Company Overview

• Quick Trip Corporation owns and operates 805 convenient stores and gas stations in 11 states of the USA.

• The company is headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
• According to Forbes, Quick Trip has 22,089 employees.

Brand Overview

• QuikTrip shares a vision "of safe neighborhoods and communities".
• It is a "company that provides opportunities for others" as stated on its website.

• The brand proposition of Quick Trip is that it guarantees customers with high-quality motor fuel which will not cause any harm to their engine.
• The company operates 24 hours a day.
• The store formats of Quick Trip are convenience stores and gas stations.

Total Number of Stores

• As of 2020, Wawa is reported to have a total of 880 stores with over 600 fuel stores.

Breakdown of Number of Stores

• As of 2019, the break down of the number of stores in each state the company operates was as follows;
• Pennsylvania-236 stores
• New Jersey-251
• Virginia-87
• Florida-167  
• While Washington D. C, Delaware, and Maryland had 96.

Company Headquarters

• The company has its headquarters based in Wawa, Pennsylvania.

Company Employees

• The company has 35,000 plus employees.

Company Vision

• The company's mission is to provide and satisfy their customer's everyday needs. According to the company, their mission is " to get you where you’re going with less worry and more satisfaction. Whether you need fuel for your car, cash from the ATM, or a bite to eat, count on Wawa for quick, friendly service round the clock!"

Company Proposition

• The brand proposition of the company is to provide their customer's with a friendly environment that make their customers feel at home while offering them services accompanied by a smile. The company also offers its customers with a variety of fresh and delicious meals.
• Most stores owned by the company are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

• The store formats used by the company are Convenience stores and gas stations. 

Summary

• Speedway has 3924 stores located in 35 states.
• The break down of the number of stores and gas stations in each state is as follows. California (492), Ohio (491), New York (309), Indiana (309), Michigan (306), North Carolina (276), Florida (239), Minnesota (205), Kentucky (146), Illinois (125), Pennsylvania (122), New Mexico (120), Massachusetts (108), Arizona (95), Wisconsin (70), West Virginia (70), New Jersey (67), Virginia (62), South Carolina (52), Tennessee (49), Utah (39), Washington (32), Texas (31), Alaska (31), Rhode Island (19), Oregon (14), New Hampshire (12), Colorado (12), Nevada (9), Idaho (7), Georgia (6), Delaware (4), Wyoming (3), Connecticut (1), and South Dakota (1).
• Speedway's headquarter is at 500 Speedway Drive, Enon, Ohio.
• According to Glassdoor, Cleverism, and Crunchbase, the company has over 10,000 employees.
• Speedway's brand vision is to be "the customers' first choice for value and convenience and has been helping people move through their day since paved roads." This vision is confirmed on the brand's Facebook page.
• The brand proposition of the company includes offering its customers convenience and accessibility, a wide range of services and products, a network of sales and service reach, customer service through pleasant shopping experiences, customer relationships through reward and loyalty programs, and an established history of goodwill and reputation.
• Speedway operates round the clock on 24 hours.
• The store formats of the company include direct selling, automatic vending for gas purchase (self-service), and operating a network of chain (convenient) stores.

Research Strategy

Company Overview

• Cumberland Farms was founded in 1939 with headquarters in Westborough, Massachusetts.

• The company has more than 6,000 employees within the United States.

• It has a total of 573 stores in 8 states. Below is the break down of the number of store locations per state.
• Massachusetts — 208 
• New York — 85 
• Connecticut — 71 
• Florida — 51 
• New Hampshire — 49 
• Rhode Island — 47 
• Maine — 43 
• Vermont — 19 

Brand Overview

• Cumberland Farms' vision is to provide "the clear choice" for everyone's everyday needs. The company aims "to deliver the friendliest, cleanest and most convenient customer experience".

• The company is committed to providing its consumers with "the absolute best possible products, at the absolute best possible price". This brand proposition is what the company delivers every day through its wide selection of basic needs and friendliest service.

• Some locations are open from 5 am to 12 midnight, but most locations operate 24 hours a day.

• The company's store formats are retail/convenience stores, coffee stations, and gas stations.

7- Eleven

• Founded in 1927, 7-Eleven has 8,088 operating locations in 33 states across the US.

• It is headquartered in Irving City, Dallas County, Texas.
• The company has a workforce of approximately 55,395 employees.
• Recently, through its commitment to innovate shopping experience and convenience for its clients through technology, the company announced the pilot of the first cashless store shopping experience at its headquarters in Irving City, Texas.

Spreadsheet

Summary

• MAPCO has 346  corporate-owned convenience stores in the US.

• The company’s headquarters are in Franklin, Tennessee.

• MAPCO has 3,200 employees.

• MAPCO’s brand vision is to make its guests feel better every time they visit its stores. Using the tag line “Things Just Got Good,” the company strives to ensure that its guests simply feel better after walking into its stores.

• MAPCO believes in the power of making things good for its customer, either through fuel saving, offering quality products, or excellent customer service. The company has spent years perfecting its products to enhance its guests’ experience. The robust My Rewards$ loyalty program is also aimed at helping customers save more for a good living.

