{"id":72546,"date":"2026-05-20T11:57:01","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T06:27:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/beatroute.io\/?p=72546"},"modified":"2026-05-20T13:01:56","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T07:31:56","slug":"ep09-manas-bisht-closing-the-channel-loyalty-gap-in-dealer-and-influencer-led-industries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beatroute.io\/id\/podcast\/ep09-manas-bisht-closing-the-channel-loyalty-gap-in-dealer-and-influencer-led-industries\/","title":{"rendered":"Closing the Channel Loyalty Gap in Dealer and Influencer-Led Industries ft. Manas Bisht"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Building a Channel Loyalty Stack That Works ft. Manas Bisht, Xoxoday | The BeatRoute Podcast E09\" width=\"1000\" height=\"563\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/cx-ONJqzOZw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong>Featuring:<\/strong> Manas Bisht, VP at Xoxoday<br><strong>Host:<\/strong> Nikhil Chaudhary, VP Marketing at BeatRoute<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Less than 60 percent of enrolled channel partners actively use loyalty programs today. In industries where loyalty is expected to drive repeat behavior and sustained demand, that number is far below where it should be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this episode of The BeatRoute Podcast, Manas Bisht breaks down how the gap between brand expectation and partner aspiration compounds across dealer and influencer-led industries, and why sales execution and loyalty running as disconnected systems remains one of the most expensive problems brands still have not solved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Manas Bisht is Vice President at Xoxoday, a channel loyalty and rewards platform serving roughly 3,500 enterprises across employee and partner engagement programs. <\/em><em><br><\/em><em><br><\/em><em>BeatRoute has a deep platform integration with Xoxoday, built to deliver compounded value for brands running B2B reward programs for dealers, distributors, and channel influencers across consumer durables, building materials, auto ancillary and more.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Engagement Gap in Loyalty Programs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Coupons became apps. Agencies became SaaS platforms. Rewards became digital. But engagement never scaled with the infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A healthy loyalty program should see 80 to 90 percent active participation. Most industries operate far below that benchmark. The problem is not technology alone. It reflects a deeper disconnect between how brands design loyalty programs and how dealers, distributors, mechanics, contractors, and influencers actually behave in the field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><em>&#8220;Less than 60 percent of the enrolled channel partners are using the program. That has been one of the prime, or the starkest, problems that has riddled this industry.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Brands Want Is Not What Influencers Need<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Brands want higher engagement and stronger customer lifetime value. Influencers want to clearly understand how the loyalty program helps them earn more. Most programs fail because they do not bridge those two expectations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What makes this harder is that the foundation itself is wrong. Most programs are too complex for a simple user to understand. If the influencer cannot clearly see how they will earn or make money from the program, the entire system starts collapsing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As Manas points out, this gap exists across industries. And when brands try to solve a weak program design with more technology, the complexity only increases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><em>&#8220;When you are creating a program, you start with a design and then you bring in tech to actually amplify or enable you to perform that. So, it is a design problem at the outset. And once we try to solve it via tech, it becomes a much bigger problem because you do not know how to use that tech to actually get the results.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Problem With One-Size-Fits-All Loyalty Programs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Manas points out that loyalty programs need to be tailored to the influencer, not the other way around. A contractor and a mechanic are not the same partner.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A building materials brand runs a program for contractors and architects. An auto ancillary brand runs one for mechanics and workshop owners. The partner is different.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What they want from the program is different. And yet most brands design one program, apply it uniformly, and wonder why engagement drops across the board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So the bottom line is that the aspiration of the reward has to match the aspiration of the partner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><em>&#8220;For a building materials industry, the aspirational reward would be something which will be of very high value in terms of money. While for an auto ancillary industry, the reward could be as simple as a mobile payment or a recharge. The value also differs.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why Loyalty Programs Break During Rollout<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Most loyalty programs do not fail in planning. They fail when rollout hits field reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Two problems usually surface at this stage:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Training-<\/strong> Most rollout training teaches the field team the mechanics: tiers, point values, redemption rules. But partners do not join programs because they understand the structure. They join because they understand the value.<br>The real conversation is not how the program works. It is what the partner stands to gain, how quickly they can get there, and what they need to do to maximize returns.<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Feedback Loop &#8211;<\/strong> In the first few weeks after launch, the field team sees everything the program team cannot: confusion, objections, low enrollments, and rewards nobody cares about.<br>But most programs have no structured way to capture that feedback in real time. Without that loop, the program continues operating on assumptions while the field reality moves in a different direction.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><em>&#8220;All that you plan in technology, that&#8217;s the planning phase. But execution and rollout is where you actually hit reality.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Most Channel Loyalty Tech Tracks Activity. Few Drive Goals<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The technology requirement in channel loyalty varies sharply across industries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In consumer durables and building materials, complexity rises quickly as programs must manage multiple partner types, layered incentives, and different behavioral drivers within the same ecosystem without losing real-time control or visibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Whereas, in auto ancillary, it can be relatively simple, focused on running multiple programs for a single partner type. This is where most channel loyalty technology starts to break.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In all cases, the brand wants to drive its sales goals by generating higher demand through influencers or by gamifying their channel partners like dealers or salon customers or even workshops and mechanics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The technology needs to deliver those business goals specific to each persona.