Private-label debit program to help customers save at the pump.
Yesway has partnered with ZipLine, a private-label debit payment processor, to create, market and manage its new payment program, Yespay. The program will launch chainwide later this year.
ZipLine will create and manage Yesway’s new private-label debit program.
“This new program will provide a frictionless loyalty experience to our customers, from the pump to the store,” said Darrin Samaha, Yesway vice president and brand manager. “Customers who now opt into Yespay will save at the pump, earn more great in-store rewards, and receive personalized fuel offers, as well. Yespay completely supports the Yesway Rewards loyalty program and our promise to make our customers’ lives easier.”
Yespay will be an enhancement to Yesway Rewards, a point-based loyalty program the convenience store chain introduced in 2017. Customers who sign up for Yespay will be able to pay for gas and in-store purchases by linking their rewards card to their bank account.
Yesway will offer a discount off every gallon of gas purchased with Yespay. Unlike credit card companies that charge a percentage of each sale, ZipLine charges a fixed fee per transaction, regardless of the amount of the purchase. Yesway is passing these savings on to its customers in the form of a fuel discount.
Kristen Bailey, ZipLine’s chief marketing officer, said, “ZipLine is thrilled to partner with an innovative, rapidly growing company like Yesway. Yespay™ will be an important tool in driving customer lifetime value, which is an integral part of Yesway’s aggressive growth strategy.”
ZipLine is partnering with Yesway on the pre-launch of Yespay™, including strategic marketing plan development, design recommendations, in-store team training strategies, establishing enrollment and usage goals, and the development of a proprietary enrollment site. After the launch, ZipLine will continue to work with the Yesway team to promote the program using digital, social and traditional marketing channels.
With an aggressive expansion plan in place, Yesway was named a “2017 Chain to Watch” by Convenience Store Decisions. Brookwood Financial Partners LLC, a Massachusetts-based private equity investment firm, launched Yesway with the acquisition of Country Stores, a 10-store chain in western Iowa in December 2015. Just over two years later, Yesway owns and operates 88 convenience stores in the Midwest and plans to acquire, improve and rebrand an additional 120 to 130 stores per year over the next several years in order to reach its goal of building a 500-location-strong chain of Yesway convenience stores in selected regions of the United States.
