Why "Private" is So Important to Discount Programs

As the purveyors of the nation’s largest private discount program, we’re frequently asked why so many merchants participate in our network. It’s a fair question, and there are many answers. If I had to peg it down to one reason, bringing our merchant partners incremental business (or customers they wouldn’t get on their own) is one of the primary drivers of participation and it also fuels the overall offer value.

Another key point: if you notice, when we refer to the network we often include the word “private,” which as we’ve pointed out, is one of the hallmarks of an effective discount program. Clients and prospective clients obviously can access our content any time, as well as our members. The general public, however, is kept out. (You're welcome to contact us anytime if you're interested in learning about who's in our network)

So, how does this translate into incremental revenue for the merchant? Once a member logs into their organization’s site or mobile application, their choices are narrowed down to participating businesses. Let’s assume a local sushi establishment is offering a free roll with any purchase. The business owner has extended this offer knowing that she can give our members a sweeter deal since she knows it isn’t going to be distributed to the general public at large. Working with Access, she’ll be able to charge everyone else in her restaurant full price, while filling the empty tables with the Access customers. The customer is happy since they get free sushi, and the merchant is happy since she makes more money.

One of our favorite thrills is being able to show a potential client the deals that are going to truly get their customers excited – the local diner offering a BOGO or the nearby amusement park with 50% off entry, for example. If you’re into saving money (like over 90% of Americans are), there’s an excitement to finding a deal that isn’t widely available to everyone else. To these folks, finding a good deal that isn’t available to the general public is like opening birthday presents, and that pays off bigtime for our merchant partners.

(Photo via Flickr)