How The Fresh Market grew its loyalty program to more than 1M members in a year

The Fresh Market, Inc. announced this month that its loyalty program—The Ultimate Loyalty Experience (ULX)—had surpassed one million members just seven months since its launch. But how did it accomplish that feat?

“Surpassing one million members in less than a year provides us with more opportunities to innovate and enhance the Ultimate Loyalty Experience while helping us on our journey to become one of America’s Most Loved Brands,” said Jeff Snyder, director of loyalty at The Fresh Market.

To reach that one million-plus milestone, the specialty food retailer said it “researched best-in-class loyalty programs" and tailored its program to meet shoppers needs. 

“We searched the world for best practices, concepts, reward structures from the best loyalty programs globally," Snyder told WGB. "We then asked our guests which of these best practices and features would motivate them to visit The Fresh Market more frequently and started to build from there.

"By analyzing the data and continually listening to our customers we’ll be able to innovate and evolve the program to better meet their needs and to drive more personalization into the offers and marketing effort. We’re off to a very fast start and haven’t seen a significant drop off in consumer excitement or registrations so we are confident there are a lot more new members in the pipeline to convert.”

One popular feature of the program is the free slice of cake members receive during their birthday month, Snyder said.

“The free slice of Ultimate Birthday Cake has resonated with our guests," he said. "It’s a differentiating experience as each of our guests have one special occasion that is shared—their birthday. Each loyalty member, during their birth month, is automatically loaded a free slice of Ultimate Birthday Cake,” on their store account.

The Ultimate Loyalty Experience offers the quality that The Fresh Market customers  “know and trust” at members-only pricing, Snyder said. But there are some surprises baked into the free rewards program, too.

“That's in addition to several surprise and delight elements of the program that engage our guests," he said.

The program also helps members save money, of course. The additional savings, convenience and fun of receiving rewards for shopping at The Fresh Market are also reasons why customers are becoming members of the program, said Snyder. On average, ULX members can save up to $50 each week by purchasing specially priced premium products that are “members-only prices,” according to a company statement.

In 2023, even more program enhancements will be introduced, and there are “new exciting features on our development roadmap,” said Snyder. “We’re very excited about these features, as they will continue to enhance the guest’s experience in shopping with The Fresh Market.”

In celebration and appreciation of reaching one million members, The Fresh Market will randomly select a ULX member in each of its stores to receive a $25 reward during the month of October.

The Fresh Market operates 160 stores in 22 states across the U.S.