An image from the Hostership website illustrating some of the principles of the program
(WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — Smallish Canadian web hosting and IT services firm, Nuisoft (www.nuisoft.com), announced on Wednesday that it has launched Hostership (www.hostership.com), which it describes as a loyalty program designed to reward users for their purchases within the web hosting industry.
The company says it intends for the Hostership (I’m guessing a combination of the words “hosting” and “membership”) program to fill the role commonly filled in many businesses by loyalty and rewards cards, within the hosting business.
Customers, says the group, will receive points when they purchase products or services within the web hosting industry. Those points can be exchanged for vouchers worth discounts at participating companies, which could include hosting companies, software companies and providers of related services, such as server management.
According to the press release, partners already involved in the program include Server-Logix, InnoHosting, HostATree, DemoWolf and ServerBoost. Several other providers are listed on the partners page of the service’s website.
For the hosting community, the company says Hostership provides new opportunities. They could encourage new business by accepting the rewards programs.
Finally, the company says members are vetted for fraud before being approved, ensuring partner companies that users coming from the program are legitimate. Likewise, the program could serve as a means for customers to make sure they’re working with reputable providers.
“Hostership is a major step forward in strengthening the link between hosting suppliers and customers,” says Andre Allen, president and CTO of Nuisoft Systems, quoted in the release. “Customers are rewarded for being loyal to their hosts, and providers have an additional incentive to maintain a high level of customer satisfaction. It’s a true win/win that I believe will enable greater connections and result in better overall service.”
Of course, for a service like this to become truly attractive to participating hosting providers, it will require a certain critical mass of users. And likewise, to be truly useful to users it will first require a certain level of involvement from the hosting community.
It’s a catch-22 that could potentially prevent an otherwise interesting idea from taking off, which is not, of course, to say that the program won’t take off.
About Liam Eagle
Liam Eagle has worked as a contributor to the Web Host Industry Review since its inception in 2000, and as editor since 2003. He has been editor of the WHIR's print magazine since its launch. His daily involvement in the gathering and reporting of Web hosting news and his regular interaction with Web hosting leaders gives him an uncommonly broad appreciation of the issues and tends facing the business. Through his WHIR blog, Liam spots Web hosting trends and offers opinions on the industry-wide impacts of major developments and the motivation behind big announcements. Follow him on Twitter @liameagle
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