How hospitality businesses can create 'Superfans'

Zonal partner, 125 Data & Insights, is a customer experience dashboard that gathers consumer data and shows operators exactly what their customers love and where they think things can improve, so that they become, and remain, loyal customers and advocates of the business.

Here we chat with Managing Director at 125 Data & Insights, Olivia FitzGerald, about all things loyalty – and how to make a ‘superfan’.

What channels do you think are most effective for engaging customers in today’s market, and why?

There’s no one size fits all solution when it comes to ways of communicating in today’s market. Our data shows that Google is universally important across different demographics, with businesses needing to prioritise their reputation there. In fact, 69% of customers reported checking Google before planning a visit, and 90% of them considered the information found on Google as crucial. This highlights how businesses cannot afford to ignore Google.

Social media channels are also very important, with younger generations more engaged with Instagram and TikTok due to their visual nature. Older generations tend to use review websites such as TripAdvisor instead and, while it may seem outdated, email is still one of the most cost-effective and easy-to-use channels.

How can businesses leverage data to personalise customer interactions and improve engagement across different channels?

The first step to personalisation is understanding your customer demographics. By using certain tools, businesses can segment their database based on customer preferences and behaviour. For example, older demographics tend to have higher brand loyalty, while younger generations may frequent a wider range of brands and are more easily swayed.

This demographic insight allows businesses to tailor their communication and engagement strategies accordingly. For example, Bill’s restaurants promote their bottomless pancake offering mainly through Instagram, as it appeals to their younger, student-heavy audience who prefer visual content. Using data to segment your audience and then choosing the most appropriate channels based on that segmentation leads to more effective customer engagement.

How can data-driven insights help identify potential loyal customers early in their journey and tailor strategies to enhance their experience?

We’ve been working on identifying what makes someone a ‘superfan’— those who advocate for a brand. Key indicators include using emotional language in feedback, such as ‘love’ and using multiple exclamation marks. We’ve found that people who score highly on Net Promoter Score (NPS) tend to leave more emotive, personalised comments, while lower scores are more functional and less personal.

By tagging these superfans in your database, businesses can start personalising their engagement early. Even without a formal loyalty programme, businesses can offer special deals or incentives to these superfans. Combining customer feedback with CRM data offers actionable insights for improving engagement and loyalty.

What are some of the challenges companies face when using data to manage loyalty programmes, and how can they overcome these obstacles?

Companies often overcomplicate their loyalty programmes, to the point that they become too complex for both customers and staff to understand. Taking it back to basics is key, ensuring that the programme is simple, aligned with their objectives, and based on actual visit frequency. For instance, a points system relying on frequent visits won’t work for businesses with low visit frequency.

Additionally, businesses often fail to define clear objectives for their loyalty programmes, which makes it hard to measure success. Overcoming this requires businesses to leverage their data to understand what they are trying to achieve and how they will measure success. It’s also important to recognise that loyalty isn’t always about structured programmes – it can be based on human connections, such as staff discretion or special incentives, which may resonate more with customers.