Incentives or Discounts; increased profit or eroded margin? Are you using buckshot, or firing a rifle?

When it comes to loyalty programs and promotional strategy there are two schools of thought in retail. On one hand, there are those who believe that everyday low pricing is the surest way to gain consumers trust and their business. These businesses believe that loyalty programs are just about giving bigger discounts to your best customers. Certainly one very large retailer with “every day low pricing” has reached the pinnacle and it is hard to argue with their success. But, with the giant sitting on top of the low price heap, what can the rest of the retailer community do to gain market share? Certainly you can not compete on price and stay in business very long. Nevertheless, many retailers cling to the monthly coupon flyer or web site promotion offering today’s new deal; the Buckshot approach.

The second school of thought has a different perspective on pricing and strategy. These retailers believe that consumer’s make purchasing decisions for a complex set of reasons and that their behavior can be motivated by incentive. In this model the customer’s loyalty is critical to business success. The concept is to track, measure, and then provide specific incentives to individuals based on their demonstrated purchasing behavior. This science is the most effective use of marketing budgets and is focused on increasing business with each current customer. This is the rifle shot, one bullet for each customer.

At the end of the day it’s all about profit. Profit is the difference between success and failure.  When it comes time to pay the bills, or dividends, the only number that matters is the “bottom line”, you either earn a profit or you go out of business, “no margin, no mission”. Regardless of strategy, every program, and every effort must have an ROI. The objective is to make money; buy low, and sell high. It’s hard to make up a loss on volume!  Successful retailers negotiate for the best price, terms & conditions and then set prices and launch promotions that will motivate more profitable customer purchasing thus, maximizing profit. Earning a profit is the battle you fight with yourself as you pick the right price point to execute your sales strategy.  It takes cunning and courage to set solid price points, avoiding the traps of promotional discounts that erode margin simply to increase “top line” performance. Does your sales strategy drive more profitable sales, or is your strategy to be the low priced retailer turning over inventory for increased sales?

In every contest there is a moment when the game is decided. A touch-down or goal is scored, a home run hit, or a competitor’s doors shuttered. Retail is a lot like sports. Taking the lead and then winning the contest is about momentum and emotion. Employees and customers must be engaged, excited and motivated to participate. Success is defined as both top-line and bottom-line growth. Company strategy needs to set realistic goals designed to achieve long term success. Retailers use incentives to motivate employees and engage customers.  Incentives without loyalty programs are simply discounts.  Discounts erode margin. Loyalty programs increases both top line growth and increased profits. 

(http://www.linkedin.com/in/peterguidi)

Coalition Marketing; The power and opportunity of developing an “alternative currency”

Loyalty marketing in the convenience/petroleum retail business is rapidly evolving.  Looking back five years, today’s landscape is hardly recognizable. The confluence of two major trends, IT advancement and marketing strategies have changed the way retailers allocate resources and measure ROI. At the convergence of these two trends is the loyalty program. What was a simple punch card fraught with liability, is now a complex real-time database capable of tracking and measuring every dollar spent and earned. Today, many smaller retailers have modern POS and Internet services allowing them to launch complex loyalty programs that had previous been available only to the largest most sophisticated retailers.

There are numerous types of loyalty programs, clubs, instant discounts and others. In the c-store space, one of the most significant questions being asked is: what type of loyalty program to launch? The more sophisticated loyalty programs are based on “platform” economics and work to develop networks of consumers and retailers. In the c-store/petroleum space there are two popular programs available; “Coalition and Community”

Recently, the industry has been “a buzz” with news of “Community” loyalty programs linking major oil companies and gargantuan grocery chains together in “cents off per gallon” promotions. In these programs the c-store/petroleum retailers are a “redemption center” for the program. The question is; are “Groceries for Gallons” a good deal for the c-store retailer? The answer requires an understanding of the difference between coalition and community programs. The importance of this distinction is critical.

In a community program, the retailer is a “redemption depot”, storing the reward (gas) while the grocer sells groceries by giving away gas. These programs move a lot of gallons, but how do they motivate the consumer to purchase other products from the c-store?

In a coalition program the c-store is the owner of the alternative currency (points) both “issuing and redeeming” the currency. In a coalition program, the c-store is “selling” points to coalition partners. Each point is sold at a profit. The c-store earns a profit when the point is sold, rather than redeemed.

Coalition programs put the c-store at the center of a powerful marketing program designed to build profit for all members. Coalition programs motivate consumers’ to purchase more products with greater frequency from both the c-store and the coalition members. 

Summed up, in a Community program the c-store retailer is building someone else’s business, with coalition programs the c-store is building their business. The choice seems clear; coalition is the path to growth and profit. (http://www.linkedin.com/in/peterguidi)