Track 2 - Zero Cost Marketing Playbook

ZCM-203 - Tariff Relief Offers

This lesson shows you how to turn inflation, fees, and tariffs into a story your customers actually appreciate. Instead of quietly raising prices and hoping nobody notices, you use IGO Rewards as a "relief valve" that keeps people spending with you.

Estimated time: about 11 minutes Best for: owners watching costs rise but still wanting to grow

What you will understand

  • - How rising costs and tariffs impact your pricing.
  • - How to frame "Tariff Relief" so customers see you as the hero.
  • - How to fund relief using IGO Rewards and IGO Bucks instead of deep discounts.

Reminder

IGO Rewards are priced at retail for the member, but your real expense is your cost-of-goods when they redeem. You are paying for real behavior, not hoping a coupon works.

1. The pressure of rising costs and tariffs

Many local businesses are feeling it from all sides:

  • Higher supplier costs and freight.
  • Tariffs, fees, or surcharges baked into product pricing.
  • Labor costs climbing faster than menu or service prices.
  • Marketing and ad platforms getting more expensive every year.

The usual reaction is to quietly raise prices or cut portion sizes. Customers notice both, and it often feels like you are punishing them for something you did not cause.

Tariff Relief offers take the same cost pressure and turn it into a shared story: "Yes, costs are up, but we are fighting for you by giving you IGO Rewards when you keep doing business locally."

2. What a Tariff Relief offer looks like in Webigo

Core idea

A Tariff Relief offer says:

"We cannot control tariffs and rising costs, but we can control how we thank you for staying local. When you spend here, you earn IGO Rewards you can use on future visits with us and other local partners."

Instead of giving up margin today just to keep up with the next ad platform, you are rewarding your own customers directly.

Simple positioning example

"Because of tariffs and rising costs, we have had to adjust some prices this year. To thank you for continuing to support us and other local businesses, we joined Webigo. When you join through our QR code, you receive IGO Bucks you can use here and with other participating merchants. It is our way of giving you a little Tariff Relief on your everyday purchases."

Why this feels different to customers

  • You are being honest that costs are up, instead of hiding it.
  • You are adding Webigo rewards on top, not just raising prices quietly.
  • IGO Bucks feel like real money to them, especially when they can cash out by PayPal later.
  • They see you as a partner trying to ease the pressure, not just another business raising prices.

3. Designing a Tariff Relief reward step by step

  1. Pick a category that has been hit by higher costs (for example, certain menu items or service types).
  2. Decide what percentage of those sales you are comfortable turning into IGO Rewards (for example, 5 to 10 percent).
  3. Choose a clear trigger: "Spend 40.00 or more on these items, earn 5.00 in IGO Bucks toward a future visit."
  4. Set any limits (one reward per day, per member, or per ticket).
  5. Add a short explanation to your offer text and in-store signage so staff can repeat the message word for word.

Example: retail shop

"Due to increased import costs, some of our items are higher this year. To ease that, when you spend 50.00 or more in the shop and join Webigo through our QR code, you will earn 5.00 in IGO Rewards for your next visit. You can also use your IGO Bucks at other participating local businesses."

Your real cost is your cost-of-goods on that extra 5.00 when they return, not 5.00 of pure lost revenue today.

Example: service business

"Labor and parts costs have increased in the last year. To help offset that for our loyal customers, we joined Webigo. For every qualifying service over 150.00, you earn 10.00 in IGO Bucks that you can apply to your next service visit or use at other local partners in the Webigo network."

4. How Tariff Relief offers stay safe for your business

  • You decide the reward amount and the rules, based on your margins.
  • IGO Rewards are tied to real actions: spending at your business, joining Webigo, visiting partners, or supporting local causes.
  • Members see their IGO Bucks balance grow over time and can eventually cash out through PayPal, which keeps the program credible and valuable to them.
  • From your side, rewards are only a cost when a real customer returns and redeems. You are not giving away a discount on every transaction.

When you think of Tariff Relief this way, it becomes a controlled, trackable marketing line instead of a hidden cost. You are turning some of the pressure from tariffs and inflation into loyalty and repeat business.

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