AUSTIN, TX – In efforts to further boost store sales and stay at the forefront of consumer demand, Whole Foods Market has announced its pilot launch of a new rewards program that will soon go nationwide following the completion of the pilot test in the Dallas, Fort Worth, and Philadelphia areas.
“Today, we took another big step forward in our efforts to better understand and provide personalized offers to our customers, with the market test launch of our new rewards program in the Dallas and Fort Worth metro area,” stated Co-CEO Walter Robb during the company’s Q3 earnings call, as transcribed by Seeking Alpha.
The more consumers use the Whole Foods program, the bigger rewards they will receive. According to Dallas Morning News, registered Whole Foods customers will receive the following perks as part of the program:
- 10 percent off of their initial purchase
- One-time 15 percent discount on any department of their choosing, including produce
- Cumulative rewards earned with each purchase
- Surprise discounts and earnings occasionally received at the register
“With each scan at the checkout, easy-to-use, customers increase their savings and personalize their future rewards. This new program builds upon our initial pilot in Philadelphia, while adding improvements that allow us to be more strategic in the ways in which customers can earn and redeem their rewards,” continued Robb. “Once the test is complete, we look forward to national rollout of the program sometime next year.”
Whole Foods first tested a rewards program in the Philadelphia market in 2014, with Dallas-Fort Worth picking up the pilot program this past week before the programs impending expansion. The rewards program is accessible through the company's website and smartphone app.
Robb stated in the call that this move was pre-empted by the addition of digital coupons to the Whole Foods app, which quickly became its most used feature. The company also plans to put a continued focus on its 365 store format.
Whole Foods recently reported a 2.6 percent decrease of comparable store sales in its 2016 Q3 earnings, but stated that the company retains confidence in its business evolution to successfully implement new programs and ideas for growth.
As Whole Foods continues to shift its strategies to up repeat business and tap in on consumer demand, AndNowUKnow will continue to report on this rewards programs and other strategies in the fresh produce industry.
