The latest news in the world of customer experience and customer loyalty.
Starbucks Bucks Rewards Members, Begins Relationship with Non-Members
Members of a rewards program are usually loyal to a brand and are the perfect target audience for special offers and promotions. Want to try something new? Target reward members. Want to boost sales during off-hours? Target rewards members. Or, as Starbucks just found out, that’s exactly what not to do. In its quarterly earnings call last week, the coffee giant said it began offering special “Happy Hours” to increase sales during the slow afternoon hours, and the move “appealed disproportionately” to non-rewards members, according to an article in Investor’s Business Daily. Apparently, the 15 million people with a My Starbucks Rewards card only care about their morning cup of joe. In the meantime, those afternoon tea drinkers or people in need of an espresso boost to make it through the day helped generate a “strong incremental profit” for the brand, and Starbucks is responding by starting digital relationships with its non-members.
Electrify America Installing Recharging Stations at Walmart, Target, More
The promise of discounts on gas has long been an incentive to drive traffic to retail stores across the country, but what good are gas rewards if you drive an electric car? That’s a question that apparently was pondered by the folks at Electrify America. The company’s solution: It is installing ultrafast electric vehicles chargers at more than 100 retail, convenience and refueling locations around the United States, including at select Walmart and Target stores, according to an article in Retail Customer Experience. The chargers are part of the company’s $2 billion plan to install chargers nationally over the next decade.
Convenience Store Card Proclaims: This Card Gives You Gas
For those without an electric vehicle and need to pump some fossil fuels, the Minit Stops in Hawaii have taken the creative way to attract customers: Gift cards that proudly pronounce “This card gives you gas.” The creative and cheeky card was honored with a Gold Pele Award for excellence in advertising design, according to an article in Maui Now, as well as the Judge’s Award Best in Show.