Research Strategy

Company Brand and Overview — Food Lion - MVP

Information of Food Lion - MVP

• Food Lion has a total number of 1,036 store locations in the U.S.
• The company has over 63,000 employees working in Southeastern and Mid Atlantic regions.
• The following are the number of store locations by state: North Carolina (499), Virginia (277), South Carolina (118), Maryland (52), Tennessee (27), Georgia (23), Delaware (20), West Virgina (14), Pennsylvania (3), and Kentucky (3).
• Food Lion's headquarters is located in Salisbury, North Carolina.
• Food Lion's brand mission provides customers "the easiest full shop grocery experience in the Southeast ... anchored by a strong commitment to affordability, freshness, and the communities we serve."
• Their brand proposition promotes the "Count On Me" philosophy, which guarantees fresh food or double your money back, assuring customers receive consistency and quality customer service from associates.
• Food Lion hours of operations are from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Stop & Shop Company Overview

• Shop & Stop was established in 1914 and is headquartered in Boston, MA. The company has a workforce of 60,000+ associates.
• Shop & Stop owns and operates over 415 stores and 105 fuel stations. The breakup of store locations is as follows:
• Connecticut: 92 
• Massachusetts: 134 
• New Jersey: 62 
• New York: 106 
• Rhode Island: 27 

Stop & Shop Brand Overview

• The company's mission is to offer safe, wholesome, quality guaranteed products in clean, modern, and attractive stores.
• According to Ahold Delhaize's recently published fact sheet, the customer proposition offered by Stop & Shop is, "My Stop & Shop helps me save money, save time, and eat well."
• Stop & Shop operates across three store formats, i.e., supermarkets, superstores, and online shopping.

Wegmans Store Numbers, Employees, And Annual Revenue

• Wegmans has 101 stores, with 49,000 employees and an annual sales revenue of $9.2 billion in 2018.

Number Of Stores Per State

• There are 47 stores in New York, 18 stores in Pennsylvania, 9 stores in New Jersey, 12 stores in Virginia, 8 stores in Maryland, 6 stores in Massachusetts, and 1 store in North Carolina.

Wegmans Brand Vision

• Every day Wegmans gives out its best to fulfill its mission's statement. Every day, the company's vision is to serve the needs of its customers in the best possible way. The company pledges to continue to improve its services to its customers and people by making this commitment "every day you get our best."

Wegmans Brand Proposition

• The company promises its customers options they can rely on, such as providing consistently low prices, been committed to customer satisfaction with every shopping experience. It has "exceptional levels of charitable donations focused on programs that reduce hunger." The company was ranked number one in the 2019 "Harris Poll Reputation Quotient" study of the "100 most-visible companies."

Wegmans Store Hours

• The company store hours for Mondays to Fridays are 8:00 am to 7:00 am ET, while the store hours for Saturday and Sunday are 8:00 am to 5:00 pm ET. For its wine and beer shop at Virginia, its shop hours are 6.00 am to 12.00 am daily.

Wegmans Store Formats

• Wegmans is building smaller urban formats for tests in Brooklyn, United States. The company also has a specialty supermarket, in-store market cafes, multiple restaurant concepts, pharmacy, manufacturing — bakeshop and culinary innovation center, Wegmans organic farm, menu, among others.

Hy-Vee Overview

• Hy-Vee operates more than 240 retail stores and over 1200 gas stations in eight Midwestern states, including Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.
• The number of stores in Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wisconsin respectively are 18, 151, 11, 38, 30, 26, 4, and 3. 
• The number of gas stations in Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, and South Dakota respectively are 14, 67, 11, 22, 21, 21, and 8. 
• Hy-Vee headquarters is located in West Des Moines, Iowa. 
• Hy-Vee has 83,000 employees.
• The vision of Hy-Vee is “a helpful smile in every aisle,” which come from their workforce that is fully engaged and committed to supporting their customers and each other.
• Hy-Vee brand proposition is the fact that it is synonymous with quality, variety, convenience, healthy lifestyles, culinary expertise, and superior customer service.
• Hy-Vee stores are open seven days a week for 24 hours. Gas stations are open for 18 hours with 24 hours pay-at-the-pump.
• Hy-Vee store format includes, convenience stores, gas stations, grocery stores, bakeries, supermarkets and pharmacies.

Company and Brand Overview - Pilot Flying J

• Pilot Flying J has over 750 travel centers and 730 of them are located in the United States. It is the largest operator of travel centers in North America with operations in 44 states of United States.

• The five U.S. states in which Pilot Flying J has the most locations are Texas (86), Ohio (39), Indiana (38), Georgia (35), Florida (31).
• The U.S. states in which Pilot Flying J has the fewest locations are New Hampshire (1), Connecticut (2), Massachusetts (2), West Virginia (3), Minnesota (4), South Dakota (4).

• Pilot Flying J is headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee.

• The company has over 28,000 employees.

• Pilot Flying J has no direct vision statement. According to the company's mission statement; it is committed to make experience of its consumers on the road the best it can be and they have done it for past 60 years, and aim to continue to do it every day in the future.

• Pilot Flying J brand is committed to offering friendly service at every center and they treat customers like family.

• Typical store hours of Pilot Flying J are 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

• The company store format is of travel centers with restaurant, convenience store and gas stations.

Research Strategy

Giant Eagles Number Of Stores, Employees, And Headquarters

• Giant Eagle has 474 stores in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Maryland, and Indiana. The company has 216 supermarkets (200 Giant Eagle, 13 Market Districts, 2 Market District Express, and 1 Giant Eagle Express), and 258 convenience/fuel locations (202 GetGo and fifty-six Ricker's location).
• The company has its headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with over 10,001 employees. 

Giant Eagles Brand Vision

• Giant Eagle aims at making more informed business decisions by listening to the diverse perspectives of all team members, business partners, customers, and shareholders. They want to look more like the markets they serve, and their team members will know their contributions are valued.

Giant Eagle Brand Proposition

• Giant Eagle and GetGo, have expanded its loyalty rewards card to allow customers to use their advantage card to pay for gas. Giant Eagle launched an AdvantagePay program that offers an extra discount between five and thirty cents per gallon that can be combined with its Fuelperks benefits.
• The company offers loyalty brand discounts to its customers. Clients are to benefit "10 cents off per gallon at the brand's GetGo convenience stores for every $50 spent in the store," they can also get two cents off an order for every $50 spent on the grocery. Buying various items at Giant Eagle such as "groceries, gas, gift cards, and prescriptions will earn points that can be used towards a gas discount or up to 20 percent of any size grocery order."

