Big changes are coming to the UK fuel market. With the launch of the Fuel Finder scheme in January 2026, fuel retailers will soon be required to report prices and outages in real time or face steep penalties. 

In this video, PDI’s Mark Evans explains what the regulation means, how it compares to regulations in other international markets, and why PDI is uniquely positioned to help UK retailers stay compliant from day one. 

With over a decade of global experience in supporting fuel pricing mandates from Germany to Australia, PDI’s Fuel Pricing platform delivers more than just compliance. It offers real-time visibility, automated reporting, anomaly detection, and the peace of mind that comes from working with a trusted global partner. 

Speak with Mark’s team about PDI Fuel Pricing Solutions and the Fuel Finder scheme implementation today.

Big news: PDI Technologies is proud to have joined the European Loyalty Association (ELA).  

In this short video, PDI Sales Engineer Danny McArdle shares why we joined this association and what we value most about the broader loyalty community. 

He also explains how the PDI Loyalty platform supports a wide range of retailers in creating personalized, data-driven loyalty experiences that increase customer participation and drive a strong return on their investment. 

Ready to learn more? Schedule your personalized PDI Loyalty demo today

Want more loyalty content from PDI?

Check out C-Store Loyalty Insider for the latest in convenience loyalty—at PDI and across the industry.

With strategic collaboration between CPG brands and convenience retailers on the rise, brands should be seeking out every competitive advantage possible. But do you have the right combination of experience, expertise, and data-driven insights to get closer to your c-store retail partners?

Extracting valuable insights from data can reveal new ways to make a bigger splash in the convenience channel. Whether your goal is to speed up your decision-making, optimize your marketing strategy, or grow your revenue, data-driven insights are key to your success.

Start with these five steps to leverage data about consumer behaviors, industry trends, and market gaps to gain a competitive advantage in the convenience channel.

1. Get to know c-store customers better

C-store shoppers are unique from consumers across different retail channels. Getting to know their preferences and behaviors helps you create more personalized offers and services.

• Drill down into consumer behaviors: C-store shoppers prioritize convenience. Think fast grab-and-go purchases like beverages, snacks, and quick meals. Use data analytics tools to track foot traffic patterns and daypart activity to identify peak shopping times—then customize your promotions with your top impulse purchase products.
• Pinpoint individual preferences: Go deeper to determine who is buying which products at what times—and how varying your offers can impact purchasing frequency and sales. For example, are you seeing trends that could lead to potential product gaps, expansions, or growth areas?

2. Optimize your marketing campaigns

The more you know what c-store customers want and how they behave, you can engage with them much more effectively.

• Get hyper-personal: Data analytics and metrics help you track campaign performance, right down to individual promotions so you can reach shoppers with the right offers at the right time. Track what content and channels resonate with key audiences, then create highly targeted messages that boost engagement for greater impact.
• Refine your product mix: Use data-driven insights to help identify the right product mix for individual stores based on local demand, optimizing product placement for maximum visibility. Continually watch for new market trends, changing behaviors, and unmet needs to drive product innovation.

3. Enhance your operational efficiency

Beyond customer analysis and marketing campaigns, you can also use data-driven insights to optimize your operations and reduce costs.

• Peer into the future: Leverage data analytics to better anticipate demand, so you can avoid stockouts and overstocking. Modern predictive analytics based on historical data and machine learning analysis are great for honing your forecasts to help manage inventory.
• Tighten supply chain management: Do you have access to data that can help you identify bottlenecks in your distribution channels or gaps in inventory management? Understanding price elasticity, seasonal patterns, and shifting regional demands can also help you optimize your operations.

4. Boost your profitability

When the goal of business is to make money, increasing your profitability should always be a top priority. This is yet another area where reliable, real-time data can help ensure sustainable financial success.

• Create new revenue streams: Deeper analysis of key market trends can reveal new opportunities to differentiate your products and campaigns. Use this analysis to segment more effectively, optimize pricing, improve conversion rates, and boost overall sales performance.
• Maximize profitability: Do you have access to competitive data? If so, you can closely track your competitors, benchmark your performance, and adjust your product pricing strategies to increase profitability, even when facing a wide range of dynamic market conditions.

