Utifrån relationsmarknadsföringsperspektivet har vårdandet av relationen till kunder uppmärksammats inom marknaden för detaljhandel. Inom detta område är lojalitetsskapandet en viktig del och forskning visar tydligt på att företag som är verksamma offline respektive online arbetar med detta. Studiens syfte är att med hjälp av jämförelse och analys beskriva offline- och onlineföretags arbete med lojalitetsskapande och därmed bidra till ökad kunskap inom området. Detta leder till undersökningens frågeställning, vad finns det för skillnader mellan hur svenska online- och offlineföretag inom detaljhandeln arbetar för att få lojala kunder? För att ta reda på det har vi genomfört sju intervjuer med totalt sex anställda på två olika företag som dagligen arbetar med relationsmarknadsföring. Studien är även baserad på observationer av studieobjektens webbsidor, Facebook-, Instagram- och Youtubesidor samt företagens postala utskick. Detta för att kunna jämföra vad företagen säger att de gör med vad de faktiskt gör inom området relationsmarknadsföring, samt jämföra hur de olika företagen arbetar. De främsta teorier som denna studie baseras på handlar om hur kundklubbar hjälper företag att skapa lojala kunder. Utifrån dessa kundklubbar kan företag samla data om sina kunder för att kunna mäta denna lojalitet. Resultatet av intervjuerna och observationerna presenteras fristående från varandra. Vad gäller analysen är den indelad efter teorikapitlets presentation av teorier och modeller. Utifrån analysen har vi kunnat dra slutsatser som visar att det finns skillnader mellan företagen som beror på att de är verksamma offline respektive online. Det finns även vissa skillnader mellan företagen som inte beror på att företagen har olika syn på vad som gör kunderna lojala och vad de anser att lojalitet är. / The care of the relationship between a company and a customer has gotten attention from a relationship marketing point of view in the retail market. Customer loyalty is very important and a big part of reaching success for companies and research has shown that both offline and online companies work with this. The purpose of this study is that with a comparative study between an offline and an online company contribute to the knowledge about creating loyal customers. That leads us to the question of this paper, what are the differences between Swedish offline and online companies in the retail industry regarding loyalty creating? To answer this question this paper contains seven interviews with six employees at two different companies that on a daily basis work with relationship marketing. The study is also based on observations of the company’s communities, websites and paper mailings that are sent to the customers. This has been made to make it possible to compare what the companies say that they do to what they actually do. The theories that this paper is based on, is primarily regarding customer clubs and how these help companies building loyal customers. This Customer clubs is also a method for companies to gather information about the customers so that they can measure the customer loyalty. The result of the interviews and the observations is presented separately and the analysis is based on the theory chapter’s structure. In the analysis we have made some conclusions that shows the differences between offline and online companies and their work with customer loyalty. Some of the differences is based on that the companies doesn’t have the same view on what customer loyalty is and some differences is based on the fact that they act offline versus online.

