We have come a long way since the days of S & H green stamps. That is the earliest reward system I can remember as a child. My Mom would save books of S & H green stamps. I can remember going with her to the S & H Green Stamp redemption center to turn in her books of stamps for all sorts of gifts. The whole concept of green stamps was to encourage consumers to shop at grocery stores that awarded stamps based on the volume of your purchases. If I went to the store for Mom, I had better not forget to collect the green stamps at the register before leaving the store. The strategy to attain customer loyalty worked quite well then.
The same concept exists today, but has evolved as consumers have changed their shopping habits. With many consumers shopping online, retailers (or e-tailers for online sellers) needed a way to connect with online consumers to introduce new products and obtain their consumer loyalty. Of course, discounted pricing, free shipping, and volume-purchase incentives are very prominent on the web, just as they are with offline shopping. Are there any other innovative ways e-tailers can entice online shoppers and save them money?
With a little web surfing and exploration, I found a web site called SWAGBUCKS.COM. I had never heard of Swag Bucks before. According to the website, “Swagbucks.com is the Web’s premier rewards and loyalty destination. Swagbucks.com allows web and mobile members to earn virtual currency (called Swag Bucks) for doing what they already do online every day-watching videos, searching the web, playing games, participating in market research, and shopping online. Swag Bucks can then be redeemed for valuable rewards, including gift cards to the world’s online and offline retailers.”
Information on the website states that there are currently over 10,0000,000 Swagbucks users, and since the concept started in 2008, over $60,000,000 in Swagbucks have been awarded to users.
The whole concept is built around online consumers not doing anything differently than they do now, except maybe take some online surveys. The online consumer registers with Swagbucks and earns virtual currency by allowing Swagbucks to track their activities as they search, watch online videos, play games, etc. For those that are already web surfers and do a lot of activity online, it is a way to earn some additional income for doing no more than what they are currently doing – a way to cash in on your online journeys.
Send in your questions and ideas to: Sun Day, Frugal Forum Column, P.O. Box 761, Huntley, IL 60142, or, by email to: thefrugalforum@gmail.com.