Giant Eagle Store Hours

• There are different store hours for different locations, like 1305 West 7th Street, opens between 6:00 am and 12:00am,and 1391 W Seventh Street, Frederick, opens between 6:00 am and 11:00 pm.

Giant Eagle Store Formats

• The company is experimenting on how to combine "its supermarket stores with the convenience of its GetGo stores" to form a new format known as "market district express format." Other areas where the company operates in are grocery, retailers, gourmet foods, supermarkets, convenience, gas station, and pharmacy.

Research Strategy

Loyalty Member Base

• QuickTrip does not have any restrictions on the customers who should join the loyalty program.
• The program targets all the customers who buy products and get services from the company.

Participating Locations

• The QT Rewards program is available across all its 800+ QuickTrip stores located in numerous states, including Arizona, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas.

Earn and Burn Mechanics

• The QuickTrip loyalty program is point-based where shoppers normally earn one reward point for every $2 in qualified merchandise purchased and for every 2 gallons of qualified fuel purchased, they earn one reward point.

Loyalty Partners

• QuickTrip is working with First National Bank of Omaha and Atlanta-based First Data Corp. to issue the private label card.
• Its customers will be able to use the credit card for purchases around its chains.
•  First Data will record points earned by customers buying gas and other goods from the store.

Redemption Process

• Customers will only need to visit any QuikTrip store in the Wichita area and follow the directions on the pump and insert their QT Rewards card, select "redeem" and the dispenser will reduce the price automatically for the fuel of choice. It will then redeem the maximum rewards points allowed.
• The reward points are valid for a year from the day the points were earned.

Strength and Weaknesses

• The company has a strong regional presence and operates over 800 stores in the United States, hence, having a large market share.
• QuickTrip instills its culture of high standards such as calculating change faster.

• QuickTrip does not have enough partnership with many customers, making their loyalty program lack its competitive value.

Loyalty Program Awards and Recognition

• Since 2003, Fortune magazine has named the company as one of the "100 Best Companies to Work For". It ranked No. 54 in 2015.
• Forbes ranked QuickTrip No. 304 out of 500 on its 2015 list of "America's Best Employers".

Program Overview

• Wawa Rewards Program is a loyalty program from Wawa Inc which operates an American chain of convenience stores and gas stations.
• The rewards program allows its members to earn Wawa reward coupons for every $50 spent on the eligible items at Wawa stores. The purchase needs to be made using "Wawa App, Wawa Rewards Key Card or a registered Wawa Gift Card."
• In addition to the rewards for qualified purchases, the Wawa Rewards Program also provides its members with exclusive access to mobile ordering, bonus rewards, and other benefits.

Loyalty Member Base

• The company doesn't have any restrictions on the types of customers that can join the loyalty program.
• The Wawa Rewards Program is open for all the US residents who are 13 years or above. The Rewards program is mostly targeted at people who shop at various Wawa stores.

Participating Locations

• The Wawa Rewards Program is available across all the 850 Wawa convenience retail stores located in Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland, Florida, and Washington D.C.
• The loyalty program members can scan their Rewards Key Card in any of the Wawa stores.

Earn and Burn Mechanics

• Shoppers can earn Wawa reward coupons by spending $50 or above on the eligible items at the Wawa stores.
• The list of eligible items, which are mainly in-store purchases, excludes select dairy items, fuel, alcohol, tobacco, and gift cards (including Wawa Gift Cards).
• Additionally, the shoppers need to make a purchase using a registered Wawa Gift Card, the Wawa App or Wawa Rewards Key Card in order to earn reward coupons.
• Currently, the online purchases of Wawa merchandise such as T-shirts, sweatshirts, cups, coffee, etc do not count towards the $50 threshold.

Dividend Rate

• There is no dividend rate specified by the company. The loyalty program members primarily earn three different reward options within 24 hours of spending $50 or more on the eligible items.
• These reward options cannot be redeemed for cash and are primarily in the form of in-store discounts, merchandise purchase options or other non-cash benefits.

Loyalty Partners

• The company has a partnership with CashStar for its e-Gift card program.
• All the member queries about redemption, balances, receipt of the card, etc are handled by CashStar on behalf of Wawa.

Redemption Process

• The members receive a choice of three different reward options, which vary from customer to customer, within 24 hours of reaching the $50 purchase threshold.
• Each member has 30 days to select and redeem one of the three rewards options received, post which the reward options get expired and cannot be redeemed.
• The reward options are primarily in the form of in-store discounts, merchandise purchase options or other non-cash benefits and can be redeemed at any participating Wawa store.
• The members cannot combine two Wawa coupons for the same product in one purchase. However, they may club the same with another manufacturer coupon at any participating Wawa store.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Strengths

• The company has a strong regional presence and operates more than 850 convenience stores on the east coast of the United States.
• The company is highly focused on innovation and was one of the first convenience stores to implement touch-screen self-service machines.
• The company has an extremely strong social media presence. In 2019, it earned the "top award for social media engagement", as well as the runner-up position for best overall social media.
• The company has a long operating history of 50 years and featured at the 25th place on the 2018 Forbes list of America’s largest private companies with revenues of $10.6 billion.

Weaknesses:

• The company doesn't have many strategic partnerships with other brands for promotions. This has affected Wawa in increasing the visibility of its rewards program as compared to its competitors.
• Many users have raised concerns around the usage of the Wawa app for redeeming their reward coupons. The company's app is poorly rated on the Playstore (2.4/5).

Loyalty Program Awards and Recognition

• There are no rewards received by the company for its loyalty program specifically. However, in 2019 the company received the "top award for social media engagement" and also a recent award for the "cleanest bathrooms of American gas stations."

