Plenti, the first U.S.-based coalition loyalty program, launched 18 months ago and has gained considerable momentum during that time period.
Several leading brands, including American Express, Macy’s, Rite Aid, AT&T, ExxonMobil, Macy’s, Nationwide, Hulu, Rite Aid, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Expedia, and Direct Energy are part of the extraordinary new coalition loyalty program, which will allow consumers to quickly collect rewards across numerous brands. Plenti is the first loyalty program of its kind to ever feature such a significant list of widely known top brands in the U.S.
Earlier this year, Plenti welcomed Chili’s® Grill & Bar restaurants into the program, one of America’s leading casual dining brands. Chili’s joins the Plenti program as the first casual dining partner offering both Plenti and My Chili’s Rewards members the opportunity to earn and use Plenti points, plus receive additional benefits with My Chili’s + Plenti.
U.S. Loyalty, a division of American Express, operates Plenti.
Josh Berwitz, president, U.S. Loyalty, American Express, talked to Loyalty360 about the progression of the Plenti coalition loyalty program.
“A year and a half ago, Plenti launched with nine partners, across industries, creating the first loyalty program coalition in the U.S.,” Berwitz said. “The founding partners could reward their collective customers by allowing consumers to earn points with one brand and use them for rewards at another. The idea struck a chord with shoppers, and the program has quickly grown to be one of the largest retail-based loyalty programs in the country.”
The coalition now spans 13 partners, with 16 brands, putting 71 percent of all US households within five miles of at least two of the 30,000 retail locations participating in the program. Since launch, tens of millions of Americans have joined Plenti, new brands have signed on, and the program continues to evolve.
In the past 12 months, more than 36 million consumers have used Plenti and, since its launch, members have earned more than 40 billion points and redeemed for more than 90 million in offers.
“We’re really pleased with the progress we’ve made so far, and we’re continuing to improve and evolve the program,” Berwitz said. “For example, we’re building on the customer experience to make it more seamless and investing in consumer education to help our members get the full value out of Plenti. As the first loyalty coalition in the U.S., the concept is new for many Americans so we’re focused on helping our Plenti members discover all the ways they can save.”
Unlike a single brand loyalty program, Berwitz noted, coalitions must account for the goals and needs of multiple partners.
“I wouldn’t say we’re surprised because we went into Plenti with a set of partners who were committed to the program from the start, but we’ve been really pleased with the level of collaboration between partners,” Berwitz explained. “Partners have been really enthusiastic about creating additional offers for the program, generating significant value for members beyond the base offering. We’re also seeing brands that may not have traditionally worked together discover business synergies because of the coalition. For example, Direct Energy and Hulu are creating joint offers together that extend beyond Plenti.”
Members of the Plenti coalition loyalty program have given consistent, positive feedback during the past 18 months.
“Our members love that they can use Plenti across multiple partners that they shop at frequently, and earn even more points by loading offers or shopping through the Online Marketplace,” Berwitz said. “We know our members want even more places where they can use Plenti, so we’re focused on adding new partners and expanding into different categories, including grocery, home improvement, convenience, and quick-service restaurants.”
Plenti is free to join and there is no limit to the number of points a member can earn. One thousand points translate to at least $10 in savings.
“We are focused on continuing to expand our partner set into new categories, enhancing our web and mobile experience, and identifying, even more, ways to generate value for our members,” Berwitz added. “While we’ve seen great engagement so far, both Plenti and the overarching concept of a coalition loyalty program are still new to the U.S. We want our members to get the most out of Plenti, so we’re continuing to focus on educating shoppers on the ins and outs of how the coalition works to make sure they’re taking advantage of everything the program offers. We’ve come a long way since launch, and we’re really excited by the momentum so far. We’re looking forward to the future of Plenti and the new opportunities ahead as the program expands and evolves across the country.”