Fleet Feet, the largest franchisor of locally owned and operated run specialty stores, went to the source, i.e. customers, on ways to raise the bar on its loyalty rewards program. The Carrboro, NC-based chain of 270-plus stores in 40 states designed Milestones based on survey feedback as well as input from owners and operators.
Milestones is led by two membership tiers: Pacesetters and Frontrunners. Customers who spend up to $399 will become Pacesetters and earn one point per dollar spent. Once they reach 250 points, they will earn a $15 reward, plus a $10 birthday offer. Customers who spend $400 or more will enjoy Frontrunner status for the remainder of the calendar year and the next calendar year. They will earn points even faster; once they reach 200 points, they will earn a $15 reward, plus a $15 birthday offer and early access to sweepstakes and other exclusive opportunities.
“Our goal with Fleet Feet Milestones is to provide a program that diversifies our offers and recognizes our best customers, while remaining manageable for our local teams,” says Abbey Gurley, CLMP and senior manager of Customer Loyalty, noting that a lot of retailers’ loyalty programs are spend-to-get with an emphasis on discounts and transactions. “With Fleet Feet Milestones, we’re really focused on creating deeper connections with our customers, and engaging them in more personalized ways, such as introducing birthday offers that require no minimum spend for all members to enjoy every year.” Gurley adds, “We’re also introducing sweepstakes, which we’re working on with our key brand partners that will allow us to share some unique experiential and product prizes for winners throughout the year.”
Current reward members, which totals more than three million, will be automatically enrolled in Milestones and points will carry over to the new system. In addition, all will receive 100 bonus points and have access to launch sweepstakes when the new program begins this month. Fleet Feet Milestones members will also continue to enjoy several benefits that were part of the previous rewards program (introduced in 2019), including access to fit id scan data and purchase history on fleetfeet.com or within the Fleet Feet App. Fleet Feet Milestones members can also subscribe to email reminders so they can track their reward and point balances.
Above all, Gurley says, Milestones is another way to engage with and encourage customers to shop at Fleet Feet. “People choose to shop with us for several reasons—from our amazing customer service by our outfitters to our in-store experience and expert advice,” she says. “Our enhanced loyalty program is one more opportunity to thank our customers in new ways, while giving them added incentives to come back.”