Member Feedback and Comments

• The company's mobile app, through which it provides its loyalty rewards program, has been rated 2.4/5 on the Google Playstore and 4.6/5 on the App Store.
• Most of the members' feedback on the Playstore has been negative around the usage of the Wawa Rewards program. App Store has some mixed reviews.
• One member wrote, "I downloaded the app so that I could use some of the rewards I have been earning since they came out with the little key card. I can't even log in the app and it continually crashes."
• Another member wrote, "I've tried for several days to log into the app, and I get the same error message. Can't access Rewards acct."
• Some positive feedback by one of the members on App store states, "I love your guys' new app, it’s so easy and the rewards are great, I spend so much time and money at Wawa that I’m able to get rewards like crazy!"

Research Strategy

Overview and Member Base

• Speedy Rewards is a points-based and purchase-based rewards system for Speedway customers who join the program.

• Speedway considers the program's member base to be the company's "most loyal customers."

Mechanics

• The Speedy Rewards program functions via a point system in which members earn 10 points per gallon of fuel purchased or 20 points per dollar spent on merchandise.
• Points may also be earned by registering with certain Speedway partners. Bonus points are available on certain items each month.
• Points can be redeemed for merchandise coupons, fuel discounts, sweepstakes entries, or merchandise.
• There are also various clubs that rewards members can join to earn free merchandise coupons with the purchase of a certain number of specific items such as beverages, doughnuts, and car washes.

Dividend Rates

• 100 points could be earned by spending $5.00 on merchandise or buying 10 gallons of fuel at the market price.
• The redemption value of points and the dividend rate appear to vary based on locations' pricing of specific reward merchandise.
• A small reward such as a cup of coffee would require the accumulation of 1,000 points by spending $50.00 in merchandise or buying 100 gallons of fuel. A review from 2019 indicates that the price of this item was under $2.00. This would be a redemption value of less than $0.002 per point and a dividend rate of under 4%.
• Earning 1,750 points by spending $87.50 on merchandise or buying 175 gallons of fuel at market rate enables a one-time 10 cent fuel discount, with a maximum savings of $2.50 by buying 25 gallons. This is a redemption value of $0.00143 per point and a dividend rate of 2.9%.

Loyalty Partners and Redemption Process

• Loyalty partners include Points.com, NRG, Valvoline Instant Oil Change, ParkRideFly USA, netSpend, 1-800-Flowers.com, Quicken Loans, and several grocery stores.
• Members can redeem points using a mobile app or an in-store kiosk. The member may then receive a coupon for merchandise or may pay with points using the tablet at the register.
• The minimum number of points needed for a reward appears to be 1,000. Items may also be purchased using points at the company's online marketplace.

Strengths and Weaknesses

• Speedway's strengths are its broad geographic range, charity efforts, and gas price guarantee.
• Speedway is the second largest company-owned and operated convenience store chain in the United States, and it has a presence in 36 states.
• The company's weaknesses include low morale among employees and to some extent its structure within the Marathon conglomerate.

Member Feedback and Comments

• The company's mobile app for Speedy Rewards members has generally positive ratings and comments. It is rated at 4.6 out of 5 stars on Google Play.
• One member wrote, "I love Speedway's app for my rewards, purchases and ease of use to find a Speedway while traveling. Points build up quickly. I like that I can use points to get gas discounts."
• Another member felt that it was "kind of annoying that if you redeem points in the form of a digital gift card you have to load it onto a physical one to spend it so you end up holding up the line doing it. Would be cooler if I could just use the digital card to pay for gas without the added hassle."
• A third member called the program "easy to use" and wrote that "the rewards really pay off!"

Research Strategy

Loyalty Program Overview

• The Cumberland Farms Smart Pay loyalty program rewards loyal customers in three ways: using the Cumberland Farms Mobile App, the SmartPay Card, and SmartPay business.
• The loyalty program allows customers to save money on gas, earn rewards, and do so much more. When customers shop from the app, they earn ten cents for every gallon of gas purchased, and they can also earn free rewards.
• For every 60 gallons of gas purchased from the app, customers get a coffee, Chill Zone, pizza slice, or bottled water for free.
• The loyalty program also has extra savings and rewards like flash sales, surprise birthday treats, access to age-restricted offers, and Breakfast sandwich, Pizza, Chill Zone, and Lunch Sandwich clubs.

Redemption Process

• To get ten cents off a gallon of gas, customers have to pay for gas at participating Cumberland Farms stores using the mobile app.
• Their gallon savings will then be "reflected on the SmartPay fueling screen on your phone, and the price displayed on the pump will 'roll-back' cents prior to fueling."
• Customers that only use the SmartPay card also get ten cents off per gallon by simply swiping their card at the gas station.
• Any other loyalty rewards earned can be located on the app's Rewards Tile. Customers can click on the barcode on the rewards screen, which will take them to the checkout screen. They then click on the redeem button to have the rewards scanned by one of Cumberland's team members

Findings

•  Transacting with 7Rewards will allow members to earn points, earn free cups, get coupons, and redeem points for rewards.
• There are no restrictions as to who is eligible for the 7 Rewards program as long as you have signed up for the program. They only restrict points from excluded services, fuel, and age-restricted items, including tobacco, lottery, and alcohol.
• Registered customers earn 7Rewards points at any of the 60,000, 7-Eleven Inc. licensed convenience store.
• For every qualifying $1 spent at 7-Eleven stores with an app or card scan upon purchase, you will earn 10 points (excluding restricted items). Customers can also save money with valuable coupons 6 cups and get every 7th cup free.
• Under the 7 Rewards loyalty program, rewards and points have no cash value and are promotional. Hence, members can only redeem for products they qualify for.
•  Digital Loyalty Platform Belly is the only company that has partnered with 7Reward Inc. to offer the loyalty program.
• You can save up your reward points to the 800, 1,200, 1,500, or 2,000 point level. Each point level gets you better rewards.
• 7 Reward Inc. has a total of 247.3K ratings, an average rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars in the Google Play Store.

