How Everyday Brands Can Build Lifestyle Loyalty

In this episode of Travel Buddy, Rachel Satow and Ian Andersen unpack what it takes for everyday brands to build meaningful, lifestyle-driven loyalty beyond points and discounts. Through real-world examples ranging from luxury apparel to grocery stores, the team reveals how brands can foster authentic, long-term connections by aligning with customer values and daily routines. Discover strategies, challenges, and inspiring ideas for turning even the most routine purchases into emotionally resonant brand experiences. Whether you’re a marketer, loyalty leader, or brand builder, you’ll gain fresh perspective on creating loyalty that truly lasts.

Chapters
(00:00) Aspirational Loyalty Beyond Discounts
(04:00) Lifestyle Messaging and Brand Alignment
(07:00) Short-Term Discounts Versus Long-Term Relationships
(10:00) Everyday Brands and Emotional Connections
(14:00) Redefining Loyalty in Common Goods
(17:00) Cross-Industry Partnerships and Value Expansion
(25:00) Practical Strategies for Implementing Lifestyle Loyalty

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Creators and Guests

Host

Ian Andersen

Demand Gen & Marketing Operations Manager

Host

Rachel Satow

Senior Marketing Strategist

What is Travel Buddy with Switchfly?

See more at Switchfly.com

Welcome to Travel Buddy,
presented by Switchfly.

In this podcast, we talk about all
things travel, rewards, and loyalty.

Let's get to it.

Brandon Giella: we're talking
about how everyday brands

can build lifestyle loyalty.

And I wanna start with two examples
of what we're talking about here.

Because we wanna connect that when you-
when we think aspirationally, and again,

this is aspirational, about the ways
that brands can build loyalty in a deeper

sense of loyalty beyond just discounts and
points redemptions on certain products.

There is a deeper philosophical view
that consumers have, and the greatest

brands on Earth connect deeply
with those views as best you can.

Not every brand has the budget,
sometimes not the product or service to

be able to really, capture this, so we
understand that and acknowledge that.

But I think there's some really deep,
emotional resonance that you can

have with buyers, and I think that
ties directly into a loyalty brand.

And so my example when we were
thinking about this episode was

a company called Unbound Merino.

if you guys are deep on the Reddit
community of the One Bag travel

experience, r/OneBag, everybody talks
about Merino wool because it's very

light, it's packable, it wicks moisture,
it doesn't smell, theoretically.

And so you can wear one
outfit for a whole week.

You know, you just air dry it at night
in your hotel room, and boom, you've

got one tiny little bag with one
outfit, maybe two, you're good to go.

So, that's an extreme case,
but it's really captivating

for me, and I'll tell you why.

Because I have this worldview
that I want less stuff.

I want less stuff because
the world feels chaotic.

I have a three-year-old and a
one-year-old, and sometimes I just want

to not think about anything, including
changing my clothes or what kind of

clothes I'm wearing, 'cause I am just
so overwhelmed, as many people, you

listening might feel the same way.

Merino wool, you should check it out.

Unbound Merino, not
sponsoring this episode.

Great brand, seemingly.

Ian Andersen: so I love how
your, your comment of wanting

less stuff is accompanied by you
wanting to buy this new thing.

Like, this buying more things is
gonna help you have less stuff.

Yeah.

Brandon Giella: Hello,
it's called marketing.

but yes.

But that is, that is the irony that
is my life and pretty much everybody

that buys things, I would say.

yeah, no, so it is.

And not only is it buying more stuff,
it is buying the most expensive $120

shirt you could possibly imagine.

So yeah, it's, it's not ideal.

It is ironic.

But this is, this is how you
tell a great story and you

connect to these deeper things.

And I think if you can do that well
you build this community around people

that are, you know, one-baggers who
love Merino wool, I think there's like

real opportunities to build the kind
of loyalty that we all aspire to in

our, in our efforts and our programs.

And so that's one example that
sets the context for this episode.

But, Rachel, you were talking
before we started recording

about another brand that gets you
thinking about this topic as well.

So talk to me about that.

