College campus diner loyalty scheme launches
A new customer loyalty programme called 'Jam', aimed at college and university students on-campus, has been launched in the USA by food and facilities management provider Aramark Corporation.
The Jam loyalty programme provides students with the opportunity to earn points for all on-campus dining purchases. Students can redeem Jam points for a range of rewards including brand-name sporting goods, electronics, fashion accessories, and gift cards.
Students are also encouraged to consider donating their Jam points to benefit America's Second Harvest - The Nation's Food Bank Network - a hunger-relief charity with a network of 200+ food banks, and rescue programmes serving all 50 states, plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
Student research Jam was developed as a result of research into more than 37,000 student insight surveys conducted by Aramark in autumn 2004. Key research findings included:
- Students ranked "convenience" and "fun and popular" as the top reasons for choosing to dine on campus.
- Student interest in purchasing campus meal plans increased by 40% if a loyalty programme offered the incentives they found most appealing.
- College students consume 29% of their meals in on-campus dining facilities.
- Eighty percent of students purchase at least one lunch on campus each week.
- On a weekly basis, 40% of students bring their lunch from home or eat at home, representing the largest source of student meal spending.
- Only 2% of students skip lunch, while 8% skip dinner, 15% skip breakfast, and 28% supplement their daily food intake with late night snacks.
More Jam, sir? Jam is being introduced at six US universities throughout August 2005: East Carolina University, The George Washington University, Grand Valley State University, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, University of South Florida, and the University of Pennsylvania.
According to Chris Hackem, president for Aramark Education's Dining Services division, "Jam was designed to promote greater campus and community interaction. We believe that Jam will enhance the popularity of on-campus dining by providing students with attractive reward incentives, and the opportunity to be agents of change by having the option of donating points to benefit America's Second Harvest."
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