Need proof that Canadians love their loyalty programs? ‘Maritz Insights: The Loyalty Report,’ released today by Maritz Canada, found that 43% of Canadians get a rush from accumulating reward points, while almost half say it affects their shopping behaviour.

The report found that 94% of Canadians are members of at least one loyalty program, with the average person belonging to four – and 54% select their primary credit card based on the ability to collect points.

In terms of redemption, the study found that many Canadians see reward programs as a way to treat themselves, with 45% using points to relax or make life easier and 40% using them to acquire things they otherwise couldn’t.

So, what makes a good loyalty program? Maritz found that the greatest driver of satisfaction is the ability to earn points and obtain desired rewards (42%), and that financial institutions are faring better in terms of member satisfaction than coalition and retail programs – though SCENE and Shoppers Optimum are at the head of the class in those categories.

When it comes to sustained success, the report named Air Miles, CIBC Aerogold, Amex Air Miles and Sears Club as seasoned vets, with 40% or more of their active members having joined at least a decade ago.

But in this competitive loyalty market, there’s plenty of room for improvement. Maritz found that 40% of respondents want to see better redemption processes, 53% want to be alerted when they reach their desired points balance and only 38% feel their loyalty programs do a very good job of communicating with them.

For the report’s highlights paper from Maritz Canada, click here.