BonusLink upgrades services for M'sian loyalty battle

"This is a key marketing channel for us," commented Victor Loh, marketing manager of BonusKad Loyalty, the joint-venture company behind the card. "We have a lot of plans for mobile." The first set of services allow cardholders to check points, redeem gifts, track delivery and change PIN numbers through their mobile phones, though the company plans to introduce services normally available on the web, such as browsing its gift catalogue, in the future. BonusLink hopes that the new mobile channel will make it more accessible to members living in suburban or rural areas far from the company's redemption centres. Mobile phone penetration in Malaysia is expected to reach 49 per cent by year-end. "The mobile phone service will complement all our other channels," Loh said. "More touch points members have to communicate with us is the way to go." Loh said the initiatives would strengthen membership loyalty as the lines between different technology platforms become increasingly blurred. Earlier this year, rival loyalty scheme RealRewards beat BonusLink to the market by unveiling its mobile phone services available through the Cellcom network. BonusLink said the wider coverage of its services, available through all Malaysia's major networks, and the technolgy behind them, would give it an edge over the compeition. "We initially took time to plan and launch these mobile services two years ago," Loh said. "At that time we didn't feel the market was robust enough to accept a service of this sort." Integrating mobile into exisiting channels will take skill and care, cautioned Thomas Meyer, director of Wunderman Mobile. "It is not an easy thing to do," he said. "It needs to be done the right way if you want to see it grow and generate an involved community."