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><em>&#8220;The value that we tell our customers is that we are helping them achieve their sales goals. In many cases, the customer says they want to achieve their sales goals by generating higher demand through influencers or by gamifying my channel partners like dealers or salon customers or even workshops and mechanics.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Distributor vs. Influencer Loyalty in B2B<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Manas highlights that most brands running channel loyalty treat all partners the same way. One program, one reward structure, one communication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A distributor managing 15 to 20 retailers wants a reward that reflects the scale of business they are contributing. They look for high monetary value that is worth working toward over a longer cycle.<br><br>For an influencer making product recommendations every day, the reward has to be an immediate payout like a mobile recharge. Waiting weeks to see a return does not work for someone making product choices in real time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The influencer generating daily demand is directly feeding the distributor&#8217;s offtake. One compounds the other. But if the systems cannot see each other, neither can the brand. That\u2019s where most brands run these two programs through disconnected systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><em>&#8220;An influencer who is generating a daily value is equally important and will compound the total value of the product when it goes to a distributor. They are connected and hence the system should also be connected.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Driving Adoption in Channel Loyalty Using AI<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Manas explains that adoption in channel loyalty comes down to two levers: communication and feedback. Both need to shift from being field-dependent to system-driven if programs want to scale beyond a limited active base.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The first is communication<\/strong>. Instead of relying on one-time training or static updates from the field team, the platform must continuously engage users through nudges and contextual prompts. Influencers should clearly understand what actions will help them earn more and improve performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The second is feedback.<\/strong> As Manas points out, an AI layer should go beyond dashboards. It should identify cohort patterns, detect drop-offs, and trigger proactive nudges based on real behavior. If a segment is underperforming, the system should suggest actions to improve participation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><em>\u201cAI helps us not just create cohorts of the users, but also treat every user individually. That uniqueness in diversity helps our systems to actually create on the fly programs for all these personas and recommend what is best working, itself analyses and self rectifies to provide best optimization.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p><br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The 90-Day Roadmap for Channel Loyalty Execution<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Manas suggests that the first 90 days of a channel loyalty launch should focus on three clear outcomes: adoption, engagement, and refinement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Days 1 to 30: <\/strong>Communication built from the partner&#8217;s perspective. Every ASM and DSR should be trained to communicate what the partner earns and what they need to do to get there, not to walk through tier mechanics<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Days 31 to 60:<\/strong> Keeping engagement alive on the ground through consistent nudges, surfacing partner progress, and recommending what they need to do to move further within the program<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Days 61 to 90: <\/strong>Open feedback and dynamic adjustment. The program should incorporate what the ground is telling it and change accordingly<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>In the end the measure of success is not sales lift. Loyalty builds repeat behavior, not immediate transactions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><em>&#8220;This is not a program which will activate sales, but a program which will inculcate a behavior amongst their distributors to perform certain actions. This should be focused on driving repeat behavior to generate a higher value from a normal sales activation.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">BeatRoute and Xoxoday Power The Same Value Chain<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Sales execution and loyalty are not separate functions. They are part of the same value chain. As Manas puts it, BeatRoute activates the channel partner, while Xoxoday increases the value that partner brings over time. One drives behavior, the other amplifies it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Over time, both teams have seen the same problem across dealer and influencer-led industries: the system driving demand and the system rewarding that demand often operate separately. Sales execution runs on one platform. Loyalty runs through another system or agency. As a result, the loop between action, demand capture, and incentive delivery never fully closes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is where the BeatRoute and Xoxoday alignment becomes important. BeatRoute enables channel activity and sales execution on the ground, while Xoxoday runs the rewards layer around that behavior. Together, they create a connected system where partner activation, loyalty, and value creation move in the same flow.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Featuring: Manas Bisht, VP at XoxodayHost: Nikhil Chaudhary, VP Marketing at BeatRoute Less than 60 percent of enrolled channel partners actively use [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":72572,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_rsf_enable":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[125],"tags":[70,71,69],"geography":[],"industry":[],"class_list":["post-72546","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-podcast","tag-auto-ancillary","tag-building-materials","tag-consumer-durables"],"acf":[],"authors":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/beatroute.io\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72546","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/beatroute.io\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/beatroute.io\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beatroute.io\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beatroute.io\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=72546"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/beatroute.io\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72546\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":72564,"href":"https:\/\/beatroute.io\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72546\/revisions\/72564"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beatroute.io\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/72572"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/beatroute.io\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=72546"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beatroute.io\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=72546"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beatroute.io\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=72546"},{"taxonomy":"geography","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beatroute.io\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/geography?post=72546"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beatroute.io\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=72546"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}