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Employees Influence C&K Market Loyalty Club

Employees Influence C&K Market Loyalty Club

BROOKINGS, Ore. — Grocery managers, meat clerks and other C&K Market employees helped shape the retailer’s new loyalty card.

For one year, workers in eight stores tested what eventually became “All Access Rewards.”

Employee involvement was critical, as it helped C&K change its plans for the card, said Grant Lunde, marketing director of C&K, which operates 62 stores under the Ray’s Food Place, Shop Smart and C&K Market banners.

Initially, C&K planned to have shoppers use the card on small shopping trips by offering discounts on a select group of items each week (i.e., buy a loaf of bread, earn 25 cents on the All Access card).

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C&K thought this strategy would motivate customers to use the card. However, it soon learned that employees wanted to use the card on big shopping trips so they could get larger discounts.

“So, we were missing the data touch points on many of their transactions,”  Lunde noted.

As a result, C&K opted for a points-based program, rewarding 1 point for every $1 spent. After 500 points are reached, the shopper gets a $5 in-store credit loaded to their card. The $5 does not expire, and can be spent in the store or saved for a future trip.

“All Access Rewards is a simple, straightforward loyalty rewards program that rewards our customers simply for shopping with us,” said Lunde.

If a customer does not reach 500 points in a calendar quarter, the balance of points not equaling 500 will be lost, and the customer will start over at zero.

C&K does not want points to expire, so it plans to send promotional emails and text messages to customers close to the 500-point threshold as the end of the quarter approaches. It also plans to run “double-point” weeks to help customers reach the threshold near the end of the quarter. Point totals appear at the bottom of each store receipt.

Powered by software from Accelitec, Bellingham, Wash., the card was introduced last month with a free $5 credit to those who signed up within the first 45 days of launch.

“[All Access Rewards] provides a tool for better communication between customer and employee, and allows us to deliver offers and targeted messages that we could not do before,” said Lunde.

Among other benefits, All Access cardholders can load coupons to their card, receive special offers, track their spending and opt-in to receive information on health and wellness, wine, craft beer and other “clubs.”

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