Research Strategy

MAPCO My Rewards Loyalty Program

•  Program Overview: MAPCO's My Rewards is operated by MAPCO Express, Inc. as a reward to customers who remain loyal to the company. Members registered to the program can earn, accumulate, and redeem points for specific MY Rewards benefits at participating MAPCO locations across the United States.
•  Loyalty Member Base: There are no restrictions as to who is eligible for My Rewards program. Any individual who is a customer at any of MAPCO's convenience stores operating under the banners MAPCO Express, MAPCO Mart, Fast Food and Fuel, Favorite Markets, Delta Express and Discount Food Mart.
•  Participating Locations: The Mapco My Rewards program is available in over 300 locations in Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Arkansas, Virginia, Kentucky, and Mississippi.
• Dividend Rate: Under My Rewards loyalty program, rewards and points have no cash value and are promotional. Hence, members can only redeem for products and discounts at the pump or MAPCO's convenience stores.
•  Redemption Process: To redeem reward points, members have to log into their accounts online, on Android or iPhone MAPCO mobile app. On the 'Rewards Tab,' customers can choose the rewards they wish to purchase (depending on their points balance or the number of points they want to use). On the mobile apps, the purchase of rewards is confirmed by clicking "YES" while on the website, members click "Add to cart" "Checkout and "Place Order," and notifications and confirmation of purchases are received through emails.
•  Loyalty Partners: MAPCO Express, MAPCO Mart, Fast Food and Fuel, Favorite Markets, Delta Express, and Discount Food Mart.

Earn and Burn Mechanics

• For every gallon of fuel pumped, members earn 5 points. Every dollar spent in the convenience stores earns members 10 points (excluding restricted items).
• All purchases of MAPCO private label brands attract double points. On every gallon every day (up to 200 gallons), registered members get to save up to 3¢.
• Members who refer a friend get to receive 500 points bonus when he/she (referred friend) makes his/her first purchase

MAPCO's Strengths

• MAPCO has a strong regional presence with close to 350 locations across Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Arkansas, Virginia, Kentucky, and Mississippi, operating under various banners including MAPCO Express, MAPCO Mart, Fast Food and Fuel, Favorite Markets, Delta Express and Discount Food Mart.
• MAPCO has a market positioning advantage, as one of the industry's leading retailers.
• The company has operational efficiency achieved through Gilbarco's cloud-based, Insite360 Passport, and Insite360 Encore, which allows MAPCO to monitor remotely, control, and configure the Passport POS System from any location at any given time.
• MAPCO's in-app payments capability with PayPal launched in 2017 has made it easy for customers to conveniently and easily buy products both through the website and on the online, thereby creating a better experience for them.

MAPCO's Weakness

• On Better Business Bureau, some customers have launched complaints citing issues such as discounts not being applied, poor customer service, confusing signage (of promotional advertisements), and problems with the redemption of My Reward points, among others.
• Some users have expressed concerns over MAPCO App's slowness and glitchiness when trying to redeem My Rewards points and difficulties signing in.

Research Strategy

Loyalty Member Base

• The program is open for all Food Lion's customers that register for the MVP on the shop and earn landing page or the Food Lion app.

Participating Locations

• This available in all 1,036 stores of Food Lion.

Earn and Burn Mechanics

• Rewards are automatically added to the customer's MVP card once a customer visits the "shop and earn" icon on their app or website while shopping.
• The reward is discount-based. 

Loyalty Partners

• Food Lion has partnered with several food banks like Atlanta Community Food Bank, America's Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia, Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, Capital Area Food Bank, Feeding America, Feed More, Food Bank of Delaware, among others.

Dividend Rate

• There is no dividend rate specified by Food Lion. The reward is earned based on a member's shopping needs. 

Loyalty Program Awards

• Loyalty360 awarded two best-in-class awards to Food Lion on the MVP customer loyalty program and customer experience strategy at the 2019 Loyalty360 expo.
• Food Lion was awarded with a silver award by Loyalty360 for their shop and earn, and a to honor award of the best loyalty programs of the year in 2019 Spring.

Redemption Process

• Members can redeem the MVP reward once they visit for their next shopping in the next month after shopping.
• A reward expires at the end of the two months after shopping.
• There is no maximum or minimum points before a reward is redeemed.

Strength and Weaknesses

• Food Lion has a strong regional presence with over 1,036 stores, which makes it easy for customers to access them.
• The stores are smaller and very convenient for customers to shop.
• One major weakness of Food Lion is its lousy image in perishable goods.

Member Feedback and Comments

• "I love using shop and earn! I am already purchasing foods from the different departments, and being rewarded for getting my first choice of food or household products feels great! What I like most is that Shop and Earn enhances Food Lions customer service initiatives. Food Lion is, by far, my favorite place to shop for groceries.”
• “I absolutely love Shop and Earn. You get a reward back on things you already are buying. This is a great incentive for Food Lion customer's. It's easy to use and love that the rewards automatically apply to your total.”

Loyalty Member Base and Participating Locations

• The program is open to all Stop & Shop customers that register for Gas Rewards.
• The program is available in all the 421 stores of Stop & Shop and selected Shell stations.

Earn and Burn Mechanics

• For every 100 points earned, customers qualify for a ten cents discount per gallon of gasoline purchased at Stop & Shop gas stations and other participating Shell Stations. The points expire after 30 days, and the discount limit is up to 30 gallons.