Rachel Satow: Yeah.

and e- before I dive into my
example, Ian's definitely gonna

judge me too for this one, and has
already shamed me offline for it.

but so for, for our listeners, it's
kind of been trickled out before.

I have just purs- purchased a new home.

we are currently undergoing a ton of
renovations, and with that usually

comes, just like an aesthetic overhaul
of some of the furniture that you have

and the lighting that's there, etc.

And one of the things that we have been
considering is a new bed frame, just

something to, you know, replace one
that was difficult to put together,

was very, you know, it's going
to be a pain in the butt to move.

It's, loud, it's, like, uncomfortable,
and frankly, it's a metal frame

one that is not gonna last forever.

so in that process, and in aligning
it with the, the aesthetic side of it,

we're looking at a brand called Thuma,
which has, the traditional Japanese

joinery, acacia wood frame, that
boasts, you know, not only that's su-

sustainable, sustainably sourced, but
it's also, you know, easy to put together.

It…

The longevity of the product is, is
there, and it does come with, like, a

fairly large sticker price in comparison
to some of its competitors, which

also have the, the, the same style.

However, one of the things that
I think Thuma does right is it

really puts that message, that,
like, lifestyle aspect f- first and

foremost in their, in their messaging.

A lot of it has to do, yes, with the
aesthetic of the bed, but it also

aligns with, you know, I want to make
sure that I'm purchasing something

that doesn't contribute to additional
waste or isn't, you know, unsustainably

sourced or something along those lines.

And whether or not that is 100% true of
this brand, they do a good job of trying

to communicate and align with those
things that I'm also looking for outside

of the fact of, oh, I just want a bed
frame that has a mid-century modern look.

It really does kind of, like, connect
into people who are looking to make a

purchase like this are also probably
aligning with this other greater world

view, and if they aren't already,
maybe we can convince them to.

and also, you know, it justifies
the sticker price a little bit more.

So that's my, that's my example,
similar to yours with, you know, the

$120 shirt, and it really does kind
of like showcase that some of these

brand, brands are starting to align
with a messaging and a, a product,

outlook of just going beyond, you like
this because it's mid-century modern.

You like this because the material
is nice on your skin, etc.

Brandon Giella: And it's also beyond, and
I, I think this is, you know, thinking

about our, our first segment here.

It, it goes beyond just a discount
or just a, you know, workflow in

the customer journey of how people
move through and then how they

can, you know, redeem their points.

gets into the operations, you
know, the values of the company.

It gets into suppliers.

It gets into a lot of other
aspects of the business.

So all granted, and we're all noting
that we did just talk about the

two most premium brands within the
categories that we're talking about.

But all that aside, and all that as
a given, I think connecting to that

deeper level is something that is
really important and really valuable

for a lot of brands out there
thinking about their loyalty programs.

Ian Andersen: you made a comment
real quick there that, that made me

think, something that, that I've been
noodling on as far as, like, discounts.

Discounts drive the next purchase, right?

where, kind of the lifestyle loyalty
is, is building a longer-term

relationship, and sometimes that can mean,

sacrificing, like, highest potential ROI
on any given campaign or, or product line.

it might eat into margins at times, right?

But the, the goal really is to, to
maximize the customer lifetime value,

of, of a particular, particular customer.

for some brands that's sort of
built into the business model.

You know, things like Rolex or Ferrari
or, you know, We just got off vacation and

my wife, Rachel even mentioned seeing on
Instagram my wife's new Balenciaga bag.

You know, like something that I would
never in a million years purchase for

myself or think to purchase But, because
of the, the way this company has, like,

developed itself, the, the pro- the
quality of the product, the aura of what

it is, you know, they have created, you
know, a whole market for, of, of women

like, and men like, people like my wife
who, are going to be shopping there, you

know, when we can for rest of our lives,
I'm sure, to, to one degree or another.

and so it's, it's really trying
to find a, a balance between

maximizing

every single marketing effort,
maximizing ROI, versus finding those

points to which you can, either, know,
whether it's the messaging or whether,

like you're saying, whether it's
operationally, make some tweaks to, to

change your company/marketing to, to
be a little bit more lifestyle-focused

Rachel Satow: Yeah.

