Project Overview

After Melal Bank’s Faam super application was successfully completed, I oversaw the creation of a thorough Loyalty Club program for the brokerage services of Saman Bank, one of Iran’s most prestigious and powerful financial institutions. The objective of this project was to improve customer engagement and retention by combining user experience research, gamification, and strategic marketing initiatives into an advanced loyalty program.

Key Responsibilities

  • Research and Benchmarking:

    • Despite initially having limited knowledge about loyalty programs, I undertook extensive research to understand the intricacies of successful loyalty systems.
    • Conducted a benchmark analysis of other leading loyalty programs in the fintech industry, identifying best practices and key features that could be adapted to our project.
    • Developed a comprehensive gamification and scoring system aligned with Saman Bank’s business strategy, ensuring that the earning and redemption processes were both engaging for users and supportive of the bank’s goals.
  • Brand Identity and Business Model Development:

    • Collaborated closely with the branding team to create a distinct brand identity and define brand values for the Loyalty Club, ensuring consistency with Saman Bank’s overall brand strategy.
    • Played a pivotal role in developing the business model for the Loyalty Club, focusing on long-term customer engagement and value creation.
  • User Experience Research and Persona Development:

    • Led UX research efforts, including user interviews, analysis of financial behaviors, and meetings with Saman Bank managers and customer care teams to gain a deeper understanding of user needs and expectations.
    • Analyzed the collected data with UX researchers to define user personas, empathizing with their pain points and identifying opportunities to enhance their customer journey.
    • Used these insights to inform the design of the loyalty program, ensuring that it met the specific needs of different user segments.
  • Feature Definition and Prioritization:

    • Guided the team in defining the key features of the Loyalty Club, ensuring they were aligned with the personas and business objectives.
    • Prioritized features based on user needs and strategic goals, managing their implementation through a series of sprints and iterative releases, leading to a high-quality MVP.
  • Design and Development Oversight:

    • Worked closely with designers to create UX processes that were not only functional but also visually aligned with the brand’s identity and goals.
    • Conducted rigorous testing of designs to ensure they met both functional and aesthetic standards.
    • Collaborated with developers to ensure the delivery of high-quality products, testing APIs and other technical components to guarantee seamless integration and performance.
  • Campaign Design and Marketing Collaboration:

    • Designed and executed targeted marketing campaigns, incorporating gamification elements to drive user engagement and participation in the Loyalty Club.
    • Partnered with digital marketing teams to implement strategies including video marketing, SEO, SEM, and influencer marketing, while also coordinating traditional ATL advertising across cities via banners, buses, and highways.
  • Stakeholder Communication and Leadership:

    • Managed communication with both internal and external stakeholders, navigating the complexities of working within a highly regulated banking environment.
    • Led cross-functional teams, coordinating efforts between design, development, branding, and marketing to ensure cohesive progress toward project goals.

Conclusion

This project forced me to oversee a wide range of duties, from strategic planning to execution, which was a tremendous learning opportunity. Deep insights into the challenges of product leadership in the fintech industry were gained from leading the development of the Loyalty Club for a significant financial institution such as Saman Bank. It also helped me overcome the particular difficulties related to the regulatory environment that affects the banking industry, while honing my research, gamification, user experience design, and cross-functional team management skills.

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