Redemption Process

• Customers can start redeeming their points when they receive 100 points, and the limit to the fuel discount is up to 30 gallons. Members redeem their points by swiping their Stop & Shop reward cards or by entering a telephone number that is associated with their account at any Stop & Shop gas station or selected Shell stations

Dividend Rate

• There is no dividend rate specified by the company, and the rewards option is primarily in the form of fuel discounts. 

Loyalty Partners

• Stop & Shop has partnered with Shell to expand the Gas Rewards program by allowing its customers to redeem their points for a discount in fuel purchase at selected Shell stations. The points are currently connected with Shell's Fuel Rewards.

Strengths

• Stop & Shop has been operating for over 100 years, with a strong regional presence in New Jersey, New England, and New York, with over 400 stores that are easily accessible by customers.
• Notably, several customers have commended the company on their excellent customer support service.
• Customers are offered different ways to save while shopping at the stores through tags like Bonus Buy Options, Extended Bonus Buys, Everyday Low Prices, and Wow.
• They have also been recognized for superior energy management by EPA
• Their commitment to excellent service earned them the 2009 Retail Excellence Award by Kraft Foods.

Weakness

• The company incurred millions of dollars in losses when their over 30,000 employees went on a ten-day strike demanding improved work conditions, increased wages, better retirement, and healthcare packages.
• Some stores do not adhere to quality standards as expired products are found in some of their shelves.

Member Feedback and Comment

• An example of a member's comment is, " I'm a fan. The gas prices start low here, and get even lower when you use Stop & Shop gas rewards points."

Research Strategy

Wegmans Shoppers Club — Overview

• Wegmans shoppers club was launched in March 1990. Its membership registration is free for all customers.
• The company opines that the Shopper Club loyalty program provides customers with a platform to shop smarter.
• Some known benefits include "digital coupons based on what you buy most, create shopping lists organized by aisle, and exclusive member-only mailings.
• Other benefits of the shopper club include product recalls update, order refills from Wegman's pharmacy, and recipes update.
• Wegmans launched its shoppers club digital coupons program in 2016 after a test run with employees during the previous year.
• Wegmans also offers a shoppers club business account. According to the company, it is a "no-fee, all-in-one buying program for businesses that can offer organizations so many special services."
• Some of its benefits include "personal customer service, systemized tax-exempt recognition, purchase order capabilities, and electronic statements & receipt tracking."

Loyalty Member Base

• Wegman's shoppers club members are customers who have an "active shoppers club account or a shoppers club business account registered in the customer's name and connected to a Wegmans online account."

Participating Locations

• The shoppers club services are available at all Wegmans stores, independent of the store location, although all Wegman's services and site operations are limited to the United States.

Earn and Burn Mechanics

• Previously, shoppers club members were able to "add a cash value to their shoppers club card through the A W-Dollar program. The program was stopped in 2015.
• Rewards earned by members is currently limited to the digital coupon offerings.

Dividend Rate

• There are no points earnings or cash added values attached to the Wegman's shoppers club membership.

Loyalty Partners

• For the Wegman's pharmacy program which is one the benefits of the shoppers club membership, some company's partners are "Aspen Dental, Crucible Industries, Finger Lakes Area School Health Plan, Food Bank of the Southern Tier, Ibero American Action League, LeChase Construction, Members 1st Federal Credit Union, Rochester Institute of Technology, US Wellness, and YMCA."

Redemption Process

• To be able to leverage the shoppers club's digital coupon, members must have an "active shoppers club account registered in the customer's name and connected to a Wegmans online account."
• The coupons are accessible through mobile smartphones, desktops, and laptop computers and can be found in the "Digital Coupons" menu and then the "Clip" icon.
• To use the digital coupon, registered customers are to "clip the coupon and scan the bar code from your Wegmans app or enter their phone number while at checkout. If the correct eligible item is purchased, the discount automatically comes off the order."
• All shoppers club digital coupons have an expiration date and are applicable only once.

Strength

• The company offers food products at a considerably low price compared to other food chains.
• Wegmans is listed as one of the "best grocery store and among the 100 best companies to work for, creating huge brand value."
• It has a product line dedicated to healthy living such as "Food you feel good about," and another line of organic products known as "six dollar meals."
• Wegmans offers additional attractive services to its customers, such as "florist, catering, gift ideas, recipes, and shopping lists."

Weaknesses

• The range of product offerings is limited in comparison to similar food chains.
• Wegmans is thought to have low brand awareness and a smaller share of the food chain industry when compared to other companies.
• It has high food preparation and operating cost when compared to other food chains.

Loyalty Program Awards and Recognition

• From a list of the company's awards and recognition, the Wegman's shopper club program has not received any formal awards or recognition.

Member Feedback and Comments

• An example of customers' negative comments are "The clip all feature in the digital coupons is gone, and now my club card is hit or miss if it will scan on the readers when I am checking out" and "Shoppers club bar code will not scan with the auto readers."
• An example of a customer's positive comment is "my shopper's club number was carried over to my new account."

Program Overview

• Hy-Vee's loyalty program is called the Fuel Saver + Perks membership.
• According to the company's website, this loyalty program enables program members to "save money on gas, earn exclusive deals and access digital coupons" using a loyalty card.
• This program is free to join. Consumers who want to join can get a card at a Hy-Vee gas station, then download the Hy-Vee and create an account. An account can also be created on the Hy-Vee Perks website.

Loyalty Member Base

• Hy-Vee's loyalty membership base consists of consumers in the Midwest, as this is where this loyalty program currently operates.
• Hy-Vee has an option that allows family members to link their loyalty cards to the same loyalty account, which suggests the company is looking to cater to this demographic.