5. Strengthen your convenience retail partnerships

If you can accomplish steps 1-4, you’ll be well on your way to building stronger relationships with your c-store partners. But there are additional ways to collaborate for mutual benefit.

• Hone your retail strategy: Share your data-backed insights with your convenience retail partners to reveal the value of your products and brand. Provide trustworthy data that convinces them to elevate your products with priority placement and promotion.
• Get the complete picture: Using location data helps you work more strategically with c-stores to align your merchandizing efforts and promotions based on a common understanding of shopper behavior and preferences. And don’t forget about data from independent operators, which can give you a much more comprehensive view of the entire convenience channel.

Get started today

Make sure you’re maximizing the full value of your data-driven insights in the convenience retail market. If you need an experienced partner to help you collaborate with top retailers, PDI experts can help you get there faster. Contact us.

Want a fast way to catch up on the latest trends and news from across the fuel and convenience industry? Watch the May Connections Live Quarterly webinar! 

Three of PDI’s top industry experts shared their insights and answered participants’ questions in the latest installment of our quarterly live event. Here’s a summary of what they covered. 

Convenience industry snapshot 

PDI CMO Bethany Allee highlighted some fascinating statistics and evolving consumer behaviors from the 2025 “Pulse of Convenience” report. 

She covered areas such as how the price of fuel impacts both fuel and in-store trips, and she explained why prepared foodservice is such a powerful growth opportunity for operators. 

Bethany also noted that with 58% of c-store operators bullish on their business outlook for 2025, continued investment in digital transformation remains a business imperative for growth and differentiation. 

Lastly, Bethany addressed the top business concerns for both chains and independent operators: staffing challenges and labor costs. To learn more about these workforce trends, download our latest guide, “Staffing Success: The C-Store Workforce Guide.”  

Be sure to follow Bethany (@CStoreCMO) on X. 

GasBuddy travel forecast and other news 

In the second segment of the webinar, Patrick De Haan , VP and Head of Petroleum Analysis at GasBuddy, shared the latest updates from GasBuddy and previewed the 2025 travel season. 

With GasBuddy celebrating its 25^th anniversary as one of the most trusted platforms for consumers looking for the best gas prices, c-store reviews, and offers, Patrick highlighted findings from the GasBuddy 2025 Summer Travel Survey. 

Predictions for the summer season include lower average US gas prices in 2025 ($3.08) compared to 2024 ($3.58). In fact, the forecast cited the lowest inflation-adjusted summer gas prices since 2003. Check out the survey details here. 

You can watch more of Patrick on “What’s up at the pump?” or follow him (@gasbuddyguy) on X. 

Retail threat landscape 

In the third segment of the webinar, Dan Hoban, EVP, Field Services, covered the broader cybersecurity threat landscape with insights from the PDI Q1 2025 Threat Landscape Report. 

One key item to note for c-stores is that retail jumped from the eighth-most targeted sector to the fourth-most targeted industry sector between 2024 and 2025. Much of that rise was driven by a sudden surge in ransomware attacks—up by nearly 75% from Q4 2024. 

To help address the spike in ransomware, Dan noted the increasing value of ongoing security awareness training to keep all employees prepared, a method shown to help reduce phishing clicks by up to 50%. 

You can hear more from Dan on the recent “SOCaaS and AI: The Power Duo for Predictive Cybersecurity” webinar. 

Register now for Connections Live 2025!

Don’t miss the industry’s premier training and networking event—join us for all the action in Denver, CO from August 24-27.

Register Today

With P97 Networks joining the PDI engagement solutions suite, our mission of “connecting convenience” just accelerated! While PDI and P97 have been working together for many years with mutual customers, it’s a whole new ball game to be on the same team.

Mike Melson, SVP/GM, Payments & Loyalty at PDI, and Don Frieden, Founder and CEO at P97, discuss what our combined technologies and solutions for payments and loyalty mean to your business.

Read about the P97 Networks acquisition

Like to hear more from Mike and Don?   