And I think one of the things that I'll
add about all of the brands that we're

talking about is, to Ian, your point,
they do already align with, with a certain

lifestyle, with a certain aesthetic,
with a certain, customer profile, right?

And like, for example, if someone w- if,
if, I don't remember the, the wool name

you said, but the Merino wool shirt and
the brand that you were, were talking

about, Brandon, they likely already know
that their ideal customer is someone

who is a, a, a one bag tripper, and
they probably also align very well with

the adventurers of the world, people
who like to travel and explore outdoors

because it is a very sturdy product.

that brand would have a, a nice little
opening to slot in rewards that go

beyond, oh, you can redeem for a free
shirt, or here's, you know, you know,

a, a, a different type of product that
we can add in as a, as a thank you.

They already can expand their rewards
catalog to align with travel rewards

because of the type of person that
they are targeting for their product.

I think one of the biggest challenges
is, like, we know that there are

brands that already fit into these
categories, entertainment, recreation,

everything within, with, with brands
that align already to things that

people are doing outside of work.

The brands that struggle with this
are things like grocery and fuel and

convenience stores and household products
because they are usually framed in the

consumer's mind as task-oriented brands.

They need to clean their house,
so they need this product.

they may value them highly without
feeling very personally connected to

a specific type of brand, but that
doesn't mean that those everyday

categories lack that emotional
connection or that lifestyle alignment.

It just means that they need to
find that lifestyle alignment.

For example, like, I use the, the
Meyer's brand for my cleaning products.

Do I think that

Brandon Giella: just thinking about them

Rachel Satow: yeah, do, do, do I think
that, like, this cleaning product…

Do I th- do I think about this
cleaning product and the…

Like, when I'm not using it?

Not really, un- le- except
in this exact moment.

but that is a household purchase.

That is a task-oriented purchase that I
have made, but I chose that brand, again,

whether or not their, their marketing
holds 100% true, but I chose that brand

because it aligns with the, the view
that I have that I want products that are

naturally sourced or at least a little
bit better for me than heavy chemicals.

So they market in a way and they
align with that lifestyle aspect in

a way that I think many brands can
start to just reframe the way they

think about how people are actually
interacting with their company

Ian Andersen: I think that's,
that's a really good point.

And two, two points I wanna make on that.

The, the first is like it can be difficul-
you know, you mentioned cleaning products,

but it- but others like, like gasoline or,
or just sort of everyday household items.

the, the with or the trouble with, with
creating the sort of lifestyle loyalty

program around it is, is they're just
such interchangeable goods, right?

Like g- gas at your local BP is literally
the exact same as gas at local Conoco.

So like price is your only differential.

and when the price points are so
relatively static when, you know,

you might get a couple of pennies,
from gas stations across the street

from each other off, they're, they're
generally gonna be pretty, pretty close.

So, how do you go about
differentiating yourself, to create

that sort of lifestyle loyalty?

And a brand I think does a really
good job of that, thinking about

sort of common household everyday
items is Johnson & Johnson.

they've really spent, what, the
last 40, 50 years or so trying

to separate themselves from,
competitors as a like I don't know

what you'd even call it necessarily.

A, a family-oriented, like, gentle,
you know, pro-environment, pro, like,

people-ish kind of brand, even though
what they, what they … I mean, and

they're a g- a ginormous company, right?

They make a ton of different stuff,
but, what they do make is relatively,

you know, comparable to the exact same
stuff their competitors make, right?

It's not, like I mentioned earlier,
it's not a Ferrari where the, the

quality i- is the def- differentiator.

It is, really the, the way the
company has positioned themselves.

and I think you're seeing a lot of that
more in brands that you, you know, five,

10 years ago we would have never mentioned
in lifestyle loyalty space, like Walmart.

And, you know, I was actually looking
recently at the, the Walmart's Plus

stuff if you, if you go with them
and, and the fact they're bringing in

everything, like fuel and services and
travel bookings and, you know, a whole

bunch of different things, they're
really trying to create a, a, a sort

of, like, we'll-take-care-of-everything
sort of experience for you, right?

