Engaged loyalty members are your most valuable shoppers
The value of the program shows up once a shopper has visited a few times. A one-time signup is normal for any program — the goal is to move more shoppers past their third visit, because that’s when they tend to stick around. Here’s how an engaged member (one who has shopped three or more times) compares, based on blended benchmarks across grocers using Vori Customer Marketing:
Because the large majority opt in to text messages, every shopper who signs up, including a one-time or seasonal visitor, becomes someone you can reach again months later.
✏️ Note: These figures are blended benchmarks, not a guarantee of specific results. Your numbers will vary with your store size, how many shoppers sign up, and how actively you run campaigns. Track your own results in View Loyalty Program Reporting Metrics.
A coupon does more than discount a sale — it grows the basket
A common concern is that coupons only discount sales you’d make anyway. The data points the other way: when a shopper redeems a coupon and comes back, their basket tends to grow well beyond their own typical trip.
Even regulars who’d have come in anyway tend to spend more per trip after a nudge. A “come back” reminder is associated with roughly a $12 bigger basket than that shopper’s own baseline — incremental revenue on a visit that might otherwise have been small or skipped.
Automated campaigns do the work for you
Four built-in automated campaigns run on their own once you turn them on, with no ongoing work after setup:- Welcome sends a first-visit offer right after signup, turning a new shopper into a second visit.
- Come Back automatically texts a shopper who hasn’t visited in a couple of weeks — the workhorse for slow seasons.
- Anniversary celebrates a shopper’s signup anniversary and keeps regulars engaged.
- Explore the Store uses Vori’s marketing AI to nudge shoppers toward departments they haven’t tried, which works well for cross-selling prepared foods, a deli counter, or specialty items.
Custom campaigns are low-cost, reliable revenue
Custom SMS campaigns, the kind you send around a holiday or long weekend, see very high engagement. In blended benchmarks, around 97% of shoppers who open one go on to redeem the offer. They cost almost nothing to send and reliably drive traffic on the days you choose. Holiday and long-weekend offers are the most dependable performers because they give shoppers a reason to choose your store on a specific day. For ready-to-use templates and a full seasonal calendar, see Send High-Converting Holiday Custom Campaigns and The Winning Formula for Custom SMS Campaigns.A recommended starting playbook
If you’re setting up Customer Marketing for the first time, this order gets you the most impact for the least effort:- Turn on all four automated campaigns. Welcome, Come Back, Anniversary, and Explore the Store run with no ongoing labor.
- Build a tiered rewards program. A simple three-tier points structure keeps shoppers working toward a goal. If you have a strong prepared-foods or deli counter, add a punch card (e.g., buy 10 sandwiches, get one free). See Best Practices for Building Your Loyalty Rewards.
- Run a signup push at the register. A QR code at every lane turns shoppers into a contact list you can reach later. See Generate a QR Code for Loyalty Sign-up.
- Pre-schedule your seasonal campaign calendar so your slow months are already covered before they arrive.
- Lean hardest on Come Back during your slow season. It’s the automation that pays for itself when traffic dips.