Register now to join us at Connections Live 2025 in Denver, CO from August 24-27. This is your opportunity to hear PDI leaders discuss the latest solutions and future roadmaps for payments and loyalty. 

Want more loyalty content from PDI?

Check out C-Store Loyalty Insider for the latest in convenience loyalty—at PDI and across the industry.

Picture this: a customer walks into your store at 7 AM, coffee-deprived and running late, but instead of grabbing a sugary energy drink, they’re scanning your shelves for something that will fuel their body and their goals. Welcome to the new era of convenience retail, where “grab-and-go” is getting a serious wellness makeover.

The health and wellness opportunity—and challenge

Sure, you’re still competing with that c-store across the street and the big-box retailer down the road. But your biggest competition might actually be your customers’ own health aspirations. And guess what? That creates a big opportunity if you’re ready to embrace the change.

The numbers don’t lie—Americans are seriously committed to leveling up their wellness game. According to CapitalOne Shopping Research, 85% of consumers are actually reading nutritional labels, and 77% want to eat healthier. Even more telling? 68% are motivated by the promise of feeling better and having more energy. We’re talking about consumers who want to make better choices—they just need you to make it easier for them.

So, what’s the catch? Sixty percent of consumers say they’d eat healthier if nutritious foods weren’t so expensive, and 54% are desperately seeking easier access to affordable healthy options. That means there’s a massive gap in the market just waiting for the right c-store to fill it.

Your new favorite customers: Millennials and Gen Zers

Here’s where the generational demographics get interesting. The Millennials and Gen Zers walking through your doors? They’re not just buying snacks—they’re investing in their wellness.

Despite making up only 36% of the adult population in the US, they’re driving over 41% of annual wellness spending. Meanwhile, older consumers (age 58+) represent 35% of the population but only 28% of wellness spending.

For c-stores, this is like finding a treasure map with a giant “X” marking your demographic sweet spot (only it’s not Generation X). These younger consumers want fast, convenient access to health-conscious brands, and they’re willing to pay for it.

The wellness landscape: it’s personal

As consumers move beyond one-size-fits-all approaches, they’re focusing on holistic well-being that encompasses their mental, physical, and emotional health. They want solutions that fit their unique lifestyles, and that’s where your store can shine.

With prepared foodservice purchases at c-stores rising 16.3% in 2024, it’s clear that customers see convenience stores as legitimate food destinations. Here’s how to capitalize on that momentum:

• Expand your foodservice game: Move beyond the hot dog roller and the microwave. Fresh fruits, pre-cut produce, grab-and-go salads, yogurt parfaits, and fresh meal kits are what healthy consumers want.
• Offer smarter snacks: Stock up on protein-packed, fiber-rich snacks with healthy fats so your customers can feel better about their impulse purchases.
• Go plant-based: Even carnivores are curious about new plant-based alternatives, so give them some new options to explore.
• Make wellness more affordable: Don’t let price be the barrier to good health. Offer budget-friendly “health food” products that prove that wellness doesn’t have to break the bank.
• Champion gut health: Probiotic drinks, prebiotic snacks, and high-fiber options are having a moment—and shoppers are devouring them.

Your 3-step action plan

Ready to transform your store into a wellness destination? Here’s a roadmap to get you started:

1. Collaborate with purpose: Team up with health-focused CPG brands that understand the natural and organic market. These partnerships give you access to high-quality products and the expertise to market them effectively. Sweeten the deal with discounts and bundles that encourage customers to try new healthy options.
2. Promote “better-for-you” products: Strategic merchandising is your secret weapon. Smart shelf labeling, eye-catching signage, and flexible product placement can turn browsers into buyers. Educate your shoppers about health benefits—they’ll appreciate the guidance.
3. Create a more inviting environment: Your store should feel as healthy as the products you’re selling. Clean, well-maintained spaces with attractive displays make healthy choices more appealing. Remember, environment greatly influences purchasing behavior.

The bottom line

The wellness revolution isn’t coming—it’s already here and it’s happening at convenience stores. Your health-conscious customers are ready to make your store their go-to destination for convenient wellness solutions.