Like, we will, like, we will be your first
stop for pretty much every purchase you

need to make, and whether or not that
purchase is directly with Walmart, they

want to be that gatekeeper and, and at
least, like, help and direct you to it.

So, there are plenty of ways to kind of go
about this, even if you're not necessarily

a brand that has a clear differentiator,
or a, or a product that aligns itself

to, to massive differentiation.

Rachel Satow: Yeah.

I love that example of Walmart+ because
that was also one I was thinking about.

before I bring up my other example
is, like the thing that I would

reiterate here is these brands,
it's … Again, it's not that they lack

the emotional or lifestyle potential.

To your point, Ian, Johnson & Johnson
has spent 40 to 50 years building this.

And like you said before, sometimes
you need to sacrifice the next purchase

and the maximum ROI in order to build
that, like truly, like long-term

loyalty and long-term brand story.

it doesn't mean that they don't have
an emotional or lifestyle alignment.

It just means that the emotional territory
looks a little different for them.

And the thing is they need to st-
brands should start to find other

categories that align similarly with
the emotional territory that they are

working in, whether that … I'm not
talking about additional competitors,

more so is there a brand that has the
same, you know, emotional connection

to my consumers and operates in a s-
in a separate, you know, a separate

entity, a se- separate in- industry.

and you know, a lot of these brands,
they can, they f- you know, center

upon feeling prepared, on taking
care of others, on ensuring a

healthy family, saving time, etc.

and one of the brands that I think has
done a really amazing job in identifying

parallel industries that have a similar
emotional connection, or at least, you

know, enough so that it would make sense
to partner and expand with, is T-Mobile.

So a- again, I'm a little biased.

I've been with T-Mobile the entire time
I've had a cellphone for the most part.

But you know, 20 years ago,
T-Mobile, AT&T, Singular, etc.,

like they all were there
to justify a single thing.

I needed to be able to
communicate on the go That was it.

Like I, I, they offer me the, the ability
to have a cellphone, and now T-Mobile

has completely revamped its rewards and
loyalty strategy to the point where,

like, every Tuesday, today's Tuesday,
I'm gonna log on to my T Life app,

and I'm gonna see what rewards being
a T-Mobile member and, and someone

who uses T-Mobile allows me to have.

I'm going to get to download, you know,
20c off of gas, and potentially a free

movie, or early access to lower cost
tickets to a movie that I want to see.

they even offer, like, travel
rewards through, or discounted

travel through my cellphone bill.

Like, all because I'm
a T-Mobile subscriber.

I get access to all of that, and I think
that is a really great way, a really

great showcase of just because you are
in a certain industry, and you have a

certain, a certain consumer, and your
immediate benefit that you provide to

these individuals fits one category,
doesn't mean that your rewards and your,

your loyalty program can't also expand
to fit other aspects of their life.

I mean, they even provide, you
know, like free Netflix, and Apple

TV, and a slew of other things.

All of that is, like, quote unquote, "On
them," just because you're a subscriber.

And that, to me, holds so much more value
than they have re- reliable service.

Is that amazing?

Absolutely.

But that, like, it just stacks on.

It's really like the cherry on top

Ian Andersen: But that's
the minimum, right?

Like,

Rachel Satow: Yeah.

Ian Andersen: service anymore,

Brandon Giella: Yeah.

Ian Andersen: for them is the

Rachel Satow: Exactly

Brandon Giella: Yeah.

Ian Andersen: So

Brandon Giella: Yeah, you used to
see all kinds of, commercials about,

"We have 94% coverage across the
United States," and it's like, well,

so does everybody else, you know?

That became less of a thing.

But I, but I think both of your,
examples, T-Mobile and Walmart, are

also examples of how you can change
customers' perceptions over time.

So by thinking aspirationally, by thinking
about the entire, you know, customer

journey or all the things about why they
would connect or, or what could be done

in the future, could be partnerships
like you're kind of getting at, Rachel.

