Midwest grocery retailer partners with tcc to increase same store sales, and drive long-term loyalty with its best customers
QUINCY, Ill. & NEW YORK — (BUSINESS WIRE) — County Market, a unit of Niemann Foods Inc., is taking a novel approach to enhancing the value of its personalized rewards program, MAX Value. Over the last year, County Market has alternated merchandise rewards for meeting set spending thresholds and a digital mobile game tied to the season, both supported by tcc, the world’s leading provider of loyalty programs for supermarkets and other retailers.
“The combination of high value loyalty rewards and digital mobile games keeps us top-of-mind with customers and is showing real, quantifiable results. Today’s consumer has more options than ever and we have to keep it fresh to give them new reasons to shop our stores week after week” Tweet this
“The combination of high value loyalty rewards and digital mobile games keeps us top-of-mind with customers and is showing real, quantifiable results. Today’s consumer has more options than ever and we have to keep it fresh to give them new reasons to shop our stores week after week,” said Ron Cook vice president and director of marketing at Niemann Foods, operator of 39 County Market supermarkets in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and Missouri.
County Market just launched its Company is Coming campaign, which runs through the holiday season and features MAX Value Card loyalty point redemption for a variety of MasterChef ovenware. The all-digital campaign celebrates family and community, rewarding customers for their shopping as we head into Fall and the critical holiday shopping season.
Just prior to the Company is Coming campaign, County Market ran the Take It Outside digital mobile game, which used the summer grilling season as the theme. The game created excitement and motivated customers to visit an in-store seasonal merchandising display of grilling and outdoor dining products. Thousands of customers used their mobile phones to play the digital game everyday to win daily prizes and enter a grand prize drawing for a Weber Grill. Daily prizes were redeemable in-store, which drove incremental traffic and allowed the retailer to build a database of digitally engaged customers.
Leading off the County Market trifecta in the Winter and Spring earlier this year was the Back to the Table campaign, which also featured MAX Value Card loyalty point redemption for a full range of KitchenAid® cookware. The campaign was designd to retain the COVID-related sales increases as virus restrictions were lifted and consumers began to socialize again. Same store sales grew by 14.6%, while the customer trips increased and basket size rose 6.1%. MAX Value Card penetration increased 8.9% enabling County Market to identify more of its customers and bolster its personalization initiatives.
For the card-based campaigns and the game, County Market experienced a dramatic increase in social media activity, with hundreds of thousands of new engagements on Facebook and thousands of new Instagram followers.
“County Market is energizing its most important customers by pulsing in and out these fixed length rewards offerings. Each campaign builds on the success of the previous one and over time they are creating a super-engaged base of loyal customers. It’s a smart strategy and County Market has done a great job executing it,” said Dan Dmochowski, President of North America for tcc.
About tcc
tcc is an international marketing company specializing in creating loyalty platforms and campaigns that change the way shoppers think, act and feel. In a fast-paced retail environment which continues to be disrupted by increasing consumer choice, technology and innovation, customer loyalty remains a significant driver as the link between emotional resonance and transactional reward.
Using the power of data, insight and creativity, tcc delivers tailor-made solutions which engage and reward loyal customers while driving sustainable growth to retailers and brands. Active in more than 70 countries worldwide, tcc global employs more than 600 people across 34 offices. To find out more, visit tccglobal.com.
About Niemann Foods Inc.
Today, more than 100 grocery, pet food, hardware, pharmacies and gas stations are part of the Niemann Foods Inc.family in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Wisconsin and Missouri. They continue to serve their respective communities with a commitment to taking care of their customers. We have more than 4,000 NFI Associates, many that have ownership through an employee stock option purchase plan (ESOP). As associate owners there is a much stronger focus on selling fresh product, listening to and responding to customers’ needs and building lasting relationships with courteous service. A commitment that will continue to be the foundation for continued growth and success for future generations.
Contacts
Media
Gerry Kettler, Director of Consumer Affairs
County Market
gkettler@niemannfoods.com
Ronald Margulis
RAM Communications
908-337-0020
ron@rampr.com
