Convenience retailers are finding new ways to integrate loyalty beyond the inside of the store, focusing on a seamless experience across all digital and physical touchpoints.
“We talk often on my team, from palm to pump to PIN pad,” said Whitney Johnson (second from left), senior vice president of marketing at EG America, Westborough, Massachusetts, at CSP’s Outlook Leadership conference, which kicked off Tuesday in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. Abbey Lewis, vice president of content strategy at CSP, moderated the session on c-store loyalty.
That philosophy means reaching customers through targeted offers and visibility throughout the day, from their phones to the fuel pump to the checkout screen.
Where c-store operators once emphasized the customer experience from curb to counter, the focus has shifted. With consumers increasingly tethered to their phones, retailers are adapting accordingly.
"'Loyalty everywhere' is all different touchpoints that exist at a site. It's at the pump, it's it's inside the store, it's at, potentially, a self-checkout kiosk. It's in the app. It's multiple different touchpoints that you consume," said Max Clark (second from right), vice president of growth at PAR Retail, Philadelphia.
Retailers' relationship with customers is longer now than it has ever been, Johnson said.
“One way we're integrating that is through evaluating new customer data platforms (CDPs) and artificial intelligence (AI) to build really comprehensive connective tissue and membranes across all of our marketing technology avenues and our customers,” Johnson said.
According to Johnson, silos between marketing, digital, technology and communications are beginning to dissolve. Retailers are leaning into cohesion and integrated planning, and partnerships are a key part of that process.
It’s critical, she said, to approach relationships with vendors and retail media network (RMN) clients as opportunities to add value.
“We're in the middle of joint business planning session right now, and what we're talking about with each and every one of our vendors is, ‘how can we add accelerants to the merchandising plans that have been in place for 10 years?’” Johnson said.
EG America’s marketing technology, communications and creative teams regularly evaluate how to drive acceleration through integrated marketing, she said.
“How can we be the most efficient retailer for our vendor partners, so when they give us $1, that dollar goes farther than anywhere else?” Johnson said.
At Huck’s Market, based in Carmi, Illinois, and owned by Martin & Bayley Inc., the loyalty focus is on eliminating the divide between in-store and digital experiences.
“[We’re] trying to take all these tech silos that operate independently, merge them together and deliver one seamless experience,” said Jon Bunch (right), director of marketing and business development at Huck’s, at Outlook.
For Bunch, accessibility is key to that seamless experience, whether customers are on the couch, eating lunch, driving home or walking through the door.
“Loyalty everywhere means to me [that] it bleeds into our subconscious,” Johnson said.
- EG America is No. 6 on CSP’s 2025 Top 202 ranking of U.S. c-store chains by store count. Martin & Bayley Inc. is No. 55.
Vendor partnerships play a similar role at Huck’s. By combining internal and external data, Bunch said, c-stores can uncover fresh ideas and insights.
Bunch said that while not every strategy works the same way across all markets, sharing ideas between vendors and retailers can spark new thinking and lead to wins.
Interested in learning more about the latest in convenience-store technology? Don't miss C-StoreTEC 2025 (Oct. 27-29, Plano, Texas)—the industry's premier technology leadership event created by retailers, for retailers. Visit https://cstoretec.com to secure your spot at this groundbreaking conference where convenience retail leaders collaborate to drive digital transformation and accelerate growth.
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