Stinker Stores launched its updated loyalty program on Monday.
The program introduces password-free login, targeted click-to-activate offers, enrollment from the pump or point of sale and redesigned digital and messaging interfaces built to improve engagement and ease of use, the Boise, Idaho convenience-store chain said.
"We recognized that future growth was contingent on making the barrier to entry as low as possible," Randy Strain, director of marketing and brand at Stinker Stores, told CSP. "If loyalty isn’t easy to join and easy to use, customers simply won’t engage."
Other industries have set a new standard for digital access, Strain said. Consumers are used to logging in with biometrics, two-factor identification or simple verification flows, he said. Asking for an email, a long password and then a verification email—often buried in spam—creates unnecessary friction, he said.
- Stinker Stores is No. 67 on CSP’s 2025 Top 202 ranking of c-store chains by U.S. store count.
With the new platform, Stinker Stores loyalty members will receive targeted offers.
Today’s consumers expect relevance, Strain said.
"When you casually mention needing something and it shows up on your Amazon home screen, expectations shift," he said. "We believe growth comes from delivering offers aligned to what a customer actually wants to buy, not broad, mass offers that can feel impersonal or isolating."
Growth in new member sign-ups and active member participation will be Stinker Stores’ primary performance indicators to determine the success of the launch, Strain said.
The new loyalty experience was developed in collaboration with Convenience and Energy Advisors, St. Petersburg, Florida, which helped shape strategy and tactical execution, from loyalty architecture, testing and functionality to the digital design and overall digital customer experience, according to Peter Rasmussen, CEO and founder of Convenience and Energy Advisors.
"While we’re proud of the loyalty program itself, its success ultimately comes down to Stinker Stores’ culture," Rasmussen told CSP. "I’ve visited more than 40 Stinker locations over the years, and the consistency is remarkable. The teams are warm, friendly and genuinely engaged. The real success is the 'Stinkin' great people endorsing the program and delivering an exceptional in-store experience every day."
Stinker also worked with technology partners PAR Retail, Philadelphia, and Rovertown, St. Louis.
In today's loyalty landscape, sign-up must be frictionless, directly from the pump or point of sale, Rasmussen told CSP.
"From there, messaging needs to be personalized and delivered through the channels customers actually prefer," he said. "Consumers are overwhelmed by notifications today, so if programs are too generic, they simply become part of the white noise."
While the category is evolving, there are still gaps that c-store loyalty programs are struggling to address, Rasmussen said.
"On the fuel side, brands still need to establish strategies that create true habit," he said. "bp’s 25-cent-per-gallon Fridays for Amazon Prime members last fall is a good example. Regardless of performance, the idea was aggressive enough to influence behavior."
On the foodservice side, he said, c-stores are underutilizing mobile pay and order-ahead capabilities.
"Consumers already expect this experience from QSRs [quick-service restaurants]," Rasmussen said. "If you walk into Starbucks and see a line, it’s often faster to mobile order than wait. While our model is different, we’re underserving our digital potential by not fully embracing how consumers want to transact."
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