LOYALTY PROGRAMMES AS A TOOL FOR IMPLEMENTING LONG-TERM SALES STRATEGIES OF WHOLESALE TRADE ENTERPRISES

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to substantiate the role of loyalty programmes as a tool for shaping and implementing the long-term sales strategies of wholesale trade enterprises and to systematise the methodological approaches to their design and implementation, taking into account the specifics of the B2B market and the trends of digitalisation. Methodology of research. The goal set in the article was achieved using the following research methods: descriptive analysis of the foreign and domestic scientists works, the method of comparative analysis, abstract-logical and system-structural methods, modeling and typification, scientific generalization and systematization. Findings.The article demonstrates that, in the wholesale (B2B) segment, loyalty programmes differ substantially from their retail counterparts: the purchasing decision is predominantly rational and collective, transactions are large and concentrated, and relationships are long-term and personalised. Under these conditions, loyalty programmes acquire the features of channel-management and trade-marketing instruments and function as pull mechanisms that generate counter-demand and partner commitment within the distribution channel. It is shown that the financial return of a programme is formed at the intersection of three dimensions — behavioural, financial and informational-communicational — and that the effectiveness of a programme is not unconditional but depends on its design, on the value it creates for the customer, on the transparency of its conditions and on the balance between the rewards granted and the return obtained. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the integrated consideration of loyalty programmes specifically as a tool of the long-term sales strategy of a wholesale enterprise, combining the results on their impact on customer behaviour and profitability with the sectoral specifics of wholesale trade and the opportunities of digitalisation. The conclusions emphasise that a loyalty programme cannot be effective as an isolated measure; its effectiveness is ensured only when it is aligned with the goals of the sales strategy, the assortment policy and the technological infrastructure of the enterprise, and when a system for evaluating its return is in place. Practical value. The practical significance consists in the proposed generalised sequence of stages for designing and implementing a loyalty programme by a wholesale enterprise. Special attention is paid to destructive factors and systemic risks of implementing B2B loyalty programmes.