CU Opens Pocket CU Store Plus... Enables Store-Specific Marketing

Functions such as Regular Customer Acquisition Stamp Events

Pocket CU Store Plus.
[Photo by CU]

On the 21st, CU announced the launch of 'StorePlus,' the industry's first online integrated marketing platform led by franchise owners, available on the membership application (app) Pocket CU.

StorePlus is a new concept marketing tool that allows franchise owners to plan marketing strategies and conduct various customized events tailored to the characteristics of their stores. The most notable feature is that franchise owners can individually plan events according to each store's situation, such as location, commercial district, and customers.

Until now, the convenience store industry has typically operated mass marketing centered on the franchise headquarters, but CU StorePlus enables pinpoint marketing led by the franchise owners who directly operate the stores, enhancing store differentiation and competitiveness beyond integrated events.

A representative function is the stamp event to secure loyal customers. Franchise owners can autonomously select and implement pre-modularized events such as offering a voucher for 1 free cup of GET coffee upon purchasing 10 cups, or a voucher for 1 bottle of eum(mmm)! wine after 5 purchases, with products, conditions, and rewards all predefined. Recently, store-specific discount events like clearance sales, which have seen increased demand in the current high-price era, can also be conducted.

Automated coupons enable more segmented customer relationship management (CRM). Coupons containing various benefits can be issued to specific targets such as first-time visitors, birthday customers, and registered loyal store customers, and coupons can be provided to customers who have not visited for a certain period to prevent customer churn.

CU plans to lead the convenience store industry's e-commerce trends by further enhancing Pocket CU's functions and continuously developing new services, centered on the DX (Digital Experience) office established last year to strengthen the linkage between offline stores and the mobile app.

A BGF Retail official stated, “To strengthen differentiated competitiveness, we are focusing on enhancing the operational capabilities of individual stores not only in the existing offline domain but also in the online commercial district. The franchise owner-led marketing tool is a groundbreaking initiative unprecedented in the global franchise industry and will become a new direction for the convenience store business.”