Australia: new EasyFuel coalition program builds loyalty to SMEs

Coalition loyalty programs proliferate around the world in part because the shared operational and reward funding costs help partners deliver meaningful rewards to their best customers at a lower cost than operating a proprietary program. Still, small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) that participate in a large national coalition program can often get lost in the mix as the major retail and banking partners dominate the coalition. Over at LinkedIn, contributer Philip Shelper details a new coalition program in Australia that aims to help SMEs earn their fair share of customer loyalty.
 
By Rick Ferguson
 
The new program, called EasyFuel, is attractive to members due to its instant and fungible reward options; members earn fuel discounts when they shop at merchant partners, and can then take those discounts off their next fuel purchase at participating petrol stations or, through the program's smartphone app, transfer the cash value of the discounts to pay down utility bills, phone charges, or just earn cash to spend. To encourage redemption, the discounts expire after 60 days. 
 
Money quote from EasyFuel General Manager Chris Hammond: 
 
"We designed EasyFuel after identifying several gaps in the market which the major coalition programs were failing to address. Firstly, a program which was affordable for SME's and didn't require a financial commitment beyond their means. Secondly, a program which delivered a tangible reward quickly to members, rather than them having to build up points over several years. And thirdly, a program which was super-easy for merchants to set-up; no scary contracts and no expensive IT development."
Shelper reports that EasyFuel now boasts over 600 earn partners in Australia and delivers an average reward discount of 23 cents per litre of fuel, for an average AU $11.50 cash reward per redemption period - for the average member, not a bad discount on a tank of fuel. Hammond reports ambitious expansion plans to New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and even the United States, where ambitious coalition program plans come to die. For Australian SMEs, EasyFuel represents a cost-conscious and member-friendly way to build loyalty with their best customers.
 
Read Shelper's article here.

Rick Ferguson is CEO and Editor in Chief of the Wise Marketer Group.