As technology continues to evolve in c-stores, retailers are finding that if they don’t want to be left behind, they will need to invest in an effective loyalty program, which has proven to be an excellent tool that can be used to increase in-store sales and retain customers.
To dive into this topic, CStore Decisions caught up with industry experts Nate Brazier, president and chief operating officer, Stinker Stores; Mike Donerkiel, loyalty brand manager, Cal’s Convenience; and KJ McCann, digital and loyalty marketing manager, Road Ranger, in an exclusive webinar sponsored by NRS Pay. The webinar was moderated by CStore Decisions Editor-in-Chief Erin Del Conte.
Loyalty Approaches
Stinker Stores, which operates 106 stores located in Idaho, Colorado and Wyoming, has partnered with app platform provider Rovertown and Punch for its loyalty program..
“So, we’re working with these two partners on some significant upgrades, (including) enhancements to our Stinker app and our Stinker Rewards,” mentioned Brazier. “We have been and we continue to evaluate all the different options and at this time. (We are) leaning towards a points-based system that will give our customers multiple ways of earning points and multiple ways to redeem them how they want to redeem them.”
Road Ranger, which operates 48 stores in seven states and has plans to expand, uses a proprietary Ranger Rewards program, which was launched in September 2021.
“It’s a unique program because it doesn’t focus strictly on the professional driver or the typical c-store driver,” said McCann. “It’s kind of a dual platform that caters to both types, which is a huge differentiator for us and for the industry.”
Cal’s Convenience operates 209 Stripes-branded locations in five states and has recently moved over to a points bank program.
“MyRewards, we did that with the help of patrons a little over a year and a half ago,” noted Donerkiel. “There, we give not only just Points Bank, but we also have member pricing and those wonderful pieces that people enjoy so
much.”
It’s a Digital World
Donerkiel also mentioned that since its loyalty program was launched during COVID, Cal’s has had to adapt to a more digital approach when it comes to loyalty.
“That was really the only way you could get your customers to try to come back and let them know what you were doing, that it was still a great place to shop even though everything was being closed down from there, we wanted more functionality,” he said. “We decided that there were more tools out there that worked better for us.”
In a similar vein, Road Ranger also had to adapt to the increasingly digital c-store world. When the chain launched its loyalty program two years ago, it added a mobile-friendly app to make it more conducive to tech-focused
customers.
“Our previous loyalty did not have a mobile-friendly app, so we did partner with Rovertown,” mentioned McCann. “They’ve been awesome partners, and the reason that we did that was because we wanted a more mobile-friendly way for users to track their progress, the in-store deals or just have an overall better way to interact with the brand.”
Stinker Stores, on the other hand, noticed early on that it was falling behind in terms of loyalty capabilities and technology advancements. The chain launched its program in 2021 and made changes to it almost immediately.
“We didn’t have a points-based system. We had a QR code that you could redeem and get coupons, and there’s punch cards, and while that was fine, we’re going way beyond that,” said Brazier.
Now, Stinker Stores customers can spend their point bank exactly how they want to, whether that’s food, fuel or other offerings. Brazier noted that the process was a complete overhaul that the brand is excited to relaunch.
Gamification
Another way retailers can build upon their loyalty programs is through gamification, which Stinker Stores has a history of embracing.
“We’ve found that our customers, as we’ve had gamification and will continue to have gamification, they really enjoyed that aspect, and it’s really a great way for our customers to engage with our brand no matter where (they are),” said Brazier.
The brand has seen especially positive results from its Stinker Speedway mobile game, and Brazier also noted that Stinker Stores will continue to innovate in the gamification department.
Loyalty Trends
One trend that has become increasingly prevalent in the loyalty world is personalization. Donerkiel mentioned that personalization is something Cal’s continues to investigate.
“We’re starting to differently venture into that. We’re hitting the population size where that’s kind of now really worth the effort,” he said. “We stepped into a couple of things right now that we’re testing with kind of creating loyalty to a product and trying to move them from a similar product.”
McCann stated that Road Ranger is very excited about the way it is building out its analytics team to personalize offers.
“So, taking that data that we’ve been collecting over this time period and digesting the raw data, we use our backend system in conjunction with our Power BI tools to really see the shopping trends, for example, weekend users versus weekday users, and incentivizing them to make trips outside the norm or creating visit challenges for that personalization to push increased visits per month,” said McCann.
While different brands continue to introduce exciting and new innovations to their loyalty programs, it’s clear that it is a tool that retailers need to harness to grow their business.
Other topics discussed in the webinar include incorporating foodservice into loyalty programs, whether inflation is influencing loyalty program behavior, loyalty program integration, how to increase loyalty membership and more.
To view the full webinar, click here..