U.S. retailers and merchants face numerous options when deciding which incentives to offer their customers. A serious lack of hard data around which incentives and rewards programs consumers prefer and which ones deliver the highest levels of activity, greatest likelihood of increased sales and deepest brand loyalty makes the decision even more difficult. Should they offer cashback programs or retailer-specific points? Instant discounts or coupons? A July 2015 nationwide survey of 1,016 U.S. consumers found that consumers prefer rewards programs that enable them to save on the cost of gasoline/fuel more than other incentives.
Why? Incentives to save on fuel enable them to save money on a household necessity, freeing up precious budget dollars to spend elsewhere. More than two-thirds, in fact, indicated a willingness to change brands, switch retailers or buy in-store rather than online in order to save anywhere from 10 cents to $1 per gallon on gasoline.
