How to launch a loyalty and rewards programme with a difference
Shell wanted to phase out its points-based UK customer loyalty scheme, Shell Driver’s Club, and relaunch it as Shell Go+: an app-based loyalty programme that rewards customers for every visit.
With a target for Shell Go+ membership to surpass its previous scheme, we took a clear, engaging approach to the project, building on consumer benefits to help Shell race towards its ambitious goal.
Knowledge
As the number one provider of premium fuels in the UK, Shell’s previous loyalty scheme – Driver’s Club – had solely concentrated on rewarding motorists. However, many of their 3.5 million weekly customers visit for convenience retail missions only. Shell identified this significant growth area and a new app-based loyalty programme was born: Shell Go+ – an opportunity to provide both loyal motorists and convenience shoppers with new, exciting reasons to return.
After driving awareness and acquisitions of the Shell Go+ app, our next task was to make usage habitual by educating shoppers on the wide array of benefits available on a variety of customer missions.
Judgement
Retail marketing is notoriously complex. Driving change in shopper behaviour and habits, like switching to a whole new rewards scheme, can seem like an impossible task. Using our detailed knowledge of impulse shopper missions and understanding the limited opportunities to communicate in a forecourt environment, we knew the strategic and creative solutions had to be simple to get stand-out and drive action.
Understanding
The biggest barrier to overcome was driving acquisition and usage of an app-based loyalty platform in an environment where mobile phone usage isn’t permitted – the petrol pumps and forecourt. The answer was simple: use the available media touchpoints outside to engage motorists and encourage them to take their phones inside. Once in-store, use the space to drive action and usage.
Creating a clear campaign identity and consistent iconography would make our comms unmissable and allow us to connect with shoppers across their entire Shell journey.
Action
From our years of hard-learned, hard-earned expertise gained from working in this channel, we recognised that service stations had become increasingly practical and drily informative in their retail communications. Capitalising on a need for fun, optimistic content in stores and on forecourts, we designed a colourful campaign that tapped into shoppers’ primary motivation: what’s in it for me?
Good Things Happen When You Go+ It clearly communicated the app-based loyalty scheme benefits to the shopper – whether that’s 10% off coffee and food-to-go, saving on fuel at every 10th refill, or even opting in to offset carbon emissions. We combined attention-grabbing creativity with irresistible promotions we knew would drive downloads, repeat-visits to Shell and regular use of the loyalty app.
Learning
Faced with a complex retail challenge, simple solutions paid off! Shell Go+’s membership base has now surpassed the Driver’s Club scheme. Shell convenience retail has also seen big uplifts and changes in behaviour, with their customers returning more often and purchasing across a range of food and drink offers. By avoiding complexity and presenting a clear and consistent set of benefits with personalised content and offers, Shell’s revolutionary rewards programme has led the way for others to follow.
