Casey’s Seeks to Score Deeper Guest Relationships With March Madness-Themed Rewards

ANKENY, Iowa — After wrapping up a successful “Rewards Week” last month, including a National Pizza Day promotion that resulted in some of its best guest engagement yet, Casey’s General Stores Inc. is gearing up for a March Madness-themed program — complete with a bracket-style voting game.

Called “Rewards Match-Up,” the game will allow guests to vote for their favorite brand in a series of one-on-one matchups leading to an eventual champion, similar to the way teams advance in the NCAA March Madness championship tournament. Along the way, Casey’s guests will unlock special offers, such as a buy one, get one half-off pizza deal.  

Rewards Match-Up will pit different brands by category against one another in the bracket-based tournament. For example, in a round one match-up, Rewards members will vote for either Coke or Mtn Dew in the soft drinks category, with the winner moving on to the next round.

“Each vote unlocks different offers,” Art Sebastian, vice president of digital for the 2,100-store chain, told Convenience Store News. “Everyone wins, and the offers will get better and better as they move forward.”

Rewards Match-Up launches March 16 and will be available to guests through Casey’s website, mobile app and social media platforms. NCAA March Madness begins March 17 and concludes April 6.

Casey’s program will be supported with television ads, radio, social media, digital, and email messaging.

“As we build our digital experiences, we are looking to develop deeper relationships with our guests,” Sebastian said. “Interactive programs like Rewards Match-Up deliver long-term guest loyalty.”

Casey’s new digital loyalty program, Casey’s Rewards, debuted on Jan. 7. The program allows guests to earn points and redeem them for Casey’s Cash, fuel discounts, or donations to local schools under the Casey’s Cash for Classrooms initiative.

“The most important thing with digital is to offer a frictionless experience for our guests,” Sebastian noted. “Our rewards program is easy to use and seamless.”

Last month, Casey’s treated guests to a Rewards Week, beginning on Feb. 9, which also marked National Pizza Day. On that day, Casey’s promoted a special offer of 50 percent off a whole pie for Casey’s Rewards members only. The one-day promotion delivered 70 percent growth compared to the previous year. And the growth continued the rest of the week.

“We saw our highest number of new Rewards members enrolled in a single week,” said Sebastian, adding that the promo also drove traffic to Casey’s stores and website.

During Rewards Week, every loyalty member also received free items each day. Redemptions resulted in additional basket rings that drove incremental sales for the chain.