To evaluate a loyalty company for the fuel industry, you would need to consider several factors, including:

Program Structure Capabilities: This includes the type of rewards offered, redemption options, and program tiers. It’s important to understand how the program is structured and how it incentivizes customers to remain loyal to the brand. It is not about a specific program, but the capabilities for future proofing.

Connexus Knowledge & Implementation: Ensure your provider is fluent in the Connexus spec for loyalty and can handle Gilbarco, Verifone, NCR, and future point of sales.. One of the biggest pitfalls retailers get into is their partner’s inability to handle retailer requirements due to inexperience with Connexus. This could set you back years.

Technology: Evaluate the company’s capabilities in terms of architecture, scalability, functionality, and future state capabilities. At VLG, this is imperative to our clients. We pride ourselves on being on the forefront of c-store & retail technology.

PCI Compliance: If you have been under a rock lately, payments and loyalty are joined at the hip and being able to utilize payments as a vehicle for loyalty makes the consumer experience clean and simple. Additionally, proprietary payments is the next level of engagement from standard loyalty. Talk to your potential partners on their capabilities and make sure you have PCI compliance covered.

Customer Data: A loyalty program generates a lot of customer data. It is essential to understand the quality and completeness of the data collected and how it is being used

Marketing and Communication: Evaluate the effectiveness of marketing and communication strategies employed by the company to promote the loyalty program to potential and existing customers.

Playing Nice With Others: One of the hidden areas of loyalty in fuel is the need to play nice with others. With majors wanting multiple programs, retailers having multiple programs like scan data, order ahead, etc. having a solution that puts everything together or manage the various programs is critical. At Velocity, we have a loyalty cloud that allows major oils to manage multiple national and local programs and also allows retailers to operate their own and have multiple partners like order ahead, payment, MFG offers, etc. This is important for the operator, but also for the consumer and their experience.

By considering these factors, you can better evaluate the performance and potential of any loyalty company for the fuel industry. Ensure it is a robust process and make sure the focus is on capabilities.

For more information on our platforms like Enrollment, C-Store Rewards, Loyalty Switch, & Partner Platform, contact us today