Tag Archive for loyalty

More Restaurant Loyalty

February 7, 2012 Gas & Convenience, Online No comments

Hot on the heels of our post about Mogl in December, we’ve stumbled on another company rewarding consumers for their restaurant purchases. The company is called Plink and they’re targeting some of the biggest chains in America. Just like Mogl, you sign up on the site and link your debit and credit cards to your account. Then you go to your nearest Taco Bell and buy some Chalupas. In turn you’re rewarded with Facebook credits which you can go spend all willy-nilly on Farmville or whatever it is people do with their credits.

Upon first visiting the site the initial perception was that this was a Groupon spin-off. The site design and logo all reek of Groupon’s dirty paws, but after a little digging it was discovered that these guys are self funded. So that’s pretty cool.

Considering Plink has signed both the number one convenience store and coffee chains in America you can expect that as long as they can get their critical mass of a user base up quickly enough, they’ll go far with this venture.

Loyalty for Independent Restaurants

January 9, 2012 Specialty No comments

Originally published 12/2011

Loyalty Programs are very hit and miss. Some are great and others make you wonder why you signed up in the first place. Your wallet is full of punch cards from coffee shops or it isn’t because you have so many loyalty cards you don’t want to carry them. What if you only had to carry one loyalty card? What if that card was a card you already carry? Your credit card!

We had the opportunity to check out MOGL, a Solana Beach (San Diego) start-up, at the San Diego Bay Wine and Food Festival. MOGL, is a mix of loyalty program, charity support, and life gamification. You sign-up on their site and link your credit and/or debit card(s). When you dine at a participating restaurant you get 10% cash back, which is paid out at the end of each month. If you spend at least $20 during your visit, MOGL donates a meal on your behalf to Feeding America. Finally, for every dollar members earn, MOGL puts ten cents into a jackpot. If you’re the top spender at that restaurant, you become the MOGL and win the jackpot for the month. So while it’s great and all being the mayor of a place on FourSquare, it doesn’t mean anything, where being a MOGL gets you cash!

MOGL is currently available in Southern California, but with new venture capital is quickly expanding. Expect to see them in San Francisco and New York in the near future.

Retail Debit Rewards

January 9, 2012 General No comments

Originally published 08/2011

Due to the rising costs of running rewards programs there is a trend in the US for banks to stop offering rewards themselves. Instead they are turning this feature over to retailers who pay for it directly. The banks come out looking like the good guy by still offering their customers a reward for using their debit card and the retailers win by gaining access to consumers outside of their normal channels. We’re not talking about pennies on the dollar either. Consumers could get returns of upwards of 20% of their purchase.

The best part is consumers aren’t relegated to one retailer based on some negotiated deal their bank made. You log on to your bank’s website and pick the different rewards you want to participate in. Head over to the retailer you chose, participate in the offer and the “reward” is deposited into your bank account within a few days (sometimes instantly). Read more here.

Loyalty for Small Business

January 9, 2012 General No comments

Originally published 11/2010

Retailers want your loyalty. How do they get it? There are many ways, but the most popular are through coupons offering you a discount on a return visit or buying into large loyalty programs like Aeroplan and Air Miles.

But how can small local businesses compete with the big guys?

One effort that launched right here in Toronto last spring gets coffee lovers to try out 7 different independent coffee shops. These shops have banded together by offering a “disloyalty card”. You pick one up at any of the retailers and once you’ve visited all 7 you get a free coffee at the original location where you picked up the card. Also, once you’ve completed your card you are eligible to  be invited to private events that each cafe holds. http://www.thestar.com/living/food/article/794054–disloyalty-has-its-privileges

Announced in September and launching in January is the loyalty program called Supportland. This program has been launched in the city of Portland to connect locally owned businesses. You pick up a free electronic card at any of the 60 participating retailers and start using it right away. You get points for the purchases you make at the stores and you can redeem the points for an array of different rewards. Rewards vary from dollars off your purchase to free products. They’re also supporting the program with an iPhone app which will show you near-by deals and various reward options. http://supportland.com/