February 23rd, 2023, Lesley Simeon
American book and digital media retailer, Barnes & Noble, has launched a membership program. Customers can sign up either for the free version (B&N Rewards program) or the paid-for version (B&N Premium Membership) that costs $40 a year. In the free version, members get rewards to redeem for future purchases, whereas the paid program offers rewards, discounts, free shipping and free drink upgrades in the bookseller’s cafes, amongst other perks.
As Barnes & Noble replaces its previous $25-a-year program with its latest launch, what motivates its customers to sign up for membership schemes?
According to YouGov Profiles - which covers demographic, psychographic, attitudinal and behavioral consumer metrics - most Barnes & Noble customers (61%) subscribe to loyalty programs to benefit from in-store/online discounts and offers, and so does 47% of the general US population for the same reasons.
More than a third of the book retailer’s customers (34%) opt for loyalty schemes to get discounts/rewards to other retailers and brands, followed by free products/services/experiences (32%) and better services (19%).
But where do Americans prefer buying books from?
Data from Profiles suggests that 31% of the general US population bought books from Amazon in the past 12 months. Barnes & Noble follows at second spot with 18%.
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Methodology: YouGov Profiles is based on continuously collected data and rolling surveys, rather than from a single limited questionnaire. Profiles data for the US is nationally representative and weighted by age, gender, education, region, and race. Learn more about Profiles.
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