If your business is offering a special promotion, it’s important to make certain that customers know that they DID indeed receive a promotional offer.

Personal example: Rite-Aid has a rewards program. Until recently, I believed that the sole purpose of giving them my rewards card was to receive the sales prices.

I didn’t realize is that the program is cumulative. One day, the clerk said, “You have 200 points [or whatnot], do you know what that means?” “No,” I answered. “You receive 10% off all regularly priced, non-prescription merchandise.” I had absolutely no idea. The receipt is cluttered with information and text at the bottom; I simply hadn’t noticed that I had been paying 10% less on the regularly priced items!

By my ignorance of the situation, Rite-Aid was in effect giving away a) 10% of their revenue (I had no idea I was saving it, so it stands to reason I probably wouldn’t have noticed if I had been paying it), and b) receiving no Thanks/Loyalty from me in return. Once I learned about the 10% off, their store was indeed a more enticing option than before. Once I knew what was going on, their promotion worked. But my knowing was a simple matter of communication from the clerk, which may not have happened if the clerk had been in a different mood. It was sheer chance.

Avoid this in your business. If you’re running a promotion, at least make certain that customers know that they received a special deal. No need to be aggressive about it; matter-of-fact works just fine (and probably best!).