Albertsons, which acquired Safeway Inc. for $9.2 billion in January 2015, recently launched the highly successful Just for U digital loyalty program that was introduced by Safeway in 2011. Albertsons launched the Just for U program at its legacy stores within its Southern Division.
The merged company has more than 2,200 stores and more than 250,000 employees, which makes it the second-largest supermarket chain in North America behind Kroger. The division comprises 49 stores−46 in Texas, two in Louisiana, and one in Arkansas.
The Just for U loyalty program offers personalized discounts based on past purchases while it drives market share gains and profits. Customers can access their Just for U accounts at the grocer’s website and click on the personalized offers and manufacturers’ coupons they want placed electronically onto their Club Cards. The tailored offers are based on a customer’s historic purchases.
Consumers can download a mobile application that includes specially priced items, manufacturer and in-store coupons, and personalized deals.
Safeway developed and began testing Just for U in 2011. Within a year, before the program had been expanded chainwide, Safeway said it had registered 5.4 million households in the program, or 45% of its U.S. sales base, noting the program helped boost unit volume at a time overall supermarket sales were declining.
When Safeway launched Just for U, it held an intensely close relationship with its customers that resulted in memorable customer experiences, superb customer engagement, a highly successful loyalty program, and top-notch brand loyalty.
Teena Massingill, Director of Corporate Public Affairs for Albertsons, explained to Loyalty360 about the decision to launch the loyalty program.
“Just for U has been successful and helpful for our Tom Thumb (chain of supermarkets in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex) customers,” Massingill told Loyalty360. “In fact, they saved more than $5.36 million using Just for U in 2015 alone. We want our Albertsons customers to enjoy the same personalized savings.”