By embracing this trend and personalizing your approach to health-conscious consumers, you can meet the demand while building loyalty, driving profitability, and positioning your store as an essential part of your customers’ wellness journey.

Sources:

• CapitalOne Shopping Research
• McKinsey & Company

It’s inevitable. Every loyalty program will have its occasional hiccup—a missing reward, a promotion that didn’t apply, or a customer who’s frustrated and unsure about exactly what went wrong. 

In those moments, you’re not just solving a problem. You’re building a relationship. 

At PDI, we believe that the way you handle loyalty issues is just as important as how you structure your loyalty program. In fact, those moments of friction are often the biggest opportunities to win deeper loyalty when your team is empowered, trained, and equipped with the right tools. 

Here are three key steps you can take to turn loyalty issues into relationship wins. 

1. Turn problems into opportunities 

When mistakes happen, resolution moments become the hidden turning points in the customer experience. 

One study by PwC found that 32% of customers will walk away from a brand after just one bad experience—but 86% of customers say they’re more loyal to brands that offer great customer support. The difference? It’s not the mistake. It’s the response. 

When your frontline employees—whether store associates or support agents—have the tools, knowledge, and authority to resolve issues quickly and with empathy, they can turn what could be a churn risk into a loyalty moment. 

Even though managing customer issues can be stressful, there’s a silver lining. Feedback from customers is a gift. Great operators use it to identify trends or recurring problems, and they adapt with strategies to improve the ongoing customer experience. Be sure to communicate regularly with your employees and customers to acknowledge that you’re listening and responding. 

2. Empower your staff to act like loyalty leaders 

In the PDI Loyalty Playbook, we explain how to create a culture of loyalty where your entire organization understands that loyalty is more than a program. It’s a mindset and one of your most valuable business assets. 

That means: 

• Training store employees to confidently handle loyalty questions, card issues, and reward redemptions
• Giving customer service agents visibility into purchase history, points balances, and offer activity
• Equipping managers with dashboards that flag recurring issues or trends across locations
• Rewarding employees for “saving” loyalty moments or delivering exceptional customer service
• Empowering your team to go “above and beyond” by not just fixing a problem but also compensating customers for their trouble, encouraging them to give your brand another chance 

With this approach, every customer-facing role becomes a brand ambassador—with the power to turn a simple resolution into a memorable positive experience. 

3. Anticipate issues before they escalate 

What’s the best way to solve problems? Prevent them from happening in the first place. With PDI Loyalty, your team has access to: 

• Real-time data to validate redemptions and points
• Promotion timelines synced across the POS and the pump
• Member history to spot fraud, disputes, or trends 
• Intuitive campaign tools to reduce setup errors 

And, with integrated support features in PDI Experience Designer, your team can send “make-good” offers or apology perks instantly—turning any misstep into a positive memory. 

Real-world example: Starbucks as the gold standard 

The Starbucks loyalty program is a well-known benchmark, not just for its mobile-first design but for its world-class member support. 

If a customer reports a missed star or reward, they often receive a personalized message and compensation within hours. The brand’s support team is trained to reinforce the value of the program and the relationship. The result? 

• Over 31 million active US loyalty members 
• An average 15% higher spend by loyalty members compared to non-members 
• Over 50% of in-store transactions driven by rewards members 

That’s the power of building and maintaining a brand-wide loyalty culture. 

PDI perspective: loyalty is a people strategy 

Like most things today, technology is critical for a successful loyalty program. But it’s your people who make loyalty real. 

That’s why PDI doesn’t just provide platforms. We provide partnerships. We coach our clients on how to build scalable support processes, train frontline teams, and use every loyalty issue as a chance to drive retention. 

From loyalty troubleshooting guides to store-level dashboards and CPG-funded goodwill offers, we give you the tools to win the moments that matter. 

Final thought 

Imagine a customer calling you because they didn’t get their points. They leave the call not just satisfied—but more loyal than before. That’s the goal. 

In loyalty, problems are not necessarily disruptions—they’re invitations to show up. To fix it fast. And to prove why your brand is worth coming back to. 

Ready to build a loyalty culture that turns every challenge into a customer win?

Want to hear more from Mindy?

