Casey's General Stores Will Launch Its Loyalty Program in Early 2020

ANKENY, Iowa — Digital engagement and price optimization are two key initiatives on the strategic to-do list for Casey's General Stores Inc. The retailer is moving forward with both, with plans to launch its new loyalty program in early 2020.

Casey's saw its digital engagement initiative pick up steam during the second quarter of its 2020 fiscal year. The retailer completed an employee pilot of the loyalty program and rolled out a soft launch at the beginning of December.

During Casey's second-quarter earnings call, held Dec. 10, President and CEO Darren Rebelez ​​​​​​reported that the plan is to have a global launch of the loyalty program at the start of the new calendar year.

"We believe that Casey's is at the heart of every community we serve, with our purpose being to make life better for communities and guests every day. With that spirit in mind, we wanted to create a partnership opportunity with our guests through the loyalty program," Rebelez explained. 

The program will allow members to accumulate points for their purchases at Casey's that can be redeemed for in-store purchases or fuel discounts. Additionally, members will be able to convert their points into cash that they can then donate to local schools. 

"This concept tested extremely well with our guests and we believe this will differentiate our rewards program from our competitors," the chief executive noted. 

According to Rebelez, the loyalty program will also give Casey's an opportunity to learn more about its customers' preferences so that the retailer can serve them better.

"We believe that the combination of the new suite of digital platforms will increase our basket size and drive additional traffic," he said.

During its latest financial quarter, Casey's also continued to integrate its new price optimization platform inside the store. The chain completed the rollout of center-store products, and is now in the final stages of adding the beer and alcohol categories.

"As we move into the back half of the fiscal year, we will look to integrate cigarettes and prepared foods onto this platform, as well as promotion analytics," Rebelez said.  

Ankeny-based Casey's General Stores currently operates more than 2,000 convenience stores in 16 Midwest states.