ROCKFORD, Ill. -- Road Ranger Stores LLC has signed a contract with Digital Promo Network (dpn) for the firm to install its turnkey in-store digital ad network that provides retailers with content and price-coordinated promotions. All ads are point and click and can be updated in real time.
"We are excited to partner with a leading Midwest c-store operator who is capitalizing on the explosive growth in digital advertising to increase in-store sales, build their brand awareness and reduce perceived consumer transaction wait times" said Bill Bedortha, vice president of sales for dpn, a c-store [image-nocss] sales industry executive veteran.
Doug Parker, senior director of marketing for Road Ranger, said, "We are convinced that digital in-store ads are the best way to capture our customer's attention, and build our brand as well as increase sales across the board."
Headquartered in Rockford, Ill., Road Ranger is a major Midwest retailer with annual revenues of approximately $850 million. All stores operate under the Road Ranger banner and are located in Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin. Road Ranger stores offer a variety of merchandise, its own brand of gasoline and other convenience services.
Harvard, Mass.-based dpn is a privately owned and operated digital signage network operator structured to provide full service turnkey in-store advertising content, delivery and programs to the convenience store industry.
In other Road Ranger news, the chain said that is joining the ranks of companies offering consumer cards that give savings on fuel and other purchases, reported The Rockford Register Star. It is offering a loyalty card that gives users instant savings, and gives more if it is linked to a checking account and use it like a debit card.
"We know that over 60% of our business comes from 40% of our regular customers," David Van Dreal, loyalty manager, told the newspaper. "The thing we want to do is take care of those customers."
The free cards are available at only two locations now, said the report, but they can be used at any Road Ranger convenience store (although there are limitations on discounts outside of Illinois). The company's truckstops will go online later this year.
Users get an automatic 1-cent-a-gallon gasoline savings with the regular card. If they pay in cash or use the card as a debit card, they get a 5-cents-a-gallon saving.
The chain is passing along its savings by getting customers to avoid using a credit card, the report said. Road Ranger is also offering discounts in the store, including 30 cents a gallon of milk, 1% on other items and new coffee and slushie frequent-buyer programs.
Road Ranger will track customers' purchases so it knows what kinds of items customers buy during the same visit.
Road Ranger has 73 locations in seven states. The goal is to reach 100 stores by the end of the year or sometime in 2009, the report added.
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