Mindy will be one of our many PDI industry experts on hand at Connections Live 2025 in Denver, August 24-27. 

Register Now

Want more loyalty content from PDI?

Check out C-Store Loyalty Insider for the latest in convenience loyalty—at PDI and across the industry.

Sources: PDI Technologies Loyalty Playbook, and PwC Experience is everything: Here’s how to get it right 

One of the most common questions I get about PDI Connections Live is why it makes sense to send multiple people from one company. I admit that’s a good question to ask, especially when budgets are tight. 

My typical response is that the focus on in-depth training for this conference makes it unique in our industry. When you invest in PDI solutions, you clearly want to maximize your investment. The best way to do that is to become as proficient with those solutions as possible. 

Our goal at Connections Live 2025 is to deliver the deep technical training your organization needs to thrive. This year, that includes: 

• 160+ classes 

• 86 advanced-level classes 

• 26 hands-on classes 

• 24-hour networking labs 

• Almost unlimited peer networking opportunities 

A proven history of team training 

That covers why someone would want to attend. To answer why anyone would send multiple people, I lean on the feedback we’ve received from previous attendees. In the early years of the conference, we discovered that team training became a force multiplier for many organizations. 

Instead of attendees overlapping with each other and diminishing the overall training experience, we kept hearing how organizations were seeing even greater value by sending a full team. By working in groups, attendees can apply their shared knowledge and learn from each other’s diverse experiences as they: 

• Build practical, real-world technical skills 

• Collaborate more effectively 

• Exchange best practices 

• Learn directly from PDI product experts 

• Cross-train across roles for greater versatility 

In addition, we offer multiple full role-based tracks for attendees. If you want to send different employees focused on wholesale, technology, accounting, pricebook, loyalty, or security, there’s a unique track for each attendee. 

Big savings with Group Discount Bundles 

Team training is so important that we offer a Group Discount for any organization or parent company that sends multiple attendees to Connections Live 2025. Here’s how much you can save: 

You can get all the details about Group Discount Bundles here. 

Please note that you must purchase your bundle by June 15. 

Savings for individual attendees 

If you want to attend Connections Live 2025 but aren’t part of a group, you can still save big: 

• Use the Early-Bird Discount to save $400 off the standard conference rate 

• Register ASAP, because this discount ends on June 30 

If you have any questions about Group Discount Bundles or Connections Live in general, just let us know at: connectionslive@pditechnologies.com. 

We can’t wait to see you this August in Denver! 

Check out what your peers think 

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Register now for Connections Live 2025!

What: PDI Connections Live 2025
When: August 24-27
Where: Gaylord Rockies Resort in Denver, CO

In the fast-paced world of convenience retail, loyalty programs can be one of the most powerful tools in your growth strategy—if you build them the right way. 

At PDI, we’ve worked with customers large and small for over two decades to create loyalty programs that do more than just check a box. We help transform loyalty from a transactional incentive into an ongoing performance engine that drives revenue, visit frequency, and customer lifetime value. 

Here are five lessons we’ve learned about loyalty—and what the experts agree are the foundational elements of a successful program tailored for the convenience and fuel industry. 

1. Start with clear goals—and the right metrics 

As Entrepreneur points out, “before you design your program, decide what you want to achieve.”

That might be: 

• Increasing visit frequency 

• Growing in-store basket size and overall loyalty member spend 

• Promoting CPG brands and new products 

• Adding loyalty members and capturing first-party data 

• Competing more effectively with other convenience and fuel brands to gain market share 

At PDI, we help our customers align their loyalty strategies with measurable outcomes.  

For a deeper look, check out our Loyalty Insider blog Measuring What Matters: 10 Critical KPIs for Convenience Loyalty where we explore KPIs like penetration rate, customer retention, and average spend by loyalty member—because when you track the right metrics, success becomes repeatable. 

TIP: When creating a new loyalty program, create a clear business case coupled with a Learning and Measurement Plan. This approach gives you an early advantage by setting expectations and understanding what metrics matter to your internal stakeholders.  

2. Keep it simple for shoppers (“KISS”) 

According to Antavo, “simplicity is the cornerstone of a good loyalty program.” And in convenience, where every second counts, clarity matters more than ever. 

