Cedar Village IGA’s New Loyalty Program 

Six months ago, Cedar Village IGA became part of a growing trend in grocery retail by starting its own shopper loyalty program. While this loyalty program was created to help the Winlock, Washington store compete against other major retailers, it also is helping their shoppers save money.

“We just wanted to serve our customers a little bit better,” said Cedar Village IGA’s Matt Siewert, who has taken charge of the store’s loyalty and eCommerce operations.

A Fast Launch

By working with IGA’s Red Oval Partner AppCard, Cedar Village IGA found a loyalty program that both fits their demographic and works within their existing system.

“The new piece of equipment at each check stand is an AppCard in-lane terminal," Siewert said. "The touchscreen terminal allows our customers to enroll in the loyalty program by entering their phone numbers. Also, if the customer wants to further their savings they can enter their email, sign up to receive text, and sign up for the app. It's very advantageous to help save money.”

After setting up the rewards stations near the registers and advertising with a sign outside, the store was quick to enroll its regular shoppers. In fact, shoppers were so eager to learn more about the in-lane terminals that store operators decided to start the program even earlier than they had planned. Noticing the new technology at the registers, shoppers began to ask cashiers about the changes, “and away it went,” recalled Siewert.

“Right off the get-go, they were excited just to have that option,” said Siewert.

Without much time to create a dedicated marketing campaign, Siewert has relied on his front-end employees to get the word out.

“We just verbally talk with our employees and let them know what’s going on,” which has allowed customers to learn “what the system is and what the possibilities [are].”

Siewert said customers simply enter their mobile number when paying for groceries to earn and/or redeem rewards.

“Rewards are earned on every dollar spent," he explained. "Customers can choose which rewards they’d like to redeem today or which rewards they’d like to save for their next visit.” 

Siewert said this word-of-mouth campaign is just the start of a more formal campaign strategy.

“We’ve been trying to move forward with quite a few different things in the store,” he said. That includes an eCommerce website and more direct advertising.

For now, Siewert relies on his associates to explain the system to customers and the store’s sign out front to draw in customers who might ordinarily frequent other stores.

“We put it up on our electronic reader board to let possible customers driving by notice that we had something going on," he said.

These customers have then come into the store, intrigued by the possibilities of saving money on their favorite products.

AppCard Support

Siewart was quick to highlight the importance of success managers at IGA Red Oval Partner AppCard who have helped make the transition as easy as possible.

“They’re usually right there ready to help answer any questions or concerns that we have,” he said. “One of the top reasons we chose to utilize the AppCard rewards program for our customers was the ease of use [only enter phone number]."

Additionally, AppCard’s problem-solving abilities have been invaluable. When a customer had an issue with missing points, Siewert was able to quickly resolve the issue with help from his success manager.

“It’s so nice to be able to get that answer, so I can call her today,” he said, emphasizing that his loyalty program needs to work for all his customers.

In building a loyalty program, Siewert explained that the process doesn’t stop when the shoppers are enrolled. The process of troubleshooting and monitoring is ongoing.

“I’ll be monitoring for probably the rest of my life,” he joked.

A Competitive Advantage of Customer Confidence

Yet this continued effort is worth it to Siewert. By solving problems, Siewert is creating confidence in the customer that “it’s worth their time to save the money that they can, and it’s worth our time to make sure that it’s correct.”

Moreover, the loyalty program is a key part of creating a competitive advantage relative to other retailers.

“If I don’t believe that, then I’m not doing my job!” laughed Siewert.

“What’s good for them is good for us, always,” he stressed. “Anything you can do for your customers to keep them coming back in the doors and show them appreciation."

Siewart said the reward options are infinite. Customers can use shopping lists, digital receipts, and receive personalized digital coupons in-app, on mobile phones or tablets, and via the web. The store can then send offers tailored to the shopper, based on their purchase history.

"The rewards program will help us to build a relationship with our customers and ultimately thank them for shopping with us," Siewart added. "We will be able to reach out to each individual customer or all at once with tailored coupons and messages, such as, 'We miss you!,' 'Happy birthday!,' or with specific holiday specials.” 

For IGA retailers, Siewert has a clear piece of advice: “Like they say, ‘the best time to plant a tree is either 15 years ago or today.’ I think if you don’t have a rewards program, you’re missing the boat.”

He continued, “It may not be the most ground-shattering thing, but it’s one very positive give-back that you can do for your customers that in turn makes business a little bit better for you.”

Cedar Village IGA posted the newspaper article reporting on the new loyalty program to their Facebook page.