But like, I'm thinking of Walmart,
because I see they-- you can get, in the

American Express Platinum membership,
you can get like $300 off, of a, a

Walmart Plus subscription, and it comes
with all the other benefits of course.

But it's interesting that Walmart is
connecting with what has been the premium,

you know, card for, for a long time.

but at the same time, I can't tell you
how many times I've been in a conversation

where, you know, we're at church or out
and about, and somebody comes up and

they're like, "Oh, I love that dress."

And the other woman goes,
"Guess where I got it?"

And they say, "Where?"

And the other woman says, "At Walmart."

And they go, "Oh my gosh,
can you believe it?"

And they all start talking about how great
Walmart's clothes are and how many times

they're going back now to Walmart, which
are people that often are not at Walmart.

But it's like they're changing the
perception about who they are in the

buyer's mind, and I, I think that's a--
it's, it's really powerful to do that

through loyalty, through what you offer.

It's great

Ian Andersen: A, an important point to, to
make about that though, Brandon, is that's

taken a long time for Walmart, right?

Like,

Brandon Giella: Totally.

Totally.

Yeah

Ian Andersen: late '90s, 2000s, somewhere
in there, that, when, Levi jeans started,

selling their jeans through Walmart.

And instead of raising the like,
"Oh, Walmart has, like, good

quality stuff now," made people
think, "Oh, Levi is kinda junk now

and is selling through Walmart."

Right?

And, and it took, it took a long
time to, to sort of shake that,

reputation and, and stigma for Walmart.

And it was

Brandon Giella: Yeah

Ian Andersen: slowly adding more and
more, quality products, right, and, and

eventually getting, getting through it.

So I think my, my point is just, like,
this is not an overnight thing, right?

This

Brandon Giella: Yeah

Ian Andersen: I mean, we are really
literally talking about lifetime loyalty.

Like, this is company lifetime as well
as customer lifetime, positioning.

So it, it needs to be a long-term strategy
that, that is not just from what your

marketing department is saying, right?

This is a, like, top-down organizational
challenge that your marketing and every-

your sales and marketing need to convey.

But this really does need to be a
totally, holistic sort of, not even

change, just l- like, I don't know,
coalescing of an idea of what more

Brandon Giella: Yeah

Ian Andersen: can be and what, what
additionally it can offer, right?

And, and I think, something that's
important to that is just, like,

just pure authenticity, right?

Of, of if you're

outdoors goods, supplier, you know,
or clothing company, some- somebody

like an REI or, you know, something
like that, like- Obviously, a lot of

your marketing and loyalty, offerings
and things like that are gonna be sort

of around the outdoor world, right?

Whether it's vacations, whether
it's, you know, camping and national

park and, or you know, whatever.

Like, there's going to be sort
of a, a common theme there.

and every company is gonna have something
like that, you know, whether you're

travel or fuel or, you know, anything
else, there's going to be sort of a

common thing and- theme, and I think
that's a great place to start, is

thinking about what your, your It's
not necessarily company values, but I

think it's sort of close to your company
values, and there's some crossover there.

but like what, what values,
what, what industry, like, where

does all that stuff intersect?

And then how can we, you know, connect
with, with people to, who either share

those same values or, or regularly shop
in this industry or, you know, whatever

it is, how do we connect with them?

And then what else can we provide
that would be useful for somebody

who's in this space, right?

Like Rachel mentioned T-Mobile
offering, you know, discounted

Net- Netflix whatever.

Like, you know, it makes sense.

Like, is, is the place where you
get, you know, data services through.

Here's a common data service
that people y- need, right,

is to watch streaming videos.

So, so there's that connection
there that, like, is a value add.

It's not a gas company offering, you know,
movie tickets or whatever, which I'm sure

there can be those connections there,
but it's, it's not necessarily, like,

Brandon Giella: Yeah

Ian Andersen: so yeah, I think it's
just, it's important to remember

this is, this is a long-term
strategy and needs to be left-right,

bottom-up, you know, for the whole

Rachel Satow: Yeah.

Yeah.

