Stinker Stores is partnering with retail loyalty technology companyUpside on a new mobile-app marketing program offering targeted promotions designed to lure drivers to 50 Idaho locations with cash back, the companies said.
The Boise, Idaho-based convenience-store chain, which was founded in Twin Falls, Idaho, in 1936, has 110 locations in Colorado, Idaho and Wyoming.
- Stinker Stores ranked No. 66 on CSP's 2022 Top 202 list of the largest c-store chains in the United States.
Upside’s promotions are designed to strategically offer cash back to shoppers and boost revenue and profits for Stinker Stores and other convenience-store chains through incremental sales, it said.
“For almost a century, Stinker Stores has worked to provide unmatched customer service,” said Billy Colemire, director of marketing at Stinker Stores. “Partnering with Upside will not only complement our loyalty program and add value for existing customers, but also welcome new customers to our stores and profitably grow our business.”
Stinker Stores “knows there are more ways to influence long-term profitability than just gallons—it's about people," said Kevin Hart, Upside's senior vice president of fuel. "Upside is proud to help Stinkers maximize each site's total revenue by attracting and driving more people to their stations."
Upside targets offers specifically to consumers within a geographic area to encourage them to make a detour to a Stinker Stores location, Upside said. In turn, consumers are rewarded with an offer for cents-off gasoline or an in-store purchase.
Using an app, consumers claim an offer, pay and then “check in” or submit a receipt to get cash back on gas or other purchases, Upside said. The company works with merchants at 50,000 locations.
Upside’s technology works with existing branded apps, the company said. Its platform provides retail partners with a large built-in user base and the technology to target specific, relevant promotions to consumers.
The company said it boosts the effectiveness of mobile apps by limiting market saturation to 30% of stations in a given area. It uses a waitlist system for adding partners at over 40% of it markets, which are at capacity, the company said.
Upside’s promotions are designed to strategically offer cash back to shoppers by boosting revenue for retailers through incremental sales. The key is to target offers specifically to consumers to encourage them to make a detour to a Stinker Stores location.
Upside raised $65 million in equity financing and $100 million in debt financing from General Catalyst in April 2022 with participation from existing investors including Bessemer Ventures and Builders VC. The investment round brought Upside’s valuation to $1.5 billion. It has over 30 million consumers on its platform and works with 50,000 gas stations, convenience stores, grocery stores and restaurants in the United States.
This is the second technology announcement in two months for Stinker Stores. In January, Stinker Stores announced it was using GSP Retail’s AccuStore retail intelligence platform for detailed store-profile data. AccuStore’s three-dimensional surveys are used for branding audits, personnel training and to plan store renovations, GSP Retail said.
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