Bonus system

This article explains bonus systems in trading; on the instrument of a competition authority, see bonus regulation .

A bonus system or bonus program is an instrument of customer loyalty in the retail and service industries or an incentive system in human resources .

functionality

The basis of a bonus system is the credit received with every purchase or use of a service for a specific quantitative unit in relation to the purchase or service value, e.g. points, miles etc. The accumulation of a certain amount of this unit then entitles the customer to one Payment in the form of rewards or cash (here also: " Cashback system ").

Bonus systems in practice

BSW. The BonusClub is the nationwide bonus system that has been active on the market for the longest time, Payback , which is primarily active in traditional sales channels, is currently the most widespread system in Germany. Here, the customer presents a plastic card issued to him when shopping and receives the bonus purchased on an account. The DeutschlandCard is the third major provider .

For some time now, such systems have also existed in e-commerce , which primarily act as a cashback system . Some bonus systems such as webmiles are limited to online shopping, while Payback can be used both in retail and on the Internet. In contrast to the classic bonus systems, the companies active in e-commerce use affiliate programs to integrate a significantly larger number of partner companies into their systems. In addition, customers of these bonus systems often receive a credit for registering on the website of a partner company. The providers make it easier to collect bonuses on the Internet, for example through toolbars for web browsers and apps for mobile phones .

In the transportation industry, bahn.bonus from Deutsche Bahn and Miles & More from Lufthansa are well established.

Lately bonus programs have also been used to encourage consumers to consume responsibly, contrary to traditional bonus systems. For example, the program of the start-up Wertewandel uses bonus points to permanently inspire consumers to buy sustainable, organic and fair products. In contrast to other bonus programs, there is no need to collect, analyze or sell customer data.

The bonus programs in statutory health insurance in Germany are a special form of bonus systems . Although these also primarily serve to create customer loyalty to a specific health insurance company , in contrast to most conventional bonus systems, they are not related to a previous financial performance by the "customer" (more precisely : of the insured person) tied to the health insurance company. Instead, measures to prevent illness (e.g. participation in preventive medical check-ups , vaccinations) and a healthy lifestyle (e.g. regular exercise in a club or gym, no smoking) are rewarded with cash or non-cash rewards. With the help of the bonus programs, the statutory health insurance companies try to improve the general health of their policyholders in order to reduce their treatment costs in the long term. At the same time, bonus models in statutory health insurance (as well as the additional percentage contributions ) are a common differentiating feature in the competition between health insurers.

human Resource

In HR, the bonus system is also an incentive system that promises bonus payments for outstanding work . Bonus systems are often used as incentive systems in large companies . These are remuneration systems within the framework of performance management , which are often intended to offer an incentive to increase performance in sales . You have to take into account that the basic remuneration already rewards a high level of work and may therefore only be provided for special top performance or overachieving corporate goals. They should be geared towards long-term and sustainable goals and be transparent. Compensation systems, on the other hand, should not induce employees to take inappropriate risks. Bonus systems are usually regulated in the employment contract , in work instructions or in the works agreement.

literature

• Marcus Forschepoth: Data protection for customer cards and online bonus programs - Are we going to be transparent customers? , Books on demand, Norderstedt 2010, ISBN 978-3-8391-3925-7 .
• Sebastian Grosser: Reward Management - The blind spot of bonus program theory , Verlag Dr. Müller, 2006, ISBN 978-3-8364-0139-5 .
• Thomas Lauer: Bonus programs - successfully designing discount systems for customers , Springer Verlag, 2004, ISBN 978-3-5402-0241-7 .
• Frank Mühlenbeck and Klemens Skibicki: Sales Channel Social Commerce - Blogs, Podcasts, Communities - How to Make Money with Web 2.0 Marketing , Books on Demand, 2007, ISBN 978-3-8334-9686-8 .