I would almost say like if we were
talking about a framework of how

to even get started on this as a
brand that doesn't naturally align

with lifestyle loyalty or naturally
align with emotional loyalty, it…

One of- outside of like defining your
core values and finding consumers that,

you know, have that core value, or align
with that core value, I think one of

the biggest thing is like a- simply ask
the question, what is the functional

reason customers are choosing a brand or
even choosing to do a certain activity?

So for example, like grocery
stores, whether that be Publix,

whether that be Wegmans, whether
that be, you know, whatever your

regional, your, your local store.

We have one here that's a local store.

You know, they help
people feed a household.

Th- that's the simple, the simple fact.

That is the functional reason
people go to grocery stores.

They help people feed our household.

For them, outside of that, you know,
like map the surrounding life context.

Outside of, you know, people need to
eat, like they may also be budgeting.

They may also need specific
meal, you know, meal types.

Like maybe their, the household
has a bunch of allergies that

they need to, to fulfill.

maybe they are, you know, doing
meal prep because of a, a health

reason, like they're trying to, you
know … Or even just a time-saving

reason, whatever that may be.

Like map the surrounding context of like
why the function is happening, because

that's where a lot of opportunities
will start to pop up in terms of being

able to, like identify, oh, this is a
branch that we haven't thought of before.

And then

Ian Andersen: that data anyway, right?

Like, you're

Rachel Satow: Exactly

Ian Andersen: right?

And that's a great example.

And, and Rachel, I'm sorry I
totally stepped on, but you,

Rachel Satow: You're good?

Ian Andersen: something that I hadn't,
I, I'd completely forgotten about until,

until you were talking, was, last year,
when my son was getting ready for running,

for his cross-country team, we, we bought
him a, a new pair of running shoes.

and I started getting these emails from
Nike about, like, running clubs that you

can, like, join sort of interactively.

they send out, like, nutrition data,
emails, you know, just stuff that's

sort of around the, the running space.

The, of data that they've already
collected, they already know.

All they're doing is, like,
providing that to you, right?

Rather, instead of just using it
internally, for, for additional sales,

they're providing an additional offering,
totally free of charge, to, to…

That, that's beneficial, right?

and I think every company has that kind
of data in their database, in their CRM.

They can go in and exactly what Rachel
is saying is they can sort of connect

the dots between purchases being made and
make some, like, pretty easy assumptions

about somebody's lifestyle, whether
it's, it's a meal plan prep thing for the

next week, you know, or, or the running
club or, like, y- I mean, there's a

hundred, you know, thousand different,
different ideas you could come up with.

But the point is you're
already collecting that data.

It's really not that much extra effort
to, to generate some, like, automated

marketing email type things that,
that provide actual value to people,

you know, rather than just like, "Oh,
here's a free coupon for your next

Rachel Satow: Yeah.

Yeah, absolutely.

And, like, I think…

I mean, we're marketers in this room,
so we're already- like, that's why

we're probably nerding out about
it as much as we are right now.

But, like, we- we're, we're taking
that view of like, "Oh, your

messaging could, could align with
this," or anything like that.

But to, to Ian, what you were
saying before, like, it really

is an operational change.

Like, you need to ensure that from the
top down, everyone is aligned with how

you're going about creating this lifestyle
loyalty and, and making the sacrifices

that are required in order to maximize
your, your customer lifetime value.

And like, going back to like the
framework, once you've had that,

you've taken a look at that data of
what you have available, you can find

gaps of what you aren't sure about.

So like using the, the, the grocery
example, like one of the things you'll

want to, to ensure you're tracking if
you do start to implement either whether

it's free resources or, you know, what…

to, to your, example,
like community resources.

Like, oh, in your area, here's
other run clubs or virtual

run clubs that you can do.

Like, you'll want to start to be able
to track the share of the routine,

and in order to do that, you need
to know the gaps in your data.

So like for example, like going to the
grocery, the grocery example, I go to

the grocery store when I need to do
a quick pickup for lunch, when I need

to actually shop for my whole family,
when, I like forgot an ingredient, etc.

