BROOKINGS, Ore. — Ray's Food Place is implementing a unique green customer rewards program in the dairy case. Shoppers who purchase Organic Valley dairy products will now receive credits they can put toward local environmental stewardship projects.
The expansion of the new program, which recently focused on reusable bags and organic salad mixes, is being coordinated by EcoUnit, a marketing firm that processes and awards the credits to various green initiatives.
“We are always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to reach our customers,” said Greg Sandeno, vice president and chief operating officer of C&K Market, parent company of Ray's Food Place.
“The Organic Valley and EcoUnit promotion provides a great opportunity to connect with our customers and help our local environment.”
Through the end of this year, customers will receive 10 EcoUnit credits for each Organic Valley purchase, or 25 credits for a purchase of two or more products. Vouchers are collected at checkout, and shoppers can register their credits online to support local environmental projects, such as tree planting, river restoration and watershed clean-up.
Participants will also be eligible to enter to win a year's worth of free Organic Valley dairy products.
“Ray's Food Place has been early to recognize the importance and value of supporting programs that appeal to the eco-conscious consumer, a customer segment that has been proven to spend significantly more than the average grocery shopper,” said Kent Ragen, founder and chief executive officer of the Los Altos, Calif.-based EcoUnit.
In early September, two Ray's locations ran a one-week test rewarding five EcoUnit credits for each organic salad mix purchase. The stores that ran the promotion experienced a 24% lift in movement compared to the 46 others that did not.
“We are hopeful that by adding this promotion, we will see a lift in sales as well as an increase in the number of EcoUnit credits redeemed to help our local environment,” Sandeno said.
C&K first partnered with EcoUnit in March, offering shoppers small refunds or credits per reusable bag used.
