CHICAGO -- Digital loyalty platform Belly and convenience store retailer 7-Eleven Inc. have announced an expanded partnership in more than 2,000 locations. 7-Eleven customers can now use Belly's universal loyalty program to earn points and redeem rewards at 7-Eleven locations in the Northeast, along with parts of Austin, Los Angeles, Chicago and Vancouver.
The expansion builds upon the initial installation of Belly at 85 7-Eleven stores in downtown Chicago and a subsequent pilot of 350 locations across Chicago, Austin and Los Angeles. Starting this month, 465 locations in New York and Vancouver, B.C., Canada, will implement Belly's program. By the end of this year, more than 2,600 7-Eleven c-stores' loyalty will be powered by Belly's digital marketing platform.
This will bring the total participation to one-quarter of 7-Eleven's locations in the United States and Canada.
"Our partnership with 7-Eleven proves our ability to increase customer spend and frequency of visits at the enterprise level," said Logan LaHive, founder and CEO of Belly. "There's a need for large retail chains to have the right tools to track online and offline customer behavior and Belly provides this for them."
Belly also is leading a variety of marketing initiatives for 7-Eleven. For instance, Belly helps 7-Eleven target lapsed customers through email marketing campaigns and acquire new customers by leveraging Belly's network of more than three million members.
"The expanded partnership with 7-Eleven aligns with our vision to connect consumers with their favorite businesses," said LaHive. "We are building on the momentum we have with our local business partners and rapidly growing our network so our members can get great rewards at the world's largest convenience store."
"Over a year and a half ago, we started looking for a solution to help increase customer visits, bring new guests to our stores and increase frequency of visits while also increasing basket size," said Raja Doddala, 7-Eleven senior director for new business development. "We look forward to expanding our relationship to even more stores and new markets."
"This relationship with 7-Eleven demonstrates Belly's ability to support large-scale, multi-location enterprise rollouts," said Sarah Reilly Engel, Belly's vice president of enterprise merchant success. "By driving in a more profitable guest and influencing their purchasing behavior, we can confidently support 7-Eleven and additional enterprise partners' loyalty needs."
7-Eleven has run more than 20 marketing campaigns through Belly's platform since March 2013. Belly can automate results-driven promotions by using data and insights on customer behavior, such as total visits.
Promotions ranging from charitable donations to Olympic themes encouraged members to visit 7-Eleven to receive time-based rewards.
Belly members can earn points at any participating 7-Eleven location with their Belly app or physical BellyCard. Members earn points for every visit, which can then be redeemed for rewards such as "Name the Slurpee Flavor of the Month" and "Free Coffee for a Year."
Based in Chicago, Belly is a leading loyalty platform that uses a tablet and single card or iPhone or Android app.
Dallas-based 7-Eleven operates, franchises or licenses more than 10,300 7-Eleven convenience stores in North America. Globally, there are more than 53,300 7-Eleven c-stores in 16 countries. During 2013, 7-Eleven c-stores generated total worldwide sales close to $84.5 billion.
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.