Sammanfattning  Titel: Hur kan IKEA Family utvecklas för att skapa ökad kundlojalitet?   Datum: 2022-06-03  Nivå: Kandidatuppsats i Företagsekonomi, 15 hp   Författare: Johanna Lundh och Flora Trast  Handledare: Anders Parment  Sökord: IKEA Family, IKEA, kundlojalitet, kundklubb, kundnöjdhet, kundengagemang  Problemformulering: Denna uppsats ämnar undersöka om det finns potentiella brister inom IKEA Family, vilka dessa brister är samt vilken förbättringspotential det finns för IKEA Family för att generera högre kundlojalitet.   Syfte: Syftet med denna uppsats är att öka kunskapen om hur IKEA Family bör vara utformad utifrån ett kundlojalitetsperspektiv, samt om det finns några specifika förmåner och möjliga förbättringspunkter som är avgörande för att medlemmarna ska vara lojala. Dessutom kommer det undersökas vilka förmåner kundklubbsmedlemmar anser är avgörande för en väl fungerande kundklubb.  Teori: Teorikapitlet behandlar teorier inom kundlojalitet, kundklubbar, kundnöjdhet, kundengagemang, relationsmarknadsföring och Word of mouth.   Metod: Uppsatsen är baserad på en kvalitativ forskningsstrategi med strukturerade intervjuer. Angreppssättet är abduktiv och forskningsdesignen som har används är en fallstudie då det är ett enskilt företag som undersöks.   Slutsatser: IKEA Familys medlemmarna efterfrågar fler förmåner i form av rabatter och andra erbjudanden som inte erbjuds av kundklubben idag. De förmåner som efterfrågas är främst personliga erbjudanden, rabatter och bonusar. Utöver detta visar denna studie på en avsaknad av kommunikation, där en ökad kommunikation krävs för att medlemmarna ska bli mer engagerade i IKEA Family och på så sätt skapa högre kundlojalitet. Det som bör utvecklas inom IKEA Family är att utöka förmånspaketet till medlemmarna. Det är således dessa förmåner som anses vara avgörande för en välfungerande kundklubb med lojala medlemmar. / Abstract  Title: How can IKEA Family be developed to create increased customer loyalty?   Date: 2022-06-03  Academic level: Bachelor Thesis in Business Administration, 15 credits   Authors: Johanna Lundh and Flora Trast  Supervisor: Anders Parment  Keywords: IKEA, IKEA Family, customer loyalty, customer clubs, customer satisfaction, customer engagement  Problematization: This study aims to investigate potential shortcomings within IKEA Family and what potential for improvement there is for IKEA to generate higher customer loyalty.   Purpose: The purpose of this study is to increase knowledge about how IKEA Family should be designed from a customer loyalty perspective, and if there are any specific benefits and possible points of improvement which are crucial for the members to be loyal. In addition, it will be investigated which benefits customer club members consider to be crucial for a well-functioning customer club.   Theories: The theories used in this research are within the fields of customer loyalty, customer clubs, customer satisfaction, customer engagement, relationship marketing and Word of mouth.   Method: This study is based on a qualitative research strategy with structured interviews. The research approach is abductive and the research design is a case study.   Conclusions: The members of IKEA Family request more benefits, in the form of discounts and other benefits that are not offered by IKEA Family today. The benefits requested are mainly personal benefits, discounts and bonuses. In addition, this study shows a lack of communication. This is required for members to become more engaged in the customer club and thus create higher customer loyalty. Therefore, IKEA Family should expand their benefit package for members. These benefits are thus the benefits that are considered crucial for a well-functioning customer club with loyal members.

Background: During the last decades the efforts to foster customer relationships have become important due to increased competition in the consumer markets. One of the most popular strategies have been to introduce customer loyalty programs which are believed to enhance the customer loyalty. The popularity of the customer loyalty programs is based on the beliefs that loyal customers are lucrative and these programs would bond the customers to the company. More recently however, the discussion whether these statements are accurate has started to blossom. Loyal customers are not necessarily as profitable as believed and it is not easy for companies to gain competitive advantage because almost all companies have similar customer clubs. Purpose: This thesis evaluates through a case study of a Swedish retail company whether customer loyalty programs manage to create loyalty among their members. Appropriate features of loyalty will be examined with the intention to evaluate whether there exists other factors outside the loyalty programs that are also influencing the creation of loyalty. Method: A qualitative study was conducted to answer the purpose of the thesis. Within the case study several semi-structured interviews were carried out with INTERSPORT and 20 telephone interviews with INTERSPORT customers. Empirical material was analyzed with a reflection to the theoretical framework and the research questions. Conclusions: Customer loyalty programs can enhance the creation of loyalty, but should be seen as a complement to other aspects of the business, namely, the product line, the customer service and the store concept. However, sustainable customer loyalty is difficult to obtain because many customers today are loyal to several companies instead of one.

<p>Background:</p><p>During the last decades the efforts to foster customer relationships have become important due to increased competition in the consumer markets. One of the most popular strategies have been to introduce customer loyalty programs which are believed to enhance the customer loyalty. The popularity of the customer loyalty programs is based on the beliefs that loyal customers are lucrative and these programs would bond the customers to the company. More recently however, the discussion whether these statements are accurate has started to blossom. Loyal customers are not necessarily as profitable as believed and it is not easy for companies to gain competitive advantage because almost all companies have similar customer clubs.</p><p>Purpose:</p><p>This thesis evaluates through a case study of a Swedish retail company whether customer loyalty programs manage to create loyalty among their members. Appropriate features of loyalty will be examined with the intention to evaluate whether there exists other factors outside the loyalty programs that are also influencing the creation of loyalty.</p><p>Method:</p><p>A qualitative study was conducted to answer the purpose of the thesis. Within the case study several semi-structured interviews were carried out with INTERSPORT and 20 telephone interviews with INTERSPORT customers. Empirical material was analyzed with a reflection to the theoretical framework and the research questions.</p><p>Conclusions:</p><p>Customer loyalty programs can enhance the creation of loyalty, but should be seen as a complement to other aspects of the business, namely, the product line, the customer service and the store concept. However, sustainable customer loyalty is difficult to obtain because many customers today are loyal to several companies instead of one.</p>