Participating Locations

• There are 2,600 fuel stations that currently accept the Hy-Vee Fuel Saver + Perks card.
• In addition to Hy-Vee locations, the card can also be used at Casey's, Shell Stations, and Kwik Trip Stations.

Earn and Burn Mechanics

• According to the company's website, program members "earn fuel discounts by purchasing eligible products in store and scanning [their] Hy-Vee Fuel Saver + Perks card or providing [their] phone number at the register."

• Another way members can earn discounts is by making online purchases on their Aisles Online account and linking their perks card to this account.
• Fuel Saver promotional items are tagged with a Fuel Saver icon so members can easily know which items are eligible.
• Aside from fuel discounts, other perks and rewards can also be earned in this same manner.
• Overall, this framework appears to fall under the discounts-based loyalty program category and there is no mention of point accumulation.
• The program also involves non-discount perks in the form of exclusive deals/offers, surprise savings, and bonuses. Bonuses include things like free giveaways and vacation packages.

Dividend Rate

• Different promotions offer different discount rates, therefore no clear dividend rate can be obtained. For example, one promotion may be a Fuel Saver discount of 10 cents per gallon when the consumer purchases item A, whereas if the consumer purchases item B the discount may be 3 cents per gallon.
• In some cases, the consumer is required to purchase a certain number of a specific item in order to earn the fuel savings discount.

Loyalty Partners

• Casey, Shell, and Kwik Trip gas stations also accept Hy-Vee's loyalty card.
• One loyalty program give away (free groceries for a year) was sponsored by Pepsi, Post, Coca-Cola, Hidden Valley Ranch, Whitey's Ice Cream, SaraLee, Reese's, Anderson Erickson, Thomas, and RXBAR.
• A deeper analysis of partners who provide perks/rewards cannot be conducted without registering an actual loyalty card, as the available perks and rewards are only viewable to program members.

Redemption Process

• According to the company's website, "in order to redeem fuel discounts and earn/redeem perks, [members] need to provide [their] information — first and last name, address, telephone number and email address — through the Hy-Vee app" or on the Hy-Vee Perks website.
• Special perks and offers get loaded automatically onto a members card and they can swipe their card in-store to redeem them.
• Fuel Saver discounts can be collected/saved and are good for up to 30 days after they were earned. A single redemption transaction cannot exceed 20 gallons of gas, nor can it be used to fuel multiple cars at once.

Strength and Weaknesses

• The company's app leaves a lot to be desired in terms of user experience, as many consumers have left comments complaining that the app is clunky, slow, and not all the features work as intended.
• Hy-Vee's strengths are its size and years of service. The company was founded in 1930 and employs 84,000 people. The company operates 246 stores across eight U.S. states. They rank as one of the top 25 supermarket chains in the United States and in the top 50 private companies in the U.S.
• Hy-Vee has an annual revenue of $10 billion.

Loyalty Program Awards and Recognition

• No awards were found for this loyalty program.

Member Feedback and Comments

• Member comments were analyzed via the Google Play page for Hy-Vee's loyalty program app.
• One program member stated: "The ability to track fuel perks points live is a great feature."
• Another member stated: "This is a great price card and it helps a lot with the cost."
• A third program member said: "I enjoy the weekly 'Special Deal'."
• Another member stated: "A must have for Hy-Vee shoppers!"
• One negative comment left by a member stated: "Hard to activate my card."
• Overall, the vast majority of comments left about the app had nothing to do with the loyalty program itself but instead were users complaining about the poor UX of the app itself.

Program Overview

• Pilot Flying J's loyalty program, myRewards, was launched in spring 2012.

• The loyalty program applies to everyday customers, RVers, and professional drivers.

• To become a member, people can either "pick up a card in store and" register it online or join via the Piloty Flying J app.

• Members of the program "are eligible for in-store retail and restaurant discounts."

• The loyalty program works in conjunction with the Pilot Flying J app. Each day, new deals are offered via the app.

Loyalty Member Base

• We could not find any information about the extent of the myRewards member base.

Participating Locations

• Pilot Flying J states that "[a]s a myRewards member, you'll receive points and credits whenever you purchase certain fuel, products or services from any of our locations." Thus, the company's 750 total locations all participate in the program.
• With regard to the Coffee Club offering of the myRewards program, "Preferred Customers at select Tennessee Pilot Flying J locations" are ineligible to participate.

Earn & Burn Mechanics

• MyRewards is both a points-based and discount-based loyalty program.
• Members earn points by purchasing fuel and buying food/beverage/items in Pilot Flying J stores.
•  Bonus points are also offered for certain in-store items. Items purchased that don't earn members bonus points are lottery tickets, alcohol, tobacco, and "other exclusions may apply."
• Members accrue points by either "swiping their myRewards card" or by using the Pilot Flying J app.

Dividend Rate

•  0.01% 
• We based that determination on the fact that myRewards members "earn one (1) point for every one (1) diesel gallon fueled. One (1) point is worth one cent ($.01) when redeeming points earned."

Loyalty Partners

•  Denny's

•  Goodyear Commercial Tire Centers/Wingfoot Commercial Tire Systems

•  Boss Shops 

•  UrgentCareTravel

•  Rolling Strong

•  Good Sam Club

Redemption Process

• Members redeem points by swiping their myRewards card or scanning their Pilot Flying J app "at the time of purchase."
• The company states that "[p]oints can be redeemed instantly for products and services at participating Pilot and Flying J locations and restaurants." Products that cannot be purchased with accrued points are lottery, fuel, alcohol, tobacco, "and coin-based services."
• Members can "[r]edeem myRewards points for laundry services at participating facilities."

