Preferred Patron

What is Preferred Patron

Preferred Patron is a comprehensive customer loyalty program provider designed for businesses of all sizes. Its core purpose is to help companies cultivate stronger relationships with their customers, leading to increased visits, higher spending, and better retention. The platform provides the tools needed to create, manage, and track customized loyalty and gift card programs. Businesses can reward customers for their repeat business through points, tiered rewards, and exclusive offers. Preferred Patron Loyalty, LLC., the company behind the software, focuses on delivering a feature-rich solution that is adaptable to various industries, including retail, restaurants, and service-based businesses. It operates as a full-service loyalty company, providing both the software and support needed to run a successful program.

Preferred Patron Features

Preferred Patron offers a wide range of features to build a complete customer engagement strategy.

• Customizable Loyalty Programs: Design a program that fits your business model. You can create points-based systems, tiered membership levels, visit-based rewards, or a combination of different structures.
• Automated Marketing: Engage with your customers through automated email and SMS marketing campaigns. Send birthday rewards, welcome messages, and targeted promotions based on customer purchase history and behavior.
• Gift Card Solutions: Implement both physical and digital gift card programs. This helps attract new customers and provides an additional revenue stream.
• Customer Database Management: Build a detailed database of your customers. Collect contact information, track purchase history, and segment your audience for more effective marketing.
• Multi-Location Support: Manage and synchronize your loyalty program across multiple business locations from a single dashboard, ensuring a consistent customer experience.
• Reporting and Analytics: Access detailed reports to measure the performance of your loyalty program. Track key metrics like customer enrollment, reward redemptions, visit frequency, and return on investment.
• Point-of-Sale (POS) Integration: The platform integrates with many popular POS systems, allowing for seamless customer check-ins and point accrual at the time of purchase.
• Branded Mobile App: Offer customers a branded mobile application where they can track their points, view available rewards, and receive notifications.

Preferred Patron Pricing Plans

Preferred Patron offers several pricing tiers tailored to the needs of different businesses. The plans are typically structured based on the number of customers, locations, and included features.

• Starter Plan: Designed for small, single-location businesses looking to launch their first loyalty program. It includes core features like points and rewards management and basic customer communication tools.
• Professional Plan: Suited for growing businesses or those with multiple locations. This plan often includes advanced features like automated marketing, gift card programs, and more in-depth analytics.
• Enterprise Plan: A custom solution for large chains or franchises. It provides a full suite of features, including API access for custom integrations, dedicated account management, and advanced security protocols.

Preferred Patron Free Plan

Preferred Patron does not offer a permanently free plan. However, they provide a free trial or a personalized demo for businesses to experience the platform's capabilities. To get started, you need to contact their sales team through the website to request information and schedule a demonstration tailored to your business needs.

How to use Preferred Patron

Getting started with Preferred Patron involves a few key steps to launch and manage your loyalty program effectively.

1. Consultation and Setup: Begin by contacting Preferred Patron to discuss your business needs. Their team will help you design a loyalty program structure that aligns with your goals.
2. Customize Your Program: Define the rules for your program. Decide how customers will earn points (e.g., per dollar spent, per visit) and what rewards they can redeem.
3. Integrate with Your Systems: Connect Preferred Patron with your existing Point-of-Sale (POS) system for smooth operation at checkout.
4. Enroll Customers: Start signing up customers in-store, online, or through a mobile app. Staff can easily add new members during transactions.
5. Promote Your Program: Use the built-in marketing tools to inform customers about the program. Send welcome emails, announce special promotions, and remind members of their points balance.
6. Monitor Performance: Regularly check the analytics dashboard to track enrollment rates, reward redemptions, and overall program ROI. Use this data to make adjustments and improve your strategy.

Pros and Cons of Preferred Patron

Pros:

• Highly Customizable: The platform offers great flexibility in designing a loyalty program that matches your brand and business objectives.
• Comprehensive Features: It combines loyalty, gift cards, and marketing automation into a single solution.
• Strong Multi-Location Support: It is well-suited for businesses with multiple branches, providing centralized management.
• Dedicated Support: As a full-service company, they offer hands-on support to help businesses set up and manage their programs.

Cons:

• Complexity: The wide range of features can be overwhelming for very small businesses that only need a simple solution.
• Pricing: The cost may be higher compared to basic, do-it-yourself loyalty apps.
• Integration Dependent: The seamlessness of the experience heavily relies on successful integration with your specific POS system.

Preferred Patron integrations

Preferred Patron is designed to work with a variety of business systems to ensure a smooth workflow. It offers integrations with numerous Point of Sale (POS) systems, e-commerce platforms, and other business software. While a specific, public list of all integrations is best obtained from their sales team, they commonly integrate with:

• POS Systems: Clover, Lightspeed, Square, Toast, and other major point-of-sale providers.
• E-commerce Platforms: Integrations with platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce allow for a unified loyalty program for both online and in-store customers.
• Payment Processors: Connections with payment gateways to streamline transactions and reward accrual.

Preferred Patron Alternatives

• Smile.io: A popular choice for e-commerce businesses, especially those on Shopify. It focuses on points, referrals, and VIP tiers to boost online engagement.
• LoyaltyLion: Another strong competitor in the e-commerce space, known for its deep customization options and powerful analytics for online stores.
• Kangaroo Rewards: Offers a comprehensive loyalty marketing solution for both retail and online businesses, with features like contests and branded apps.
• Yotpo Loyalty & Referrals: Part of the larger Yotpo marketing platform, it's a great option for businesses already using Yotpo for reviews and user-generated content.
• RepeatRewards: A long-standing loyalty program provider that offers solutions for a wide range of industries, similar to Preferred Patron.

Preferred Patron API

Yes, Preferred Patron provides a developer API for custom integrations. The API allows businesses to connect the loyalty platform with their proprietary software, custom e-commerce sites, or other third-party applications that are not supported out-of-the-box. Access to the API is typically available for customers on their Enterprise or higher-tier plans. To get an API key and access the documentation, you would need to contact their technical support or development team after becoming a customer.

An example API call to fetch a customer's points balance might look like this (Note: this is a generic example):

{
  "apiKey": "YOUR_API_KEY",
  "action": "getCustomerBalance",
  "customerIdentifier": {
    "type": "email",
    "value": "customer@example.com"
  }
}

Preferred Patron Affiliate program

Preferred Patron does not publicly advertise a standard affiliate program where individuals can sign up and earn commissions through a public link. Their business model is more focused on direct sales and partnerships. However, they likely have a partner or reseller program for marketing agencies, POS vendors, or business consultants. If you are interested in partnering with them or exploring referral opportunities, it is best to contact their sales or business development team directly through their website to discuss potential collaboration.