6 Loyalty Builders to Steal From Limited-Service Restaurants
By Jill Failla on Nov. 16, 2016CHICAGO -- Women play an integral role in building brand loyalty. More women (29%) than men (24%) currently participate in foodservice loyalty programs, according to Technomic’s Value & Pricing Consumer Trend Report. The same report also reveals that slightly more women (51%) than men (46%) say that rewards programs are very likely to influence them to visit a certain foodservice location. This is particularly apparent for bakery-cafe concepts.
As such, convenience-store operators would do well to scrutinize what women diners are seeking from their biggest foodservice competitors’ loyalty programs. Here is a look at six things more women than men say they want from loyalty programs at limited-service restaurants (LSRs), using data from Technomic’s Consumer Brand Metrics program’s recent quarterly update ...
1. Savings & perks
Women say that the two top reasons they participate in foodservice loyalty programs at LSRs are to save money and receive free perks, and they rank these two motivations equally. Far more women (84%) than men (73%) list saving money as a reason for joining a loyalty program. Although the difference is smaller between women (87%) and men (81%) who list free perks as a motivation, women (42%) are notably more likely than men (31%) to agree completely with this statement.
2. Total-bill discounts
More than any other LSR-specific benefit measured, women express the most interest in receiving a discount off the total bill as a result of joining an LSR’s loyalty program. Four-fifths of women (81%), compared to three-quarters of men (75%), say a total-bill discount would make them very likely to sign up for a loyalty program at an LSR. And more than half of women (54%), compared to 40% of men, say this perk would make them “extremely likely” to join.
3. Birthday treats
Women also place higher importance than men do on birthday rewards. Over three-quarters of women (77%) say a reward on their birthday would make them likely to sign up for an LSR loyalty program, compared to 68% of men.
4. Freebies
As noted earlier, women equally value monetary discounts and free perks, so it is in line with this finding that women also place a high value on being offered a free item after a specific number of purchases. Three-quarters of women (75%), compared to 67% of men, say that such a freebie program would make them very likely to sign up for a loyalty program at an LSR.
In the convenience-store channel, Atlanta-based RaceTrac rolled out a mobile app-centered loyalty program earlier this year that offers free perks such as fountain and coffee drinks based on the amount of points the customer collects via the app.
5. Exclusive offers
Women value exclusive offers from LSR loyalty programs, such as first tastes and private specials or promotions. Nearly three-fifths of women (57%) say that such offers would make them very likely to sign up, compared to less than half of men (47%).
A c-store example of this is when Pennsylvania-based Sheetz convenience stores offered its loyalty-card members a free doughnut with the purchase of any beverage for National Doughnut Day on June 3.
6. Tailored rewards
Though both men and women about equally express interest in rewards tailored to their food and beverage preferences, more women (28%) than men (20%) say that this perk would make them “extremely likely” to sign up for an LSR rewards program.
With a major company like 7-Eleven reevaluating its current loyalty program, we may end up seeing more of the underutilized women-driven rewards, such as birthday benefits and tailored perks, proliferate the convenience industry in the near future.