Promotions are used to directly, quickly, and profitably change behavior. Most commonly, that behavior change falls into one of these categories: driving more visits, encouraging people to purchase at a time they normally would not, or inspiring more profitable bulk purchases.
The most common types of promotions are challenges, bonuses, and occasion based rewards.
Challenges. These promotions challenge reward members to perform actions to earn a prize. For example, a challenge could be “buy gas five times this month and get a free large coffee” or “spend $50 on snack items this week and get a free liter of soda.” These challenges are intended to increase visits and spend during a specified period of time.
Bonuses. These promotions often offer an instant benefit for the rewards member. “Purchase a sandwich and a large soda and get a bag of chips for free” is one example. Bonuses are primarily designed to increase spending during a visit, but secondly, they may also increase the number of visits since customers could seek to take advantage of a bonus multiple times.
Occasion-based rewards. These promotions are dependent on a time of year, such as the holiday season, or a well-known event. An example of an occasion-based reward could be “purchase two bags of chips and get a liter of soda for free during the week leading up to the Big Game.”
While there are multiple options for promotions, the most effective ones will combine these three key traits:
The benefits and complexities of promotions come in nearly equal measure. While a well-designed promotion can’t be surpassed for driving visits and incremental purchases, they are also incredibly difficult to successfully implement on your own. Learn more about utilizing promotions by downloading “Essential Building Blocks of Convenience Store Reward Programs.”