Dive Brief:
- Stinker Stores has partnered with PAR Technology’s Punchh loyalty solution to collect data and further personalize its loyalty program, according to a Wednesday press release.
- Punchh takes data from its more than 200 integrations across multiple channels to create a full picture of what individual customers as well as the overall customer base want to purchase, allowing the company to make tailored offers, a Punchh spokesperson said in an email.
- Stinker is the latest c-store chain to refresh its loyalty offerings. Recently, Casey’s General Stores and Arko Corp. both released updates that were months in the making. Thorntons also recently updated its loyalty program with a new gas discount offer.
Dive Insight:
The partnership with Punchh will allow Stinker to enhance the loyalty program it initially launched two years ago, said Billy Colemire, director of marketing at Stinker, in an interview. Using Punchh’s customization tools and AI, the company hopes it can increase loyalty in current customers and bring in new ones.
“The ability to easily and quickly segment our customer base to ensure we are offering them deals on products that fit their shopper profile will be huge,” he said.
In addition, Punchh’s AI-generated insights allow for store-level and individual offers to be sent at specific times, the Punchh spokesperson said. “By providing multiple offer types for customers to choose from, Punchh is able to incentivize new products to customers,” the spokesperson added.
Stinker will be able to use the analytics on the back end to quantify its return on investment as well.
The updated loyalty program is expected to go live in the first quarter of 2024, in coordination with an upgrade of the company’s point of sale and back-office technology systems.
“Customer experience is our biggest priority and Punchh will help us continue to turn customers into Stinker fanatics,” said Colemire in the press release. “The platform is not only powerful but easy to use, making it a no-brainer to adopt.”
The Punchh integration is the latest in a rash of technological improvements for Stinker Stores so far in 2023, and the second in the last month to emphasize measuring customer interactions.
Earlier in May, Stinker announced a partnership with FeedbackNow to put devices into four pilot stores to allow customers to leave feedback on the store experience with the push of a button.
Stinker has also recently introduced a new retail intelligence platform with Accustore, location-based digital promotions via the Upside app and Bitcoin Depot bitcoin ATMs in its stores.
In addition to Stinker, Punchh powers loyalty and customer experience programs with chains like Casey’s General Stores, Dash In, Huck’s and RaceTrac.
Boise, Idaho-based Stinker Stores has 110 locations in Colorado, Idaho and Wyoming. The Stinker family of companies also includes Arrowrock Supply, a grocery and tobacco wholesaler, and trucking company Westpoint Transportation.
