When developing a reward collection, there’s a well-known rule of thumb that says, “If you put an Apple product in the mix it will be very popular!” Well, maybe not so much with the Apple Watch.
I’m not knocking Apple. I have no doubt that long-term it will probably be a big hit. However, recently I read an article in Forbes that questioned the popularity of Apple’s latest product. After reading this, I sent it over to Mike, one of our electronics buyers. Mike is a guy who knows his stuff and has a perspective that mirrored Forbes’ opinion.
“I don’t wear watches, so I echo the thoughts of the 21 year-old in the article. I think a lot of the younger generation also does not wear a watch since they have always had their phone to tell time. How do you get a generation to start wearing a watch when they have never worn one before?”
So, after absorbing Mike’s comments I shot the article over to Jacob, a relatively new employee in our Loyalty division. Jacob has been out of college just over a year and he’s an Apple fanatic. In response, he sent a very well written 6 paragraph email that outlined strong arguments as to why the Apple watch is not only a great product but provides functionality that is “potentially life changing.” Jacob also has never worn a watch:
“However, I wanted some sort of activity tracker after FitBit and Jawbone UP came to market. I almost bought one until rumors spread that Apple was developing a product for the wearable category. Being a total Apple nerd or cult loyalist, there is no chance I would buy a competitor’s product. I was already willing to wear an activity tracker on my wrist, so it really wasn’t difficult to adopt the Watch.
This may sound pathetic, but Apple Watch changes the way people live their lives. So far, Watch has helped me become more attentive (less distracted), social (both digitally and in-person), healthy and productive!”
Isn’t it wonderful that people are so different? Mike sees the Apple Watch as a watch. Jacob sees it as a life changer.
On Maritz’ new online reward catalog – RewardSphere, we recently added the capability to gather customer ratings and reviews. I pulled a report and took a look at the top rated items to see what was the most popular. Although I was not surprised to see a lot of electronics showing up on the list – I was really blown away by how passionate people were about their rewards. Here’s just a sample of some of their comments:
Yeti Tundra 45 Cooler.
The Yeti 45 I have is awesome! I love it and it always gets onlookers. 4 of my friends have since purchased Yetis. Don’t mess around, just pull the trigger – you will be glad you did. Roll Tide.
Michael Kors Parker Chronograph Stainless Steel Watch.
Very beautiful watch. I’m so happy I got this watch, I can’t stop looking at it!
Cuisinart PerfecTemp Cordless Electric Kettle
Excellent for tea! I love this kettle and use it daily! As a big tea drinker, I love that there are individual buttons for temperature based on the type of tea you are brewing. Great even if you just want to quickly boil water. The sleek design looks great in my kitchen. It lights up in blue and beeps when reaching the temperature chosen. I highly recommend it to all!
Pennwick Smoothster Custom Golf Car
Smooth. The ladies under 70 love my phat ride.
Bose SoundLink Mini Bluetooth Speaker II
This is now a part of my soul! I got it with my points and do not regret it for a second. I use it when watching movies on Netflix, for my music school listening assignments, at the beach, at the local streams and waterfalls, at work… You get the point. It is literally a part of me.
Who would think that a simple speaker could be “part of someone’s soul!”
In the end, when developing a reward collection, in order to appeal to Mike, Jacob and everyone else in your program it’s important to provide CHOICE. You want your people to find something that is personally meaningful that they can be passionate about!
Is your reward collection providing enough choice for people to find their passion?
The post Apple Watch—Life Changing or No Thanks? appeared first on Maritz Motivation Solutions Blog.