by SMS, and many people never read it. Points also sat in a corner of the internet bank, where most people overlooked them. So the campaign rewarded people who didn't know they were taking part.
Invisible points
SMS went unread, and the points page in the internet bank was easy to miss. Most customers had no idea where they stood.
The wrong winners
Customers with large balances collected points without doing anything. The bank wanted to reward loyal customers: people who use their account and grow their savings.
A win felt like a scam
Winners called at the draw didn't believe it. Many called the call centre to check, and others called just to ask for their points.
Opening the black box
Points came from a mix of account balance, product holdings and digital activity. To understand why customers didn't follow them, I used four methods.
Three sources, one number, and no clear place where customers could see how it added up.
From a points system to a club
The goal was to turn a passive points system into an active Customer Club. Three ideas guided every screen.
Transparency
Visual progress bars show how each source adds to the total.
Exclusivity
A club that feels like a VIP space, not a standard bank page.
Active engagement
Missions, a lucky wheel and a prize draw give people a reason to come back.
One club, five moments
Scroll through a member's journey. The club works on the web and in the mobile app.
- 01
Earn
The home screen shows every way to collect points: account balance, online banking, card payments, a short survey or adding your interests.
- 02
Track
A breakdown by source and a progress chart replace the black box. Customers can check their points themselves, without calling the bank.
- 03
Play
In the Champions League, members complete missions, spin a daily lucky wheel and climb a monthly leaderboard. Missions push people toward digital banking.
- 04
Redeem
Points become cinema tickets, discount codes, charity donations or gifts. Members also join the Grand Prize Draw for a car, smartphones and cash, and see their entries and the countdown.
- 05
Win
Draw results appear in the club first. Winners see their prize, when the bank will call and a code to check on the call, so the good news doesn't feel like a scam.
Recreated in English and white-labeled as "Alpha Bank". Names and numbers are examples. Step 05 (Win) is a new concept added for this case study.
The same club on desktop
Points already had a page inside the internet bank, but people overlooked it. The club got its own home on the web, with the same design as the app: points, draws, the lucky wheel, missions and the leaderboard in one view.
Visibility drives engagement
Fewer calls
Fewer calls about loyalty status, because members could check it themselves.
Double-digit rise
Point redemptions rose by double digits in the first quarter after launch.
More digital banking
Members used online banking more to raise their usage points.
Members felt recognised
In focus groups, members said the VIP-style club made them feel recognised.
Key insightWhen people can see their points, they use them. Making the points visible turned a struggling campaign into a successful one.