That means: 

• Clear rules for earning and redeeming rewards 

• Easy enrollment (physical, digital, or via app) 

• Easy identification at the point of sale without overly lengthening transaction times 

• Visible rewards communicated through signage, pump prompts, and mobile devices 

Successful loyalty programs should include features like a clean mobile app, useful communications, and recognizable in-store signage—all designed to make loyalty consistently visible, accessible, and usable. 

TIP: Gain customer insights when designing and creating a program. Customer surveys, interviews, online UX testing, and even a proof-of-concept trial in a limited geography can aid in program design.  

3. Design for your business—not just your competitors 

Ascendant Loyalty reminds us that copying another brand’s program won’t always work. Your loyalty strategy should reflect your business model, customer mix, and margin realities. 

At PDI, our customers build programs that support: 

• Fuel-only offers, in-store offers, or hybrid offers 

• Multi-tiered rewards to incentivize frequency 

• Gamified experiences that promote fun and FOMO 

• Tobacco program integrations (where compliant) 

PDI Experience Designer is a powerful self-service platform that helps retailers create personalized, omnichannel loyalty campaigns with ease—no copy/paste strategy needed. 

TIP: Capitalize on what differentiates your brand. Shape program benefits and experiences around your brand equity. If you have a strong fuel brand, ensure your program offers Premium fuel benefits. If you’re known for your food, highlight food rewards when promoting loyalty. 

4. Avoid the most common mistakes 

Indeed and LoyaltyXpert both emphasize that poor execution can derail even the best loyalty concept.

Watch out for: 

• Overcomplicating enrollment or reward structure 

• Failing to promote the program effectively 

• Not training and incentivizing store associates 

• Launching without any tracking mechanisms 

• Offering rewards that don’t matter to your audience 

The PDI Loyalty Playbook addresses all of these areas and provides frameworks to train teams, measure impact, and keep your program aligned with your business goals. 

TIP: Harness the power of incentives. Design an incentive plan that encourages store associates to ask customers to identify during every transaction. Reward store associates based on in-store penetration, where their customer interaction can directly impact program participation. 

5. Use data to evolve your strategy 

As GRIN puts it, “a loyalty program is not ‘set it and forget it’—it requires maintenance.” At PDI, we couldn’t agree more. 

That’s why our loyalty solutions include:  

• Real-time dashboards 

• Loyalty vs. non-loyalty performance tracking 

• Behavioral segmentation 

• Campaign testing and optimization tools 

Whether you’re testing new offers, analyzing customer churn risk, or measuring lift by product category, your data tells you what’s working—and what’s not. 

TIP: This is where the real fun begins! You’re now understanding your customers better and how to engage with them. You can deliver pointed value and tailored communications. You can work with your CPG partners on enhanced promotional strategies. You can refine and build on your customer journeys and user experiences. And don’t be afraid to fine-tune your loyalty program as you continue to learn. 

Final thought: build loyalty around your customers, not just your brand 

Convenience loyalty isn’t just about points. It’s about relationships. It’s about remembering your customers’ favorite energy drink, rewarding their repeat visits, sending communications they care about, and making every trip feel a little more rewarding. 

That’s why we’ve built PDI Loyalty as a complete solution—from strategy to execution, backed by data, and designed for how convenience retailers actually work. 

Ready to create a loyalty program that drives measurable growth? 
Let’s talk.

Sources: PDI Technologies Loyalty Playbook, GRIN 8 Steps on How to Create a Customer Loyalty Program, indeed How To Create a Loyalty Program in 5 Steps, LoyaltyXpert 10 Mistakes to Avoid While Creating Successful Loyalty Programs, Ascendant How to Design a Highly Effective Loyalty Program,   Antavo 37 Loyalty Program Best Practices to Build the Perfect Concept, and Entrepreneur 5 Key Tips for Building a Successful Customer Loyalty Program 

Want to hear more from Dan?

Meet Dan and other thought leaders at PDI Connections Live 2025 in Denver from August 24-27.

Register Now

Want more loyalty content from PDI?

