Would you be surprised to know that paint manufacturers rely on loyalty? As per a recent study, by marketing research company J.D. Power, a majority of paint makers said that they relied heavily on brand loyalty and positive recommendations.
The paint industry has changed a lot. Just as the quality of paints and coatings, loyalty matters a lot. The channel partners (dealers, contractors, painters) want more than just transactions. They want to feel valued.
And this is where contemporary paint manufacturers can work on to overcome the common challenges and make dealers and contractors loyal to their brands.
This blog post lists the key challenges that paint manufacturers face in engaging dealers and contractors and how they can overcome the challenges with the right contractor loyalty programs and dealer loyalty programs.
If you are a paint maker or a senior professional in the paint industry, this blog post is just for you. Read on and thank us later.
Challenges in Paint Industry Dealer and Contractor Loyalty Programs
Making dealers, contractors, and influencers stick to a brand is becoming more and more difficult in the paint industry. Many factors are responsible for that. Some of those are rising competition, availability of many options, and changing digital landscape. Yes, that’s right. Paint manufacturers that leverage the right tech tools manage to overcome various challenges. However, paint makers that remain behind the digital curve face a wide array of challenges. Some of those are listed below.
1. Inconsistent Communication and Engagement
In the paint industry, the communication and engagement among channel partners and influencers such as contractors, paint retailers, dealers, and painters lacks adequate consistency. It not only increases challenges for paint manufacturers. When the communication with dealers and contractors isn’t consistent, it opens the doors for ambiguity and errors.
2. Difficulty in Tracking Purchase Behavior
Paint manufacturers that rely on manual processes face a lot of issues in tracking purchase history and behaviour. They don’t know who bought what. Tracking key performance indicators and customer behaviour is a far cry. For them, the purchase history of contractors and influencers is a mystery.
3. Low Adoption of Digital Tools
In the paint industry, a sizable number of paint manufacturers don’t leverage sophisticated digital platforms and tools as much as they should. They still contact and engage with their business partners using the traditional methods. The digital presence of many paint makers is not up to the mark.
4. Limited Personalization
When paint makers are unable to understand which dealer or contractor bought what, it becomes difficult for them to create personalized campaigns and tailor their offerings according to customer preferences. The rewards programs of such paint manufacturers lack personalization. It has a ripple effect on the loyalty of dealers and contractors.
5. Fragmented Feedback Channels
Noted author Ken Blanchard rightly said, “Feedback is the breakfast of champions.” However, paint manufacturers that use traditional methods of engaging with contractors, dealers, and influencers don’t get adequate feedback due to fragmented feedback channels.
6. Inability to Maintain Consistent Brand Affinity
We have already discussed in the introduction about the importance of brand loyalty. However, many paint manufacturers struggle to maintain consistent brand affinity and loyalty. While a handful of paint brands such as Asian Paints, Berger, and Nerolac command a substantial market share, many struggle to make their channel partners and influencers stick. Not just that, many paint retailers struggle to sell such brands’ products in their paint stores.
7. Lack of Integration with Sales and Marketing Strategy
This is true for those paint manufacturers that don’t leverage sophisticated tech tools for loyalty programs. Their engagement and reward initiatives are so disconnected from their sales and marketing strategies that it fails to create the desired impact. That affects their entire traditional marketing, digital marketing, and sales campaigns.
How to Overcome Paint Industry Challenges with Contractor, Dealer Loyalty Programs
The right contractor and dealer loyalty programs can help paint manufacturers overcome a wide range of challenges and take their brand loyalty to a whole new level. Here are some effective strategies to overcome various challenges in the paint industry with the right loyalty programs.
1. Digitize Your Dealer and Contractor Loyalty Programs
Gone are those days, when paint manufacturers could achieve their goals using traditional loyalty programs. In the digital age, app-based loyalty programs are a must-have for every paint maker. So before you think about making any changes, make sure you digitize your existing dealer, contractor, or influencer loyalty programs.
2. Define Your Objectives
Different paint manufacturers create loyalty programs with different objectives. Some aim to enhance their dealer engagement strategies, while some aim to strengthen loyalty of their channel partners and influencers. Ensure that you have defined your objectives as clearly as possible to make the most of your contractor rewards programs.
3. Partner with the Right Loyalty Solutions Provider
To create effective app-based loyalty programs, you need to join hands with a reputable and trustworthy loyalty solutions provider that has years of experience in designing tailored and industry-specific loyalty programs. The best way to find one is by using highly detailed yet precise search terms. Some examples are “cost effective influencer loyalty programs,” “best painter rewards program,” top loyalty program companies in India,” …
4. Look for Key Features
After finding the websites of some loyalty solutions providers and reliable aggregators such as Capterra and G2, visit the websites to check out the key features. Some of the best features are:
- invoice scanning for instant points
- tier-based loyalty levels
- mobile app integration
- flexible reward mechanism
- built-in learning support
- real-time feedback and analytics
5. Use the Free Trial Version of the Loyalty Software
The best way to know whether or not a loyalty solutions provider is right for your business is to try their solutions and see how it works in real world conditions. A reliable and reputable loyalty solutions provider won’t shy away from offering a free trial of their loyalty software for a reasonable period, say a month or so. Avail the trial version and ask your team to use it. Seek their feedback from time to time to know the performance of the software.
Taking Everything Into Consideration,
The paint industry has changed a lot in the last few years than it has in the past few decades. Every day new players are entering the already crowded market. The competition is super intense. But a handful of companies command a substantial chunk of the market share.
To compete and thrive in the competitive industry, contemporary paint manufacturers must leverage smart loyalty programs.
To design effective loyalty programs, paint manufacturers must partner with reputable and reliable loyalty solutions providers with a proven track record.
Finding the right loyalty solutions provider in today’s crowded market will require paint makers to invest a bit of time, energy, and concentrated effort. But the result would be worth it.