HONOLULU—When Lex Brodie's Tire Co. wanted to create a customer loyalty program, it reached out to Lift & Shift Inc. for support.
Scott D. Williams, executive director at Lex Brodie's, said the Honolulu-based dealership's CEO/President Dave Sands contacted Lift & Shift because he saw the potential value such a program could offer Lex Brodie's.
“Lift & Shift explained their program and how they projected it would help us grow our business; with that, we were able to envision how we could best utilize it,” Mr. Williams told Tire Business.
The Lex Brodie's Rewards program—www.lexbrodiesawards.com—launched in January and includes all the major reward programs Lift & Shift offers, according to the company's president, Graham Farrell, with an additional in-house currency dubbed “Caveman Points” by the dealership.
The program lets Lex Brodie's “thank existing customers with a reward of their choice” but also allows it to attract new customers who would be interested in adding to “popular reward currencies we have for them to use—in their case, Hawaiian Miles is huge,” Mr. Farrell said.
An additional program benefit is that customers who choose to earn Caveman Points can donate points to Lex Brodie's “Thank You...Very Much!” awards plan, which encourages school kids to write articles about adults who have made a difference in their lives.
Lift & Shift offered this option to Lex Brodie's as a way to continue the legacy of the dealership's founder, Alexander (Lex) Brodie, who for years used his well-known “Thank You...Very Much!” signature line in his TV and print ads.
“We have the Lex Brodie's Tire Co. Foundation as the supported charity,” Mr. Williams explained. “A key program with the foundation, which is widely known in Hawaii, is the Lex Brodie's 'Thank You... Very Much!' Award that asks school children to write a 'Thank You... Very Much!' letter to someone in their lives, as well as research and pick a non-profit organization they would like to support.”
Lift & Shift created the Caveman Points currency for Lex Brodie's to combine with an “in-house” currency along with a popular third-party reward currency the dealership offers, Mr. Farrell said.
“We manage the entire currency, keep track of who earns what and let the retailer know when customers redeem their points for things,” he added.
“While I always advise automotive clients against limiting their loyalty program to an in-house currency only, adding an in-house currency to the selection is a good idea.”
Lift & Shift suggests companies create some kind of “giving back” aspect to a reward program because, according to Mr. Farrell, most retailers are “typically very involved in their community anyway.”
This type of rewards feature makes it easy for customers to pitch in to create “a powerful win-win, not to mention, members of the community will hear about this and it can prompt them to start dealing with the retailer,” he said.
When starting to work with a company, Lift & Shift makes a standard presentation via a 25- to 35-minute webinar as the initial step.
Mr. Williams said once Lex Brodie's decided to go with the program, it took about three to four months to launch it to customers.
The company got the word out by running full-page ads in community papers and added promotions to the company's radio and television-branding spots. Additionally, signs were posted in the dealership's stores and on its website.
“Graham and his team's support to put together and implement this program has been unbelievable,” Mr. Williams said.
Although the program is still in its early stages, customer response has been good.
“Customers are showing a large interest in the program and the added value it provides for them,” he said, adding that Lex Brodie's also is excited about the added value it provides for the company.
To reach this reporter: [email protected]; 330-865-6143; Twitter: @jenniferkarpus