#176: Award-Winning Coalition Loyalty Program in Mauritius (Short Summary Show)

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PAULA: Hello and welcome to episode 176 of Let’s Talk Loyalty.

PAULA: Today I’m looking back on an interview with the award-winning loyalty program from Mauritius, a beautiful French-speaking island country in the Indian Ocean, located off the East Coast of Africa.

PAULA: Joining me on that episode was Delphine Lagesse, the group’s strategic innovation and excellence executive, as well as Cecile Henry, the group loyalty manager.

PAULA: Two impressive ladies leading the project on behalf of a group of companies in Mauritius called IBL.

PAULA: Now not only did I get to practice my French pronunciation, but I learned the key loyalty strategies being used by this large multi-partner loyalty program, which they call Wiiv, a program which was only a year and a half old at the time of our conversation.

PAULA: But it had already won multiple international awards.

PAULA: Firstly it won the Regional Loyalty Champion Award for the Middle East and Africa.

PAULA: And secondly, it was highly commended as the best new loyalty program of the year.

PAULA: So two of the industry’s most prestigious titles at the 2019 Loyalty Magazine Awards.

PAULA: Now, as I like to ask guests about their favorite loyalty statistic, Delphine shared with me the membership of Wiiv relative to the population of the country.

PAULA: With a tiny population of just 1.3 million people, this program at the time of recording already represented members from 15% of Mauritian households, equating to 160,000 members.

PAULA: And I’m sure it has continued to grow hugely since then.

PAULA: As a company, IBL strategically invests in diverse businesses and created Wiiv Rewards to literally weave together their various brands and reward customers for their spend across grocery, pharmacy, cafes, insurance, transport and leisure partners.

PAULA: And the points earned can then be used at any of the participating brands within the group.

PAULA: According to Delphine, the strategic goal for the program is to not only increase spending within the brands, but to better understand their customers by collecting useful data.

PAULA: So, like all rewards programs, also to reward members for doing business with them, all supported by targeted messaging.

PAULA: A genuinely innovative part of the program is the intention to create a community among Wiiv members.

PAULA: And this part of the strategy is called Wiiv Cares.

PAULA: For example, early in the global pandemic in 2020, Wiiv members were already being provided tips to help with exercise and activity suggestions, along with plenty of self-care ideas too.

PAULA: Another amazingly personal touch, IBL team members even call Wiivers on their birthdays.

PAULA: And that at the time was over a thousand phone calls every month.

PAULA: And to keep serving the community with an intention to drive emotional loyalty, members can choose to donate their points to local charities as well.

PAULA: From the conversation, I really think that this ambitious programme has every reason to succeed for what Delphine and Cecile called this joyful island nation.

PAULA: And from my side, as travel continues to open up, I really hope to get the chance to visit this wonderful destination and see the Wiiv programme in action.

PAULA: Finally, if you would like the full insights on this award-winning loyalty programme and get a taste of how Mauritius is growing globally as a popular tourist destination, be sure to have a listen to episode 57 and check out the programme at the IBL website, www.iblgroup.com forward slash weaver awards.

PAULA: In closing, please do join me again on Thursday when I’m talking with Robbie Kellman Baxter, advisor to some of the world’s leading subscription programmes, author of The Membership Economy and The Forever Transaction, where you’ll get a chance to learn all her incredible insights on subscription loyalty programmes.

PAULA: Certainly one of the biggest topics for loyalty in 2022.

PAULA: This show is sponsored by The Wise Marketeer, the world’s most popular source of loyalty marketing news, insights and research.

PAULA: The Wise Marketeer also offers loyalty marketing training through its Loyalty Academy, which has already certified over 170 executives in 20 countries as certified loyalty marketing professionals.

PAULA: For more information, check out thewisemarketeer.com and loyaltyacademy.org.

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