Personalization is a top priority for many loyalty marketers and, in the case of BJ’s Wholesale Club, it is an ongoing pursuit for perfection.
Earlier this month, Toshiba, a global market share leader for integrated in-store retail solutions, announced an expanded partnership with BJ’s Wholesale Club to provide the leading retailer with several new technology solutions.
BJ’s selected Toshiba to deliver more personalized offers to its members through the TCx™ Vector solution. TCx™ Vector will be deployed as part of BJ’s expanded commitment to Toshiba’s retail applications.
Founded in 1984, BJ’s Wholesale Club, the Westborough, MA-based membership-only warehouse store began as a sibling to discount retailer Zayre. A year earlier, two other major member-only warehouse clubs began, Sam’s Club and Costco. Primarily an East Coast operation, BJ’s continues to grow with 215 club locations and 132 gas stations across 16 states. Based on BJ’s unmatched value and quality of products, approximately 20 percent of BJ’s members shop more than once a week and save $500 a year.
BJ’s and Toshiba plan to focus on rapid development and deployment of new capabilities using Toshiba’s TCx™ Elevate digital commerce platform.
TCx™ Vector provides a comprehensive approach to planning and executing promotions and loyalty programs. TCx™ Vector provides actionable insights to efficiently plan and execute targeted promotions.
“Through our expanded partnership with Toshiba, we will be able to deliver more value and convenience to our members through targeted offers and promotions,” Scott Kessler, EVP and Chief Information Officer, BJ’s Wholesale Club, explained to Loyalty360.
Kessler talked about the challenge of personalization and how difficult it can be to execute against this in a seamless manner.
“Through our expanded partnership with Toshiba, we will be able to create meaningful personalization experiences for our members,” he said. “The technology will help us manage a seamless experience for our members and deliver relevant promotions and offers based on actionable insights and predictive analytics. Whether a member is browsing online or shopping at the Club, we’re using these technologies to give our members better information to make a purchasing decision.”
Technology plays an increasing role in delivering value and convenience to BJ’s members.
“Over the past year, we’ve deployed and tested new member benefits like Add-to-Card coupons, Express Scan, and PICK UP and Pay with much more to come,” Kessler said. “I’m most proud of the thousands of BJ’s team members that work hard every day to give back to their communities by delivering great value to smart saving families.”
Customer engagement is always on the minds of executives at BJ’s Wholesale Club.
Last year, BJ’s expanded its Berkley Jensen pet assortment line with additional dog treats, dry dog food, and wet cat food options that are grain-free with zero filler or preservatives.
Not only has this initiative helped carve out a name for BJ’s in the pet category, while driving loyalty with shoppers who want to buy high quality food at a low price, but BJ’s is also delivering convenience to customers who consider BJ’s their one-stop shop for all family groceries and needs–now including their pets.
Customer loyalty means many things at BJ’s Wholesale Club. Bonnie Volpe, Vice President of Food, Sundries, and Beverages at BJ’s Wholesale Club, offered her definition of customer loyalty to Loyalty360 last year.
“Our members stock up, and are often choosing between BJ’s and supermarkets,” Volpe said. “These are savvy, price-sensitive shoppers. They enjoy finding great value. Our members are loyal because of our commitment to providing unmatched value and outstanding quality. We continue to sharpen our assortment, which gives these smart saving families everything they need without compromising on quality, value, or fun.”