Dive Brief:
- Convenience retailer and oil company United Refining has partnered with retail tech company PAR Technology to build out a new loyalty and customer engagement platform for its Kwik Fill c-stores, according to a Tuesday announcement.
- Kwik Fill is building its loyalty program from scratch on the PAR Retail platform and will use PAR Intelligence to generate customer and business insights, identify opportunities and support faster decision making across its operations, according to the announcement.
- Convenience retailers have been rapidly launching and revamping loyalty programs this year as rising prices continue to strain consumers’ budgets.
Dive Insight:
United Refining said it wanted a platform that could connect customer engagement with enterprise-wide insights.
PAR Retail offers loyalty, mobile app, enterprise intelligence and full-stack tobacco loyalty capabilities that Kwik Fill will be tapping into, according to the announcement. Meanwhile, PAR Intelligence will offer customer insights, identify opportunities and support faster action across guest engagement, marketing, merchandising and operations.
“We see tremendous opportunity to leverage the platform as we continue enhancing the experiences we deliver to our guests,” Roy Williams, United Refining’s senior vice president of marketing, said in the announcement.
The announcement did not disclose a rollout timeline or say whether the technology will be deployed across Kwik Fill’s entire network. United Refining’s c-store business has more than 300 locations across New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio, and about 250 of those sites are Kwik Fill c-stores, according to United Refining’s website.
“Kwik Fill is making a meaningful investment in understanding their customers at a level they haven’t been able to before,” said Jake Kiser, general manager of PAR Retail, in the announcement.
United Refining is one of many convenience retailers that has upgraded its loyalty capabilities this year. Others have included Circle K, Kwik Trip, Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores and Weigel’s.
