Quite simply, Card-Linked Offers (CLOs) are offers (cash back or discounts) that consumers automatically receive just by linking their debit or credit cards to an app, website or loyalty program such as Yelp, Groupon, American Express and many more.
With the arrival of Card-Linked Offers, the days of “I forgot my coupon” are long gone. Once a consumer links her credit card, every time she makes a purchase, she will automatically receive cash back or a discount at participating businesses. Merchants also have the option to require consumers to click their offer in order to activate it, which increases engagement. Consumers do not need to hand in a physical coupon or show the offer on their mobile device.
How CLO Works
Card-Linked Offers are unique in that they seamlessly connect online advertising efforts with in-store purchases. With traditional digital marketing campaigns, merchants pay for impressions or clicks, but they cannot track accurately how many in-store visits, or most importantly, how much sales were driven by their online ads. With CLOs, merchants can now see the direct impact of their online advertising budget because every transaction made can be tied back to the consumer.
This new level of attribution and ease of use has led to significant growth in the adoption of CLOs by both merchants and consumers. According to the 2018 Cardlinx survey, 62% of brands that use CLOs saw transaction volume more than double over the past year.
Another reason that CLOs are the fastest growing portion of digital advertising budgets is that there is no upfront cost - merchants do not have to pay for advertising impressions or to print mailers and coupons. Merchants only pay a small fee each time someone makes a purchase.
Increase Sales & Customer Retention
Also, CLOs are proven to increase the number of in-store visits, the size of the purchase as well as customer retention, with 61% of consumers saying discounts and coupons increase their loyalty to a brand (Expedia Affiliate Network) and 77% of consumers saying discounts influence where they shop (RetailMeNot).
And with CLO technology merchants can track customer behavior easily by seeing average order size, as well as the number and frequency of purchases. This knowledge gives merchants the ability to incentivize customers to make repeat purchases and to reward their best customers for their loyalty.
How Can I Launch a CLO campaign?
Contact us today and we can get you set up quickly and easily. No hardware, software or employee training is required. There is just a 10-minute set-up process. And remember, there’s no upfront cost - you only pay a small fee on each completed purchase.