All of those trips add up, and
I may not go to the same grocery

store for all of those trips.

It is important for a brand that is trying
to tap into this to know, okay, on, you

know, on, at the broad level, whether
that be how many trips they're taking

to your store, or you need to then find
what is the research showing consumers in

general go to grocery stores, convenience
stores X amount of times a week so that

you can say, "Okay, we are now garnering
more of those trips than we were before."

And I think that's a really great way
to, to kind of incorporate some of this,

like a new metric into your tracking
for lifestyle loyalty in particular.

Because if you can see that lift based
off of either free res- resources or

a shift in your messaging, then you
know that like, okay, we're building

long-term commitment to a specific brand.

so that's just like the secondary
thing that I was thinking of

is like how are different ways
you can, you can track this.

Because outside of core loyalty metrics,
like your active member rate, etc.,

like you also need to be able to showcase
that you're making a core change in

someone's commitment to your brand.

Brandon Giella: I think, you know,
where we started with the idea of

how to drive everyday brands into a
customer's lifestyle, we started with

luxury `cause I think that's easy,
and especially for like a travel

brand or, you know, things like that.

It's like, yeah, we've got the
margin and, you know, these

are smaller companies as well.

So we've got the margin and we've got
the capacity, if you will, to be able

to, to create this very stark narrative.

And we're working our way down into
more everyday brands, like we talked

about retailers or, or, you know,
gas stations and things like that.

I think where we're driving, a lot of
this conversation is there are likely

small steps that you can take working
towards some of this big vision.

You may not have twenty
years and an unlimited budget

to make this thing happen.

but there are ways that in the data
that you already have, in the inventory

you already have, the supply chain you
already have, there's probably a lot

of opportunity as a loyalty leader to
be looking at these things and saying

like, "There is a different way that
we could be thinking about this."

I know there's gotta be that trade-off
between like how do you drive more

of that lifestyle, you know, brand
awareness marketing, if you will,

versus the conversion, you know, ROI.

I think those things are always at
odds with any kind of mar-marketing

or loyalty program or leadership,
their, their capacities and

the resources that they have.

And so my last question to y'all
is how do you, how do you help

folks listening think about…

I think it's easy to dream up some things
that we could do, and if we had twenty

years and one hundred billion dollars and
we're a startup, we could just knock this

out, versus like reality of like I'm a
gas station, I've got a limited, you know,

I got limited resources, limited time.

h-how do you make that connection
between like how to emphasize with

the given resources they have, the
brand lifestyle component versus the

metrics quarterly that they are being
measured on and can be fired over?

Like how do you bridge those
two worlds in your mind?

Rachel Satow: I think, so the, the
biggest thing here is, like, we're

not saying that in order to align with
lifestyle or emotional loyalty, you

need to throw out everything that has
worked with y- worked for you thus far.

So my…

The, the,

You know

yeah, the exact opposite.

In, in s- in order to find the thing
that will move the needle for you in

terms of lifestyle loyalty, you're
going to have to test and iterate.

And I- it's not a, like,
overhaul of everything.

it is a, "Hey…"

Let's go back to the
grocery store example.

We know people are coming
there to feed a household.

That's the functional
reason that they're coming.

We know that, one of the things that,
one of the products that is doing really

well are prepared meals, like the, the
packaged meals where, you know, it has

the potatoes, the sauce, the butter,
the, the, you know, the pork roast, etc.,

all in one container.

Those are doing really well.

Okay.

Why are they doing really well?

They're doing well likely because you're,
you know, the, the person purchasing it

is limited on time, doesn't wanna think
about all of the ingredients necessary to

create a delicious meal like a pork roast.

Doesn't, you know, want to have to
go purchase more than is necessary

for their three-person family,
and frankly, like, just doesn't

want to think about meal planning.

that's my biggest thing,
is I don't wanna think.

I don't wanna be like, "On
Tuesday we are having X."

That's…

It's not, my brain doesn't
have space for that.

Brandon Giella: Mm-hmm.

Rachel Satow: so, like, a possible pilot
for lifestyle loyalty could be a, be a

meal planning tool for families, right?

