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Hello!

You’re reading the 20th edition of Always Be Convenient, the weekly newsletter for convenience leaders sharing insight on how to navigate today’s digital world.

The archives have all past issues. 🗞️

We’ve made it through the biggest shopping days of the year, but value still seems to be on everyone’s minds.

Many public companies are reporting earning results that have tackled the topic, and McDonald’s is committing publicly to the launch of a McValue platform early in 2025.

For those still seeking growth in the here and now, they’re likely caught up in Q5 – the hidden fifth quarter of the year – running from post-Christmas to mid-January.

Whether you’re deep into deploying discounts or not, I see no slowdown in our “I want what I want when I want it” culture – so there’s still opportunity to be had even as some folks prepare to unplug.

Speaking of timing, I will continue to publish the newsletter each Monday through the end of the year, which means we have two more issues after this to wrap up 2024!

Let’s get to it!

Conveniently,
Mike

P.S. Do you have feedback about what you’d like to see from Always Be Convenient in 2025? Take my one-question survey or reply to this email with your thoughts. I’d love to hear what you think!

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Can discounts do it all?

December is a busy month for convenience retailers, likely as a result of all the hustle and bustle of the season. It’s also pre-snow for much of the country, so cars are still spending plenty of time on the road.

Outside of all the busyness, December has also become an attention-grabbing season for many retailers.

Often retailers may be thinking: if consumers are out and about, how do I get my disproportionate share of those visits? This is true all year long, but December has become increasingly competitive.

And when retailers get competitive, they roll out the discounts.

I myself even contributed to the madness over my many years as a retailer.

From a “12 Days of More” campaign at Kum & Go to the now long-running “24 Days of Casey’s Rewards,” I helped put programs into market that would attempt to tap into the zeitgeist of the season.

The goal was always the same: captivate customers and drive more traffic into stores.

Today, when opening up my inbox, I am being showered with similar types of offers.

Free snacks. BOGO burgers. Bonus points. And more!

Everyone has their own take on playful naming and branding, but increasingly I find these campaigns are thinly veiled discount deliveries without much long-term growth potential for the retailer.

And worse yet, many are still entirely generic to the end customer – with no personalization for these loyalty members who are sharing every line and detail of their purchases with the retailer.

Many brands have observed the success of promotions like Starbucks for Life – something Starbucks has dedicated full-time employees focused on (see this recent job posting) – and they are clamoring to find their own star.

But like we discussed two weeks ago, you must validate your value to customers and lean into what makes you uniquely you.

You can run 10 days of deals, but will your customers become more loyal to your brand or visit more often in January when the discounts have stopped?

What I’ve always appreciated about Starbucks’ campaign is that it is entirely non-discount oriented, from start to finish.

Yes, there are prizes and giveaways. So there’s a promotional spend for which they have to drive an incremental return. But to play in Starbucks for Life you have customers coming directly to the brand to engage.

Starbucks customers are tapping, playing, ordering, and spending with the brand. Plus they’re picking up those iconic holiday cups and carrying a marketing message everywhere they go.

As you think about your own holiday programs, consider this: are you driving a financial return, or simply creating a cyclical cost center to overcome?

True long-term-thinking leaders will drive their business beyond a barrage of discounts. Will you?

If you need help crafting brand-centric promotions that will grow loyalty and drive profitable behavior change in your business, let’s talk. It’s as easy as replying to this email. 🤓