Consider a typical scenario: John installs a customer club membership app on his smartphone.
QVC customers whose membership numbers match the lucky number receive a $10 account credit, and are eligible to win cash and prizes.
Other Web sites, most notably RestaurantRow.com, allow diners to make reservations online, but OpenTable is free, while RestaurantRow charges customers a membership fee of $8 a month, or $5 a reservation.
But smart businesses maintain activity with the other 80% of customers because membership in the "fat 20" changes with time.
Certainly, that's a high bar but there is not enough movement - even temporarily - on major barriers for Costco to becoming more competitive for most customers (notably membership fees and shipping).
This translates into more engaged customers, mobile loyalty membership clubs, getting customers to the stores on the slow days and, in the end, generating more revenue.
Also in Florida, Entertainment Work charged customers $80 "memberships" in a Web site that supposedly listed jobs in the film and television industry and the print media.
Costco has used Mr. Price's formula: sell a limited number of items, keep costs down, rely on high volume, pay workers well, have customers buy memberships and aim for upscale shoppers, especially small-business owners.
JetSmarter opened up private jet travel to a new level of customers with memberships under $10,000 that offered unlimited free seats on private jets and even the entire jet for empty leg flights.
The company was also ordered to give clear disclosures before enrolling customers in a membership plan, which Fab.com says echoes customer complaints against JustFab.
