In today’s time where consumers hold more power than ever, cultivating genuine customer loyalty has become both a critical challenge and a strategic opportunity for brands. As customers’ expectations continue to evolve, loyalty programs and reward-based strategies and influencer marketing are becoming more relevant in the world of marketing and sales. Vikas Shah, Co-Founder, BigCity Promotion discusses why brands and businesses should invest in loyalty programs and reward marketing to build lasting relationships with customers, clients, and partners.
Trade Loyalty Is Not A Backend Alternative But A Dynamic Engine For Building Influence And Advocacy: Vikas Shah
Vikas Shah highlights how trade loyalty drives influence and advocacy beyond just backend support.
Q1. In a world where everyone is chasing digital influencers and creators, are brands forgetting the original influencer — India’s retailer, wholesaler, and field sales rep?
There’s a lot of focus today on top-of-funnel influence — creators, reels, reach. But conversion still happens closer to the shelf, and in India, that shelf is controlled by trade partners — the retailer, the chemist, the distributor, the field rep. They influence every stage of the actual buying decision. Their role is not just transactional — it’s advisory, persuasive, and long-standing.
The way we work with brands is to help them rethink trade loyalty not as a backend scheme, but as an influence-building engine. The shift is from monthly targets to everyday actions, from passive participation to active brand advocacy — driven by recognition, speed, and relevance of rewards, delivered at the right time, in the right format.
Q2. We have seen a shift where kirana store owners, chemists, even sales promoters are driving higher conversion than some digital campaigns. Why do you think they are so influential in the current retail landscape?
Because they operate within trust-based ecosystems. A kirana store isn’t just a shop — it’s part of the community. Chemists are seen as problem-solvers, not just sellers. These partners are having one-on-one conversations with buyers daily — in their language, in their locality, with full cultural context. That kind of engagement can’t be replicated by a digital campaign.
At , we focus on programs that reward this influence — not just sales. Whether it’s for referrals, training completion, or inputs during activations, brands are now building engagement around the everyday value these partners deliver. When that happens, advocacy becomes organic. Across FMCG and durables sectors, programs targeting these influencers have driven 12–18% uplift in sales in pilot markets from what we have seen.
Q3. Most trade programs still revolve around points, cashback, and schemes. Do you think that is enough to build real loyalty or influence?
They play a role — but trade loyalty today is suffering not because the rewards are wrong, but because the experience is. Points and cashback only work when they are relevant, timely, and easy to track. What we’re seeing across industries is that participation is dropping, scheme recall is low, and even the most generous offers are failing to drive behaviour.
Across multiple programs, we’ve observed that even the most generous offers underperform when the system lacks immediacy or contextual relevance. Participation dropped by over 40% in programs that were non-personalized or delayed in rewards. That’s why we help brands shift from transactional loyalty to daily relevance. That includes layering smart tech over traditional formats — mobile-first dashboards, vernacular UX, and AI-based nudges. When the system responds to behaviour in real time, that’s when loyalty starts turning into influence.
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Q4. What is the biggest missed opportunity in how brands design their trade programs today?
It’s the assumption that everyone in the trade ecosystem is motivated by the same trigger. In reality, the network is diverse — a small retailer in Assam, a channel partner in Pune, and a project distributor in Chennai have different expectations, limitations, and motivations. But most programs still run a single structure nationwide — same slabs, same rules, same messages.
The programs we run take segmentation seriously — not just by region or channel, but also by behaviour. We’ve seen brands evolve by introducing emotional design elements, like festive journeys, gamified mechanics, or cultural recognition. These aren’t just decorative — they make the program feel personal and relevant to every partner.
Q5. What does a modern, high-performing trade program look like today — especially when you treat trade partners like brand influencers, not just middlemen?
It looks personalised and alive — not static. The best programs today don’t just run in the background. They interact. They track. They adjust. They reward in real time. Whether it’s a retailer in a Tier 3 town or a top-tier channel partner in an urban hub, the modern expectation is that the brand knows where they are in the journey and rewards them accordingly.
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Our experience shows that when brands combine tiered journeys, WhatsApp-based updates, instant rewards, and recognition beyond cash — participation deepens. Partners start feeling like they’re progressing with the brand, not just completing a task. That’s where engagement becomes consistent.
Over the past year, we’ve seen engagement grow 3x on average when tech is layered with local insight. Whether it’s AI-driven personalization, real-time reward fulfilment, or gamified experiences like spin-the-wheel or instant scratch cards, the impact is visible — not just in participation rates but in actual business outcomes.
The next wave of trade programs won’t reward just what was sold — they’ll reward how it was sold, who influenced it, and when. Influence isn’t about volume anymore — it’s about behaviour.
Q6. How are technologies like AI, gamified UX, and vernacular platforms changing the way brands engage their trade networks?
These technologies are finally aligning trade engagement with how people actually use digital in India. AI helps predict when and how to engage different partners — based on past behaviour, location, and performance. Gamified UX makes the program feel less like admin and more like a challenge or journey. And vernacular platforms remove hesitation — especially in markets where digital literacy is still uneven.
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The way we build platforms combines these elements into one flow — dynamic rewards, real-time updates, and regional language support. That solves what trade teams deal with constantly: unclear visibility, slow payout, and lack of partner interest after the first few weeks.
Q7. Can you share an example of a trade engagement program that did not just push volume — but actually shifted behaviour or loyalty at the ground level?
There was a program for a large FMCG brand where the objective wasn’t just to push slabs — it was to activate previously disengaged trade partners in semi-urban markets. Instead of only rewarding sales, the brand started recognising smaller but consistent actions — weekly logins, referrals, even completion of short trainings.
The solution we implemented was built mobile-first, gamified, and in multiple languages. Over eight weeks, repeat participation nearly doubled. The change wasn’t in the prize — it was in the system: faster, visible, and behaviour-linked. That’s how loyalty becomes habit — and habit builds retention.
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We’re now seeing repeat engagement double in under eight weeks when brands shift from payout-heavy to behavior-recognition models. This is not about spending more — it’s about spending smarter, where speed, visibility, and relevance convert actions into long-term advocacy.
Q8. Looking ahead, how do you see the role of trade influencers evolving — especially in a market that is split between eCommerce, quick commerce, and traditional retail?
Trade will continue to evolve — but its influence will remain foundational, especially in India. Even with quick commerce and D2C growth, brand trust is still built in-person, at the counter, or through a distributor’s advice. What’s changing is that this influence is getting harder to manage — because it’s now spread across traditional, modern, and project-driven formats.
As a company, we focus on helping brands map and grow this influence across every channel. That means daily engagement, multi-model journeys, and recognition of actions that go beyond just volume.
What we’re helping brands do is move from sales-linked reporting to influence-linked intelligence — identifying the real drivers behind outcomes, not just rewarding the outcomes themselves. Trade isn’t just distribution — it’s relationship capital. And programs that understand that will stay relevant.
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