Giant Eagle became the first supermarket chain to sign on with Shopkick, the largest location-based shopping app with over 2 million U.S. users. A major difference versus other Shopkick programs with retailers is that points are rewarded only upon purchase of specified products rather than upon "checking in."
Initial partners in the program, entitled Kickbuys, are Procter & Gamble, Kraft Foods and Unilever.
After downloading the Shopkick app on their smartphones, Giant Eagle customers enter their rewards card number and receive "kicks" for purchasing specific products they choose in the app. The rewards are earned once the products are actually purchased with the Giant Eagle Advantage Card at checkout. The users are notified when the applicable kicks are credited in their Shopkick accounts within two to 24 hours. Points can be redeemed to buy song downloads, movie tickets, travel vouchers, and Facebook credits.
In other programs Shopkick has done with Target, Best Buy, Macy's and others, customer "check-in" rewards are instantly awarded after a customer just walks into a participating retailer.
"Much like our fuelperks! and foodperks! customer loyalty programs, Kickbuys are another unique way for customers to be rewarded for choosing to shop in our stores," said Rob Borella, Giant Eagle spokesperson, in a statement.
"For retailers, Shopkick made huge impact by detecting actual in-store presence," said Sonny Jandial, associate marketing director, P&G FutureWorks Silicon Valley, in a statement. "For brands, they've now done the same: rewards tied to the confirmed purchase of our specific products. This is a major breakthrough for mobile applications. For example, a shopper purchasing Crest Whitestrips at a participating retailer will earn 1,000 kicks -- which is enough to redeem immediately for a gift certificate in the Shopkick Rewards Mall."
"This is what brands have been dreaming of for years," added Ed Kaczmarek, director of innovation at Kraft Foods. "We have always hoped that we could almost instantly reward consumers for buying our specific products at a grocery store, and even interactively via their smartphones. Shopkick is creating a dynamic mobile loyalty program, which is of great value for brands like ours. This is a unique opportunity to increase engagement with our consumers, further deepening their interaction with our brands."