PDI, a Loyalty360 member specializing in enterprise software solutions for convenience retail, petroleum wholesale, and logistics industries, has received some recognition lately, and they’ve discussed some recent projects with Loyalty360. Never one to rest, PDI has continued to do great work.
Now, the organization has released a report that provides insights into c-store shoppers’ behaviors. The report recommends actionable strategies on how c-stores can improve their loyalty programs to attract new members and increase foot traffic. “The C-Store Shopper Report: How to Fuel Customer Loyalty” is based on a survey of 2,221 consumers and 239 US retailers. It was conducted by a third-party research firm, Researchscape, earlier this year.
Study results confirmed the popularity of convenience stores and their loyalty programs alike. The vast majority of US adult consumers — 89 percent — have visited a c-store in the last six months. Meanwhile, loyalty program membership is expanding, with 42.5 percent of consumers saying they belong to a c-store loyalty program, up 6 percent from 2017.
“Loyalty programs are extremely popular because they work,” says Brandon Logsdon, Senior Vice President, Marketing Cloud Solutions at PDI. “The good news is most c-stores have a program in place. The not-so-good news is that they haven’t maximized their programs to increase foot traffic and encourage higher spending. Our latest report provides first-hand data that c-store owners, operators, and marketers can use right away to understand their customers better and improve the performance and outcomes of their loyalty programs.”
The report provides unique insights into how c-store customers and operators view loyalty programs. It covers the following areas:
- A profile of the average loyalty member, including age, education level, and income
- Why shoppers visit convenience stores and why they choose one c-store brand over another
- Why shoppers join loyalty programs
- What c-store operators consider their most serious challenges
- The top priorities for c-store operators in relation to their loyalty programs
While the study paints a picture of an overcrowded market and fierce competition for customer loyalty, it also presents many opportunities. C-store operators identified “decreasing store visits” and “attracting new customers” as two of their biggest concerns. Their loyalty programs can help address both. However, they must first revitalize their programs in three ways: promote customer awareness, increase personalized messaging, and take advantage of what technology can offer to improve their capability to interact with members in multiple channels.
“Having a loyalty program is not enough in today’s competitive market,” says Logsdon. “What’s crucial is the program’s ability to keep existing customers returning and spending more with every visit, and convert regular consumers into loyal members.”
The new report builds upon a similar research report launched by Excentus last year. PDI, which acquired Excentus last year, has expanded the scope of the independent study to include information from c-store operators, in addition to consumers and c-store shoppers.