GREENSBORO, NC, March 14, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Wind River Petroleum increased participation in its loyalty program by 25% while reducing related fraud and input errors by 40% with the Impulse Countertop Merchandising System from Gilbarco Veeder-Root™. Wind River, which operates Top Stop Convenience Stores and is headquartered in Salt Lake City, used Impulse to employ digital punch cards at checkout to drive the improvements.
Impulse is a basket-based, suggestive-selling solution. One of its primary benefits is to increase basket size by engaging customers with enticing offers through a colorful, interactive display screen at checkout. In concert with Gilbarco’s Passport® Point-of-Sale (POS) System, it can also generate customer-specific offers because it can “learn” their purchase tendencies using an integral “affinity engine.” Yet, as with all loyalty programs, success is contingent on participation — higher enrollment means higher success in terms of profits. Wind River increased participation in its program, in part, because Impulse reduces key customer barriers including: having to keep an extra card in their wallets and user complexity. With Impulse, customers simply enter their phone number or other memorized number via the customer-friendly touchscreen when prompted.
“Impulse has allowed us to significantly improve our loyalty program,” said Wind River’s, General Manager, Marc Millecam. “We know from the research out there that loyalty programs have a direct correlation on repeat business and profits. In two years, we’ve experienced a 25 percent increase in participation and we’re seeing a positive return on our investment.” noted Millecam.
Impulse’ digital punch cards also helped Wind River Petroleum reduce 40 percent of its loyalty program fraud and input errors by ensuring the correct amount of rewards are assigned to the right customers. Unlike paper cards, which can be altered or information keyed incorrectly, Impulse ties the sale directly and accurately to a customer account, without duplication or other error. Further, convenience store operators can dispense with the costs associated with the creation, printing, handling and recording of paper punch cards.
“The benefits of Impulse extend beyond increased basket size through suggestive upselling,” said Eric Bagden, Director of Retail Solutions, Gilbarco. “Wind River’s experience is an excellent example of using Impulse to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of a customer loyalty program,” concluded Bagden.
Founded in 1988 by J. Craig Larson and Keith S. Christensen, Wind River Petroleum is a privately-held company. It owns and operates convenience stores, including Top Stop Convenience, as well as truck stops, throughout the state of Utah. The company is affiliated with Sinclair Oil and Chevron Oil and employs approximately 350 full- and part-time employees. The company also is the parent company for Wind River Trucking, which is a fuel-distributing business. Wind River Petroleum, under its various marketing names, endeavors to provide retail products to rural and urban areas.
Visit Gilbarco Veeder-Root’s Learning Center for additional information on its Passport POS and Impulse Countertop Merchandising Systems at: http://www.gilbarco.com/us/learning-center/emv-c-store-retailers.
About Gilbarco Veeder-Root
Gilbarco Veeder-Root is the worldwide technology leader for retail and commercial fueling operations offering the broadest range of integrated solutions from the forecourt to the convenience store and head office. For over 150 years, Gilbarco has earned the trust of its customers by providing long-term partnership, uncompromising support and proven reliability. Major product lines include: fuel dispensers, pump media, point-of-sale systems, payment systems, tank gauges, software development and integration, fleet management systems, and nozzles.
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