Strengthen the loyalty of your retailers and external distributors is a crucial issue in order to perpetuate your sales while forging solid and lasting relationships, a bit like customer loyalty. In a way, keeping your retailers over time can strengthen your brand growth as well as make them more loyal. However, in terms of the loyalty strategy for external partners, many companies are very insufficiently aware.

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Why is retailer loyalty crucial for brands?

Serving a customer, a reseller, an agent is a long-term strategic choice that is expensive to change. Retailer loyalty can result in:

• reduced training costs : a loyal dealer is the least often the subject of training. He knows your procedures.
  
  
• the stability of sales : a business of loyal resellers means ensuring that there will be neither too many fluctuations in sales nor too significant because of the reshuffling of partners.
  
  
• brand ambassadors : a loyal retailer is often a brand ambassador who recommends products to the “neighbor”, to the “prospect”.

In those who succeed in retaining resellers, companies agree that recurring sales gain a weight varying between + 25% and + 50%. A long-term growth weapon.

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The main challenges in retaining retailers

Maintaining resellers within the distribution network is not easy. It should be remembered that several obstacles are likely to interfere with the proper execution of expectations:

• Lack of recognition : Retailers often perceive it as a devaluation or as an oversight of their role if no form of recognition is marked.
  
  
• Competition from other brands : Retailers who distribute other products may be seduced by other brands that offer them more interesting conditions.
  
  
• Lack of communication : Far from the expected regular transparency, the absence of regular communication from a brand can lead a reseller to miss the agreement and then turn to another brand.

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How to retain your distributors over the long term?

Awards and recognition : The good recognition of the work of resellers, the loyalty of those who have worked well must be accentuated among retailers by setting up recognition systems, rewards based on the performance required, long-term rewards or other solutions that strengthen relationships.

• Ongoing help : Continuing to listen and provide support through regular training, the provision of marketing tools and sales advice proves your involvement in their success.
  
  
• Establishing relationships of trust : To succeed in establishing the foundations of a lasting relationship of trust, you must be transparent about the objectives, work with retailers by integrating your strategic choices, and listen to them.

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Other advice: Take into account the needs of retailers to take into account loyalty programs. A solution found for the needs of one reseller is not necessarily applicable to another! Customizing offers, services, rewards for each reseller makes them unique!

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Gamification, a powerful tool for retaining your retailers

If you thought that gamification is only used to motivate, think again. It is also a good way to retain your retailers: by making sales methods more engaging, more fun and more competitive, it encourages them to come back to them more.

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As proof, the study mentioned revealed that Businesses using this strategy see a 30% increase in sales force retention, thanks to the constant stimulation of interaction with their external partners. Thus, loyalty is no longer considered just a question of sales, but as an axis of relationship.

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Maslo.app: Retain your retailers with gamification

This is where it comes in Maslo.app, an innovative solution for the gamification of reseller and distributor networks. Thanks to its features, brands can:

• Set up loyalty programs based on sales challenges or long-term goals.
• Create rankings and awards to increase engagement.
• Measure the involvement of resellers in real time and adapt programs according to the results.

A striking testimony: “This incentive program for our customers and sellers is more than promising. Based on the success, Maslo actions are already planned for this year again.”

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By using gamification to retain your retailers, you are offering them a stimulating environment that engages them not only in the present, but also in the future.

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Measure and adjust your retention efforts

Loyalty, just like motivation, requires careful monitoring of results. Closely monitor performance indicators such as the frequency of sales benefiting from this type of treatment, the commitment to loyalty programs or competitive situations in the challenges of gamification, before changing offers and meeting the changing expectations of retailers, the only guarantors of loyalty.

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Tip: Analyzing data from gamification devices makes it possible to identify longer-term engagement trends. By observing it, you will be able to value your future efforts and offer ever more attractive programs to maintain the link with your retailers.

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Conclusion: Retailer loyalty, an essential asset for your brand

Retailer loyalty is an essential driver for the sustainability of your growth. By implementing devices such as recognition, daily support and especially innovative solutions such as gamification via Maslo.app, you build a network of loyal retailers ready to promote your products over the long term.

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