Like, w- let's build your grocery list
based off of how many people are in

your family that you need to feed.

Are there any allergies?

Are there any macros that
you need to keep in mind?

is there any preferred brands that
you already have based on the purchase

data that we've already got from you?

So on and so forth.

Like, you can use all of that
to build a meal planning tool.

That alone takes that l- that weight
of you have to go plan out all of

the groceries that you're looking
for, and is like, "Here's your list.

Here's the l- the list that
you just need to go check off."

Brandon Giella: could be even simpler
of like, it could be like an email

sequence, a digital content sequence.

Rachel Satow: Yeah.

Brandon Giella: connect somebody that buys

Rachel Satow: Yeah

Brandon Giella: and they bought
diapers, okay, we know they're probably

parents with young kids, and they
don't have the time to be doing that.

Like, what would be a here are five
easy recipes to try this month,

you know, with these ingredients.

I don't know.

That's where I was,

Rachel Satow: absolutely.

And like, I think, I think the
variance between our answers

there showcases how easy it is to
scale something like this, right?

Like, yes, you could test a sequence.

Does the sequence, you know, have
a higher engagement rate for a

certain audience than others?

And then if it does, okay, how do
we build upon the success of that?

Let's maybe then test a tool, like a whole
tool and inve- the investment that takes.

so I think like even just the
difference in, in the way we, we

would baseline test is like, okay,

Brandon Giella: Yeah

Rachel Satow: you can make something
that's … You can try something that's

fairly simple, and then you can also like
scale it up and build more, and more,

and more based off of the success metrics
that you see of the, the first test.

Brandon Giella: I love that I love that.

That's a perfect answer

Ian Andersen: something else
too is, like, there's, there's a

reason you're in business, right?

You, you obviously provide, some sort
of need your customers find valuable.

but, like, just using Rachel's,
grocery store example.

Say, say you're a independent
store, in a particular town.

Like, as a, a business owner, you
know other local business owners.

if you don't, get out
and meet them, right?

And, and, develop some
partnerships, right?

That stuff can be, like,
extremely low cost, right?

Because all you're doing is, is partnering
with another small business in the

area to, to use each other's name to
market and sell your own goods, right?

to a local credit union and, and
see what sort of partnerships

you can do with, with them.

If they will do, you know, cards
with your, your freaking image on

it or, or whatever, your, your logo.

Like, picking on Rachel a
little more, like she's a big

bike, bicyclist, fan, right?

Like, go to your local bike sto- bike
shop and, you know, say, "Hey, well, like,

let us stick some of your bikes in our
store," and, help each other out, right?

Like, make Find partnerships that,
that make sense, but that, that

will help bring in people that, that
haven't come before or, or, ensure

your, your existing customers.

Like, like, let them know about new
partnerships, new offerings that, that

you're trying to grow and expand, right?

Like, there are some pretty low cost,
relatively simple avenues you can take

to, to provide additional value on top
of what you're doing, that And then,

and then it's just like you said,
it's just communicating that with some

simple, simple marketing tools, right?

and, and by using, like, good
partnerships, by, finding different

benefits or experiences that, that are,
are relatively low cost for you, but

providing additional, you know, resources
and, and products to your customers,

like, is a really good way to start
expanding that, that life cycle loyalty

Brandon Giella: Amen.

Amen.

Well, I'd like to leave listeners
with this last question to hit on

Rachel's point, is what is your
customer trying to accomplish before,

during, and after they buy from you?

So what is it they're
trying to accomplish?

What is the lifestyle around that?

And to Ian's point, are there
partnerships that can make that happen?

Whether you're a luxury travel startup or
a local gas or retail operation, is plenty

of, of next steps, things that you can
do that are low cost, low-hanging fruit

that can actually make a huge difference
in driving loyalty to your business.

So I think that if I could
summarize our entire conversation,

it's been driving toward that.

guys, thank you so much, Rachel,
Ian, always lovely to have you.

And if you're listening, please
go check out switchfly.com

for more resources like this, and
we will see you on the next episode