It’s that time of the year again: taxes. For those who don’t know, you can get up to RM700 in tax rebate from book purchases. Though I buy a lot of books, I don’t really buy that much from Times. But what they did impressed me and would probably change my mind. I received the following a few weeks back:
By obtaining approval from LHDN to accept Times’ “Member Purchase Statement” as a valid document for tax rebate submission, they’ve essentially made it so much more convenient to be a loyal member! With this I don’t have to worry about collecting / collating / keeping many pieces of receipts for filing anymore. It really gives me more reasons to park my purchases with Times, or at least keep them on my radar as the choice of bookshop, especially since books are some what commodified anyway.
While the context and timing of the effort played an important part in engaging and reinforcing customer experience, this initiative also shows that customer loyalty can be fostered through something other than price / discounts.
See you next time at Times.
P.S. – It’s actually quite a good deal to be a Times member as they give good instant discounts on stuff including mags (compared to MPH’s lousy 5% cash rebate after 12 months) and they’re relatively convenient to locate. I guess my only problem with them seems to be the selection of titles (new and old) they carry, for which Kino is the best, followed by Borders. If you’re the patient and cheap type who don’t mind waiting out titles, Popular and PayLessBooks are where you want to be. So you’ll have to take your chances I guess.
By obtaining approval from LHDN to accept Times’ “Member Purchase Statement” as a valid document for tax rebate submission, they’ve essentially made it so much more convenient to be a loyal member! With this I don’t have to worry about collecting / collating / keeping many pieces of receipts for filing anymore. It really gives me more reasons to park my purchases with Times, or at least keep them on my radar as the choice of bookshop, especially since books are some what commodified anyway.
While the context and timing of the effort played an important part in engaging and reinforcing customer experience, this initiative also shows that customer loyalty can be fostered through something other than price / discounts.
See you next time at Times.
P.S. – It’s actually quite a good deal to be a Times member as they give good instant discounts on stuff including mags (compared to MPH’s lousy 5% cash rebate after 12 months) and they’re relatively convenient to locate. I guess my only problem with them seems to be the selection of titles (new and old) they carry, for which Kino is the best, followed by Borders. If you’re the patient and cheap type who don’t mind waiting out titles, Popular and PayLessBooks are where you want to be. So you’ll have to take your chances I guess.
