Handy Foods, Marathon Score with Grocery-Fuel Cross-Marketing Program
The Supervalu-supplied independent grocer partners with a nearby gas station to give consumers relief from the high cost of gasoline
IRVING, Texas, November 05, 2007 - Six months after launching a cross-marketing program that gives shoppers fuel discounts at a nearby gas station for purchasing certain products at its grocery store, Handy Foods, Ottawa, Ill. reports that the partnership has worked out well for both companies.
"We are giving out rewards on average for the sale of some 2,000 gallons of fuel per week," said Mike McGrogan, co-owner of Handy Foods. "Our customer reaction has been very positive because of the fuel prices. The program has been a great part of our overall strategy. It's much more economical to partner with a gas station right across the street than it is to build your own."
The one-store independent is partnering with Partridge's Marathon gas station. The card-based program, branded as "Pump Perks," is managed by Supervalu's regional office in Kenosha, Wis. Excentus Corp. provides the fuel site marketing program, technology and integration services.
Handy Foods uses the Excentus' Reward Marketplace (R) to track purchases of promoted items and the subsequent fuel discounts. The Marathon fuel site relies on Excentus Reward LinkTM, which attaches to their Verifone Ruby SuperSystems to gather the customer's reward information and rolls down the price of fuel by the appropriate amount. In addition to Marathon branded sites, Excentus Reward Link is compatible with BP, Chevron, Citgo, Clark, Gulf, Shell, Sinclair, Sunoco, and Valero sites.
The powerful application technologies from Excentus enable the integration and automation of fuel and retail operations, facilitating innovative cross-marketing programs that generate incremental in-store sales and measurable ROI.
Shoppers can earn fuel discounts by purchasing any of a thousand or so grocery items flagged with special tags on the shelf indicating that they will earn fuel savings. For example, buying Carnation hot chocolate will save customers six cents per gallon of fuel, up to 15 gallons. Or buying Old Orchard apple cider will save customers ten cents per gallon, up to 15 gallons. Eligible items change each week. Shoppers accumulate cents-per-gallon discounts on their Pump Perks card for use within 30 days.
"We expect that the program will continue to provide a good value for our customers and help increase business for us and at Partridge's Marathon gas station," said McGrogan.
Brandon Logsdon, Executive Vice President and General Manager at Excentus, said, "Handy Foods is able to reap the benefits of offering gasoline discounts as an incentive in a timeframe, and for a cost that was previously unfathomable. Fuel partnership cross marketing is a powerful solution that allows both entities to remain competitive and grow their businesses today - not tomorrow."
About Excentus:
Excentus Corporation is the leader in delivering innovative fuel site marketing programs, technology and integration services. Headquartered in Irving, Texas, Excentus Corp. was founded in 1996 as CCISTech. It is a privately held company with over 75 customers in the U.S. and Canada. For more information, email marketing@excentus.com, or visit www.excentus.com.
About Marathon
Marathon is the fourth-largest U.S.-based fully integrated international energy company engaged in exploration and production; integrated gas; and refining, marketing and transportation operations. Marathon is the fifth largest refiner in the U.S. with 974,000 barrels-per-day of crude processing capacity in its seven-refinery system. The company's brand marketing network comprises approximately 4,200 locations in 17 states. For more information about Marathon, visit www.Marathon.com.
Media Contacts:
Cara Hawryluk
Excentus Corp.
(972) 793-6797
chawryluk@excentus.com
Linda Winick
Primary Communications, LLC
216-534-9933
linda@primarypr.com
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