Grids are pioneers in discounts and accumulation of points

The Sugarloaf was the first supermarket chain of Brazil to create a loyalty program, called Sugar Loaf. The launch took place in the year 2000 and was a pioneer in all Brazilian retail, says Renato Camargo, Manager of CRM, loyalty and market intelligence of the GPA. Today, more than 4,000,000 people make use of the program and account for 70% of customers who pass by the flags Pão de Açúcar (physical stores), Minute Pão de Açúcar (minimarkets) and e-commerce.
"What was a relationship program became a great tool of communication and contact privileges, from the accumulation of points and discounts", says the Executive. The adoption of the concept brought to the GPA benefits such as the ability to meet the client. From there, you can do a thorough job of targeting the most relevant offers to each one. This is done by email, SMS, mail merge and offer in store.
Today, 100% of the offerings found in the gondolas are geared exclusively to the so-called "customer", which participates in the program. Who has not, can register in time, through an application on the phone. Basically, every $ 1 spent, the client builds up 1 point. The redemptions are divided by tracks and range from $ 20 (from 3000 points) to R$ 100 (from 9000 points).
The network day (International Distributor of food), with more than 900 stores in São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Bahia and Rio Grande do Sul, deployed in March 2015, its programme in Brazil. Today, she has more than 2,800,000 registered customers only in the State of São Paulo in Brazil. "From 2017, we will initiate the expansion of the program to the Rio Grande do Sul, Minas Gerais and Bahia," Sakti Luciene Schedenffeldt, Director of marketing and loyalty.
The registration in loyalty program, explains, is simple. The client needs to identify himself in the box with the CPF and remove the card. You can also register through the website of the network. Discounts and promotions are immediate. In all, the Day offers more than 450 items with more than 30% discount.
With the ClubDia, the expectation is that the client save between 10% and 20% in your shopping basket. And, of course, pass the buy more. "In our system, there''s no need for accumulation of points to have access to promotions. We believe immediate benefit. "
This world evolved the programme is still a privilege of a few large networks. "This is, however, a tendency in networks of medium and large sizes," says Antonio Cesa Long, Vice President of the Brazilian Association of Supermarkets (Open).
Especially on account of the economic context, which brings benefits to the supermarket. "The loyalty card is one of the tools of customer retention, and the granting of discounts and promotions only for clients with this type of card is a reality. Added to this, there is a growing trend of consumers carry less cash. It is in this scenario that grow all alternative means of payment, "says Long.
In the crisis, in which the customer prefers retailer go? There are, of course, the search for promotions on tv and views in the paper, but if this discount comes accompanied by an accumulation of points, the easier it will be to attraction and retention.
Who came out in front, get the upper hand. In the case of the GPA, after 16 years of loyalty program, in December, he closed a partnership with Multiplus, which allowed transfer program points to the sugar loaf. Less than a month ago, was done the same with Smiles.
"If you cannot rescue a plane ticket, for example, you can use your points to make supermarket" suggests. He recalls that among other benefits of the card are the Hertz car rental discount and Theater tickets. Now, a partnership is being closed with Livelo, program that was born of a partnership between Brazil and Bradesco Bank.
If the Sugar Loaf (Pão de Açúcar) the membership of the loyalty program grows from 5% to 10% per month on the Extra, the so-called Extra Club, which was created two years ago and already counts 7,000,000 registered customers, 15% in the period progresses. The so-called Extra Club grows more because it is more recent and also by aggregating different formats of shops, such as hypermarkets, supermarkets, mini markets, Extra.com, in addition to filling stations and drugstores.
Today, the GPA has structured teams just to take care of the program of CRM (customer relationship management) and the programme. Are, in all, 20 people do to this purpose. To assist, the retailer invests in technology to understand the profile and the wishes of each client and, from there, to draw up tailor-made offerings for the more mature consumer who enjoys wine or younger than buy more organic food and energy.
This perception of the client profile, not only help the marketing area to draw up specific campaigns, but also the shopping area to define the range of their applications. Today, around 70% of sales to the Sugar Loaf does the customer go through the Card More. In the Extra Club, this percentage is 40%.
The crisis has boosted even more the loyalty program. "The client has fetched increasingly benefits such as lower prices and the redemption of points," says Caldwell.
About the future, he gives a clue: maybe one day, all the flags of the GPA, which includes businesses of furniture and appliances and electronics as Casas Bahia and Ponto Frio, don''t have loyalty programs that talk to each other. "The idea is being evaluated, but that would be the natural way and obvious."