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Anjum Rastogi

Anjum Rastogi: Building Lasting Relationships through Loyalty Programs

Mastering Customer Insights!

Customer loyalty and experience management have become central to modern marketing strategies as companies seek to build lasting relationships with consumers. The importance of understanding customer behavior, personalizing interactions, and enhancing loyalty programs has taken center stage in the marketing sector, particularly with the rise of digital technologies. Businesses across various industries are embracing customer-centric solutions to drive engagement and retain their competitive edge. With growing consumer expectations, the industry is moving toward more data-driven, personalized experiences that prioritize customer satisfaction and long-term loyalty over short-term gains.

Anjum Rastogi, the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), demonstrates a forward-thinking leadership approach in this challenging industry. Her career, shaped by a passion for customer experience and a deep understanding of consumer behavior, has consistently revolved around innovation in customer engagement. From her early focus on loyalty programs to leading digital transformation efforts, Anjum brings a blend of creativity and strategic insight to her role. She focuses on unlocking the potential of her team and delivering solutions that resonate with customers, all while cultivating an environment that encourages autonomy and innovation.

Easyrewardz Software Services, a leader in customer loyalty and CRM solutions, has become a trusted partner for businesses aiming to optimize their customer engagement strategies. Under Anjum’s leadership, the company has set new standards in delivering personalized experiences and demand-generation strategies across various industries. By offering customizable solutions that address the specific needs of each client, Easyrewardz continues to enhance its position as a leader in the customer loyalty space. Its ability to stay ahead of trends and anticipate industry shifts has made it a key player in the competitive world of customer relationship management.

Let’s delve into Anjum’s innovative journey in the field of marketing:

Leading Customer-Centric Innovation

From the early days of her career at Citibank, Anjum was drawn to the world of customer experience, loyalty, and rewards. The potential for innovation in these areas led her to pivot towards digital transformation and customer loyalty early on. Working with startups across diverse roles allowed her to sharpen her marketing acumen, with a focus on brand building and market positioning.

An important moment in her journey was crossing paths with Soumya Chatterjee, the visionary founder whose passion for CRM mirrored her own. The opportunity to join Easyrewardz, a pioneer in customer loyalty and CX solutions, was a natural progression as they shared a belief in revolutionizing customer engagement.

Her career trajectory was far from conventional. Coming from a family of doctors, there was an expectation to follow a different path. However, her education at Mayo College Girls School instilled a sense of resilience and leadership.

While studying Economics at SRCC, Delhi, she became deeply fascinated by consumer behavior—its patterns, psychology, and lifecycle. It was here that she recognized marketing as the ideal fusion of creativity, data-driven insight, and strategic thinking.

Today, as the CMO of Easyrewardz, she leads with this blend of passion and expertise, committed to driving the next wave of customer-centric innovation in CRM and loyalty management.

Demand-Generation Strategies for Growth

As the CMO of Easyrewardz, Anjum’s role revolves around three core responsibilities:

  • First and foremost, she serves as the brand custodian, ensuring that Easyrewardz maintains a strong, positive perception among stakeholders while solidifying its position as an innovator and thought leader in the CRM and loyalty sector.
  • Second, she focuses on aligning the brand with the right audience, ensuring the solutions resonate with their needs and aspirations. This also includes driving customer retention through targeted campaigns and personalized experiences that build long-term loyalty, ultimately maximizing lifetime value.
  • Lastly, she drives demand-generation strategies that directly contribute to growth and revenue goals, ensuring marketing remains a key driver of the company’s success.

Autonomy and Strategic Thinking

As someone who has worked for close to 2 decades, Anjum has learned that successful leadership is about unlocking potential. Her leadership style is grounded in understanding each team member’s strengths and areas for growth. The mantra she swears by is “Think Big, Start Small, Act Now!”

In today’s growing marketing sector, creating an environment where individuals feel empowered to take ownership and innovate is key. She focuses on giving her team the autonomy to make decisions and drive initiatives, encouraging accountability, creativity, and strategic thinking—qualities that are essential for staying competitive in the industry.

While delivering high-quality results under tight deadlines is crucial, she believes in achieving this without a culture of pressure or intimidation. Instead, she prioritizes mentorship and encourages continuous learning. By guiding her team to adapt, evolve, and master new approaches, she enables them to exceed expectations. This leadership philosophy not only drives their personal growth but also strengthens Easyrewardz’s position as a leader in the industry.

Mastering Adaptability Across Industries

Her go-to strategy is akin to matchmaking—getting to know the Target Audience (TA) inside and out, identifying the perfect solutions to solve their challenges, and then speaking their language as if Easyrewardz has been in their shoes.

It’s about making the right connections between the offerings and the company’s needs. It doesn’t just stop at a good first impression—clear KPIs are set to ensure goals are not only met but surpassed.