Check out C-Store Loyalty Insider for the latest in convenience loyalty—at PDI and across the industry.

Your convenience store isn’t just competing with the shop down the street anymore—it’s competing with mobile ordering, delivery apps, and any retail site that considers itself part of the ever-changing face of convenience. 

In this crowded landscape, throwing marketing dollars around won’t necessarily grow your business and it doesn’t make financial sense. What does? Laser-focused targeted marketing that delivers an impressive, verifiable ROI. 

The magic number: understanding marketing ROI 

Marketing ROI tells you how much money you’re making or losing due to your marketing efforts. It effectively shows you whether your marketing tactics are working. The industry benchmark for decent ROI ratio is between 5:1 and 9:1, depending on the channel ($X earned for every $Y spent), while marketing superstars hit 10:1 or higher. If your current efforts aren’t approaching these numbers, it’s time for a strategy makeover.  

The ingredients for targeted marketing success 

Think of targeted marketing like a gourmet meal from a personal chef rather than fast food for the masses. When properly prepared, these ingredients create something irresistible: 

• Loyalty programs that actually work: Your repeat customers aren’t just familiar faces—they’re spending machines who buy 29% more on average than first-timers. A well-crafted loyalty program helps transform occasional shoppers into daily devotees. 

• High-margin items: Not all products are created equal in the profit department. Targeted marketing subtly guides customers toward items that pad your bottom line the most. 

• Engagement that goes beyond transactions: When your marketing feels personally crafted for each customer, they notice. You’re not just collecting data—you’re building relationships that translate into revenue gains. 

• Data as your secret weapon: Your POS system shouldn’t just process payments when it’s sitting on a potential gold mine of customer insights. When you harness this information correctly, you won’t have to guess what works—you’ll already know. 

What to avoid: potholes on the road to ROI success 

Even the best marketing plans can hit some bumps: 

• The startup investment reality: Yes, good targeted marketing requires upfront investment in technology and training. But think of it as buying a fishing rod instead of a single fish—the long-term returns make the initial pain worthwhile. 

• The “wing it” approach: Launching campaigns without proper planning is like baking without measuring ingredients—sometimes you end up with something edible but rarely delicious. Take the time to develop your campaigns with purpose. 

• The unpredictable external world: Consumer trends shift faster than ever. External factors will always disrupt your best-planned campaigns, making flexibility critical. 

• Navigating without metrics: If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it. Without proper tracking tools, you’re essentially wearing a blindfold while trying to hit a bullseye. 

What to do: your 5-step ROI optimization roadmap 

1. Get to know your customers: Identify distinct customer segments and treat them like the unique shoppers they are. The person buying energy drinks at 7 AM needs different messaging than the late-night ice cream emergency shopper. Then segment and continue to refine segmentation. 

2. Set goals with teeth: Vague aspirations get vague results. Set specific, measurable targets that leave no doubt about success or failure. 

3. Budget like you mean it: Align your spending with realistic expectations. Remember that underfunding great ideas is just as problematic as overfunding mediocre ones. 

4. Choose your channels wisely: Whether it’s mobile apps, email, in-store signage, or social media—select platforms where your customers already engage. 

5. Monitor, adjust, repeat: Treat your targeted marketing initiatives like a living organism that needs regular check-ups and TLC to stay healthy. 

How to spot ROI success 

You can find the proof of targeted marketing in these concrete results: 

• Revenue jumps: McKinsey wasn’t just making small talk when they found personalization can boost revenue by up to 15%. Those are real dollars in your real bank account. 

• Marketing efficiency: Watch your marketing dollars work smarter, not harder, as you replace scattershot approaches with precision targeting. 

• Customer loyalty: When customers feel seen and understood, they don’t just come back—they bring their friends and family with them. 

• Lower customer acquisition costs: Keeping existing customers happy can slash acquisition costs by up to 50%. That’s not just savings—it’s transformation. 

In a world where convenience is everywhere, targeted marketing isn’t just smart—it’s survival against your strongest competition. By focusing your efforts, measuring what matters, and continuously refining your approach, you can turn targeted marketing into one of your store’s most profitable investments.