This article originally appeared in the CStore Decisions. CStore Decisions’ online content can be found here. “Epic Convenience” was the title for my planned remarks for the New England Convenience Store and Energy Marketers Association (NECSEMA) annual expo, which I didn’t get to share because of the COVID-19 pandemic. But...
The Paradox of Data Collection
The latest trends in the consumer engagement sphere are tracking toward a commercial environment in which brands maintain unique relationships with individual consumers. The loyalty wires of late have been buzzing with words like personalization, one-to-one and clienteling, all of which point to the notion of a brand providing valued...
W. Capra Adopts NIST Privacy Framework Approach to Data Privacy
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has released version 1.0 of the NIST Privacy Framework: A Tool for Improving Privacy through Enterprise Risk Management on January 16, 2020. This framework was developed starting in September 2018 using a “robust, transparent, consensus-based collaboration with private and public sector stakeholders.”...
Touchpoints: The New Point of Sale
The following has been reposted from Convenience Store Decisions. The original post can be found here. New touchpoints are challenging traditional point-of-sale (POS) systems used in the convenience/petro retail industry, as customer-experience-driven technologies, global solution providers and industry leaders look to move their companies forward. For example, as more convenience...
The Evolving Data Revolution
The following has been reposted from Convenience Store Decisions. The original post can be found here. Not so long ago, scan data meant monitoring how many of which items sold. It gave category managers a new response to vendors using purchase data to allocate shelf space. It relieved store employees from...
Kroger and Microsoft Partner to Create Digital Grocery Store Concept
The following has been re-posted from Loyalty360. The original post can be found here. Retail giant Kroger has announced a new partnership with Microsoft, which aims to improve customer experience by employing the technology company’s popular cloud-based platform Microsoft Azure. Through the partnership, Kroger hopes to create a connected...
The Challenges of Being a Marketing Professional
Being a marketer often feels like living in a Holiday Inn Express commercial. An employee you’ve never seen before walks up to your desk and offers some advice: “I think you should make the logo bigger and use some glitter.” “I’m sorry, you don’t look familiar. Are you new in...
NACS Show: Innovating Like a Start Up
The following originally appeared in Convenience Store Decisions and features W. Capra Senior Consultant, Jim Duboyce. Sheetz aims to empower an incubator team to strategize new initiatives for Sheetz that will position it for the future. In a Sunday, Oct. 7 educational session on innovating like a start up, Moderator Jim Duboyce,...
Loyalty Points to Ponder
The following originally appeared in Convenience Store Decisions and is written by W. Capra Executive Consultant, Ed Collupy. When considering a new loyalty program, asking the right questions can help you determine which option is best for your business. Many convenience operators have their own experiences they can rely on related...
W. Capra Discusses Technology Adoption
The following has been re-posted from Loyalty360, and is taken from a recent interview between Loyalty360 and W. Capra regarding technology adoption. The original post can be found here. How does W. Capra view technological adaptation for brands? Is it a necessity in today’s market? History is littered with once...
Engaging Consumers to Develop Fuel Brand Loyalty
Differentiation in an Undifferentiated Market Merchants realize that having a loyalty program is a standard requirement and not an added feature in consumer eyes, but the structure of their loyalty offerings can differ between verticals and between merchants operating in the same vertical. In the fuel sector specifically, it can...
Does Your App Accept the New Consumer Currency – Data?
Consumers are offering data, a new currency, in exchange for truly exceptional experiences. Like monetary currencies, the value consumers receive for this new currency will vary, depending on where they exchange it. To succeed, your app must offer an experience in line with consumer value exchange rate expectations. Mobile apps...