Strengths & Weaknesses

1. Strengths

• A key strength of the company is that it's "the largest operator of travel centers in North America, with more than 27,000 team members, 750 locations across the U.S. [44 states] and Canada, and more than $20 billion in revenues."
• The company is "ranked No. 15 on Forbes' list of America's Largest Private Companies."
• The company's "network provides drivers with access to more than 70,000 parking spaces for trucks, 4,900 showers and more than 5,000 diesel lanes offering Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) at the pump."

2. Weaknesses

• Many customers complain about a lack of cleanliness at Pilot Flying J locations.

• Many customers also complain about poor customer service they received at Pilot Flying J locations.

• Pilot Flying J receives overall, mediocre reviews from its employees. On Glassdoor, the company has a 2.9-star rating, based on 1,014 reviews. On Indeed, the company has a 3.3-star rating, based on 2,400 reviews.

Awards & Recognitions

• We could not find any information about awards or recognitions that the myRewards program has received.

Member Feedback & Comments

• "[L]ike how . . . from the app we can now . . . see how many points we have and also see what pilot is offering for free to the drivers and what other sales are going on at the pilot store straight from the app."

• "[T]he cleanest restrooms, the best coffee, and the best rewards!"

• "The rewards for truck drivers is awful. 50 gallons = 1 point towards the 10 needed to get a free coffee. Are you serious? Loves has the best rewards."

• "[T]he rewards program is awesome."

Program Overview

• Giant Eagle's loyalty program, fuelperks+, is available to Advantage members, offering them more ways to earn and redeem rewards on gift cards, groceries, prescriptions, Curbside Express orders, and every gallon of fuel. It is a reinvention of the "fuelperks!" loyalty program, which was available to all customers in 2006, offering 10 cents in fuel discounts for each $50 spent.
• The difference is that with fuelperks+, customers can not only redeem the same rewards on fuel but also on groceries (2% discount for every 50 perks, up to 20% discount on one purchase), or even free food at GetGo.
• Eligibility for the discounts is restricted to purchases made at registers that scan the Giant Eagle Advantage Card, through which discounts are tracked.
• Participating locations occasionally offer limited-time promotions through which customers can earn bonus perks in addition to the existing perks, and customers can keep track of their perks using Giant Eagle's iOS and Android apps.

Loyalty Member Base

• The program is available to all US residents, 18 and above, who are in good terms with Giant Eagle, have "either a valid Giant Eagle Advantage Card, a valid Ricker's Reward card or a digital account on gianteagle.com or in the Giant Eagle app," and enroll the card at fuelperksplus.com.

Participating Locations

• The perks are available at all its 474 stores across its Giant Eagle, Market District, GetGo, and Ricker locations in western Pennsylvania, Ohio, north-central West Virginia, Maryland, and Indiana.

Earn and Burn Mechanics

• fuelperks+ is both a point-based and discount-based program. Discounts are available to members after accumulating 50 "perks" on qualifying purchases, including gas, groceries, gift cards, and prescriptions copays.
• Members earn 1 perk for every $1 they spend on qualifying purchases of groceries, gift cards, Curbside Express orders, and prescription copays inside Giant Eagle, Market District, and GetGo.
• They also earn 2 perks per gallon of fuel at GetGo and 5 perks per qualifying prescription.

Dividend Rate

• Customers that redeem their rewards on gas get a 10 cents discount, up to a free tank after accumulating 50 perks. This implies a dividend rate of 0.2% for perks collected via purchases of groceries and gift cards as customers earn 10 cents on $50 spend.
• Based on the nature of the discounts earned on fuel purchases and qualifying prescriptions, as well as rewards redeemed via discounts on grocery purchases or free food and drinks, the dividend rates can only be calculated for each purchase.

Loyalty Partners

•  ZipLine, a private label debit processor, manages the Advantage Cards. However, customers can only earn perks at Giant Eagle, Market District, and GetGo.

Redemption Process

• To redeem rewards, customers must have scanned their cards at the time of purchase at a participating location, enrolled their cards under their names at fuelperksplus.com, and earned at least 50 perks. They simply scan their cards and provide their PINs to make payment using their Advantage cards and redeem rewards.
• They are allowed a maximum of 5 redemptions daily and 30 redemptions in each calendar month. Although the perks currently expire after approximately 75 days, beginning on March 1, 2020, customers who earn less than 50 redeemable perks in a calendar month will lose their perks, while those with at least 50 perks will have their perks added to the next month's perks.

Strengths

• Giant Eagle supermarkets have been around for over 80 years.
• It operates 474 stores in five states, including 216 supermarkets as large as 120,000 square feet and 258 convenience/fuel locations, with over 32,000 employees.
• It has a robust loyalty program, as over 90% of all transactions at Giant Eagle and Market District supermarkets are completed using an Advantage card, with customers redeeming over $230 million in fuelperks! rewards in 2018.
• Its New Brunswick, Ohio Giant Eagle supermarket, is the first LEED-certified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certified) supermarket in the world, with the company receiving several local, state and federal awards for its dedication to environmental sustainability and waste reduction.

Weaknesses

• Based on 1,636 reviews, Giant Eagle is rated 3.2 on Glassdoor.
• Employees have left negative comments on Glassdoor, such as "late hours for part-time work, working holidays, retail," "upper management doesn't let department managers run their departments," and "lack of advancement, lack of training for new team members."

Member Feedback and Comments

• Its Android app is rated 3.0 based on 1,301 reviews on Google Play Store, with users complaining about its functionality. One user said: "It won't let you search for anything. Any section you clicked on won't let you go there without asking for more information!! Basically, it sucks."
• On the App Store, while it has a 4.6 rating, it has a mixture of positive and negative feedback from users. One user said: "This app is useful, but also frustrating. If it can store my name & amount of my annual savings, then it should be able to remember my preferred store and previous purchases."
• Another user said: "I really like the mobile ordering aspect of the app, but it's frustrating when you never know if your discounts will be applied."

Research Strategy