Dierbergs Markets unlocks customer loyalty with Oracle CrowdTwist

Over the past few years, the grocery chain in the Greater St. Louis, Missouri, area recognized the need to create and implement a loyalty program for three key reasons: to compete in the market with other grocery retailers, to show appreciation to loyal customers and associates, and to gather insights on shopper behavior to provide a more personalized shopping experience.

However, the store faced some roadblocks in its loyalty journey, such as lack of customer data and key shopping behavioral insights. This prevented Dierbergs from developing a deeper relationship with customers. That lack of data was caused by disparate technology systems and different internal customer platforms, making it impossible to personalize the customer experience.

The Dierbergs Rewards loyalty program was the catalyst for the company to embark on a transformation journey. Historically, grocery loyalty programs are transactional with very few engagement opportunities outside of purchasing. Internal stakeholders believed that an omnichannel loyalty program would set the grocer apart from the competition and help build a stronger relationship with customers. However, an omnichannel program would require additional development efforts, deeper integrations with technical partners, and more training for associates.

The company started with an employee-only pilot in 2021, followed by a full-scale customer launch in 2022. This strategy allowed Dierbergs to test key components of the program with a lower-stakes audience that helped to identify any bugs and user enhancements needed.

Dierbergs Markets selected Oracle CrowdTwist for several reasons. For starters, the platform allowed the company to create a uniquely engaging loyalty program for customers and associates, build first-party data assets, and personalize promotional offerings.

CrowdTwist, part of the Oracle Customer Experience suite, acts as the central loyalty and customer data hub for the chain. It is integrated into several technical providers, including point of sale for in-store transactions, an ecommerce platform for online orders, grocery delivery providers, push notification software, and an email service provider to power loyalty marketing emails.

The Dierbergs Rewards associate pilot resulted in more knowledgeable associates and a thoroughly tested loyalty program. Associates became ambassadors of the program and encouraged sign-ups in stores.

The official launch helped the grocery chain acquire better data and drove incremental in-store purchases. Consistent branding on a mobile app, website, and ecommerce program allowed for a more personalized experience for customers and associates, resulting in increased engagement and traffic. In the first months of the launch, enrollments were more than double what was projected, while email open rates increased by 10% and digital coupon redemption increased by 5%.

This transformation required every store, along with every department at corporate, to work toward the new mission, “A better Dierbergs.” As a result, the company saw increased cross-departmental collaboration and connectivity across teams.

After Dierbergs Rewards launched, many employees’ day-to-day responsibilities evolved. For instance, in-store cashiers used a new script to encourage customers to participate in the program, and store managers were taught how to troubleshoot all aspects of the program, from getting customers signed up to helping with redeeming rewards. On the back end, Dierbergs evolved its digital marketing team while corporate departments worked more collaboratively. HR integrated Dierbergs Rewards into training and development programs.

Of associates surveyed, 97% said that the new Dierbergs app was easy to use, while 84% were more likely to make a purchase at Dierbergs with the implementation of a rewards program, and 98% were likely or very likely to recommend Dierbergs Rewards to a co-worker. About 92% of associates also rated their understanding of the Dierbergs Rewards program as either good, very good, or great.