Forward C-stores Wins Loyalty Program Award

STANDISH, Mich. — Forward Corp. has been honored as the 2017 Paytronix Loyaltees Award for Best Convenience Store Loyalty Launch.

The Paytronix Loyaltees Awards is an annual program from Paytronix Systems Inc. that is designed to identify and spotlight Paytronix customers who are leveraging the Paytronix Rewards platform to deliver innovative and market-defining guest experiences.

Forward Rewards incorporates the best elements of the brand's previous rewards program with enhanced features from Paytronix, including email marketing, phone number lookup at the POS, customer-selected rewards and paperless coupons. The new program also includes a branded mobile app.

Members can join either in store at a kiosk, online or via the brand's new mobile iOS or Android app. They can identify themselves by swiping their membership card or providing their phone number at the credit card terminal.

The new rewards program replaces a 10-year-old program and is integrated to Forward's Verifone Commander POS system. Forward Rewards launched Nov. 1.

We are excited about using Paytronix's wonderful reporting capabilities to further delve into our data and target rewards to customer segments to increase our sales," said Emily Mallory, chief marketing officer, Forward Corp. "We want to find opportunity holes in our data and fill them with rewards to incentivize more sales. We are excited to be able to use those features in the future of our loyalty program."

With the new technology, Forward c-stores are capturing twice as much customer purchase behavior data, according to Paytronix, as more customers are joining the program and remaining active in it. Forward Rewards enables the company to reach members with targeted email messages.  

"We are thrilled about Forward Corp.'s new rewards program. When I think about all of the opportunities that lie ahead in leveraging the customer purchase data that's now available to the Forward marketing team, I can foresee the positive impact our software will have on its business," said Andrew Robbins, president, Paytronix. "The chain's customers will enjoy digitally earning and redeeming their rewards, earning bonus sweepstakes entries and the convenience of phone-lookup at the POS for those customers who forget their card."

Standish-based Forward Corp. operates 30 convenience stores across a 12-county portfolio in northeast Michigan.