At Easyrewardz, adaptability is key, seamlessly working across industries and catering to everyone from small brands to global giants in BFSI, e-commerce, Healthcare, Fashion, and beyond. The CRM solution Zence is fully customizable, ensuring it meets the unique needs of each sector. And trends are not just followed—the company anticipates.

For example, with DPDP compliance gaining momentum in India, Easyrewardz was ahead of the curve, rolling out solutions for zero-party and first-party data collection. Because in this business, staying ahead is the only way to stay relevant.

Check out the Webinar to gain knowledge on the topic.

Enhancing Customer Experience

Throughout her career, Anjum has placed customers at the center of every strategy—they’re the heroes of the story, and everything revolves around enhancing their experience. Customer-centricity isn’t just a buzzword; it’s the heartbeat of her approach.

She believes in customer democracy™ – of the customer, by the customer, for the customer—and every marketing initiative is shaped with this philosophy in mind, ensuring a laser focus on delivering real value.

When working on any new mandates, regardless of the sector, she starts by asking a few key questions:

  • What will the customer’s journey feel like?
  • What problem are we solving for them?
  • Is there an urgent need to address right away?
  • What’s the unique value proposition for the end consumer?

These questions form the foundation of the strategies, making sure that customer satisfaction isn’t just a checkbox but the core driver of everything done at Easyrewardz. The goal is to create marketing initiatives that not only resonate with the audience but also deliver tangible ROI and meaningful experiences that keep them coming back. At the end of the day, it’s all about making the customer feel understood, valued, and heard.

Staying Ahead in Marketing

According to Anjum, in a world where change is the only constant, staying ahead in marketing is like riding a rollercoaster—thrilling, unpredictable, and exhilarating! To keep strategies innovative and competitive, Anjum prioritizes a compelling value proposition and measurable ROI, which are the true markers of success.

By emphasizing ROI-driven strategies across the entire customer lifecycle, from campaign interactions to brand interventions, the impact of every action is meticulously measured. This rigorous, data-driven approach empowers the implementation of strategies that are not only relevant but also timely.

Competition benchmarking and market research are crucial in this journey. A deep understanding of the industry, paired with strong communication with product managers, allows the creation of a brand USP through account-based marketing.

This blend of insights and collaboration fuels innovation, ensuring agility and responsiveness to market demands. In essence, navigating this rollercoaster requires being proactive, adaptable, and always in tune with the ever-changing needs of the audience.

Keeping Up with Industry Trends

In her opinion, staying ahead in the fast-paced world of digital marketing requires a relentless pursuit of knowledge. Anjum is constantly immersed in industry news, attending conferences, and networking with thought leaders.

Anjum makes it a point to regularly read industry articles and listen to insightful podcasts. This holistic approach keeps her sharp, informed, and ready to capitalize on the latest trends and technologies. She meets people from the same or varied faculties and reads journals and articles to stay informed about the latest trends.

Prioritizing and Delegating for Success

For Anjum, balancing the demands of a CMO role with a personal life is like trying to juggle flaming chainsaws while wearing a blindfold. However, with a strong passion, a supportive team, a flexible work environment, and a healthy dose of humor, it is entirely possible. She has learned to prioritize, delegate, and, most importantly, remember that a little laughter goes a long way in keeping the circus running smoothly.

Understanding the Customer Mindset

Her advice to aspiring marketers who aim to reach leadership positions is that “the path to marketing leadership is not a straight line, but a winding journey filled with opportunities for growth and discovery. What truly sets one apart is the ability to learn, adapt, and enrich the experiences of those around them. Success is not a destination but a continuous journey fueled by passion, belief, and unwavering dedication.”

For aspiring marketers, one crucial skill that can set them apart is storytelling. The ability to craft compelling narratives that resonate emotionally with the audience is invaluable. Great storytelling can turn a brand into a movement, inspire loyalty, and make the message memorable in a crowded market.

“There are no shortcuts to success. Embrace hard work, stay open to new ideas, and respect all. In today’s market, understanding the customer mindset is paramount.” She quoted.

Vision for CRM and Loyalty Solutions

Anjum’s vision for Easyrewardz is nothing short of dominance: to solidify its position as the undisputed leader in CRM and loyalty solutions. Inspired by the pioneering spirit of founder Soumya Chatterjee, Easyrewardz has built a tech-enabled platform that empowers businesses to optimize their customer lifecycle management.

Easyrewardz’ flagship CRM tech stack “Zence”, customizable for any industry, has set a new standard. Hence, the revolutionary B2C enterprise-level CRM platform is a tangible example of the commitment to pushing boundaries. Easyrewardz is determined to become an indispensable partner for businesses seeking cutting-edge CRM and loyalty solutions.