May 8, 2025 • 24 mins
In a highly competitive and commoditized fuel retail landscape, Petro-Canada, a Suncor business, is refining what customer loyalty looks like. Celebrating 50 years of serving Canadians coast to coast, the brand is leveraging deep insights, digital transformation, and purpose-driven partnerships to build emotional loyalty and maintain its relevance in an evolving market.
At the heart of this initiative is Amanda Mitchell, Head of Loyalty at Petro-Canada, alongside Monica Stevenson, Strategic Partnerships Manager. With decades of combined experience in loyalty, marketing, and customer engagement, the duo is leading efforts to make Petro-Points, one of Canada's longest-running loyalty programs, more impactful, accessible, and emotionally resonant. Mitchell and Stevenson recently joined Loyalty360’s Ethan Perry on the Leaders in Customer Loyalty podcast to discuss how Petro-Canada is innovating in loyalty, managing complexity, and preparing for the next generation of customer expectations.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Good afternoon and good morning.
This is Ethan Perry ofLoyalty360, welcoming you to
another episode of Leaders inCustomer Loyalty Brand Stories,
where we talk to brand leadersabout what they're seeing and
hearing on the front lines ofcustomer channel and brand
loyalty.
It's great to have you with ustoday and every Thursday.
In this episode, we will hearfrom Amanda Mitchell, head of
(00:24):
Loyalty, and Monica Stevenson,strategic Partnerships Manager
at Petro Canada.
Amanda Monica, thank you somuch for taking the time to join
us today.
How are you?
Speaker 3 (00:34):
We're doing great Thanks for having us.
Yes, thank you for having us.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
Well, so for those who may not know, can you please
give us a short introduction toPetro Canada?
How was the company started?
What was the genesis of it?
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Sure so.
Petro Canada is an iconicCanadian brand.
We operate one of the largestretail gas stations in Canada
this year is actually our 50thbirthday, so we've been around
for 50 years and we have about1600 locations offering fuel,
car wash and convenience storescoast to coast.
Petro Canada is proudly ownedby Suncorp, which is Canada's
(01:08):
leading integrated energycompany, and at Petro Canada
we're committing to keepingCanadians moving toward what
matters most to them, and we runone of the longest running and
most recognized loyalty programsPetroPoints.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
Awesome, so can you both tell us a?
Little bit more about yourroles with the company and how
you got to where you are today.
What positions led you to thisrole?
Speaker 2 (01:32):
Sure, I don't know if you want this full background,
ethan.
Honestly, it kind of is toolong to share.
I've been with Petro Canada foralmost 20 years.
I've had an amazing andchallenging career so far and
I've got the opportunity to bein many different departments,
such as sales operations,logistics, our transformation
office, marketing and now I runour loyalty team.
I'm also thrilled to introducemy colleague, monica Stevenson.
(01:55):
She's been with my team forabout a year in loyalty
marketing here at Petra Canadaand I'm happy that she joined us
and she has extensiveexperience in loyalty and
marketing from the airlineindustry.
I think the other piece thatI'll share in terms of like what
keeps us up at night or why wedo the work we do is really
(02:15):
about seeking to make adifference in the lives of our
customers and winning marketshare.
The economy, customerpreferences, gasoline demand
decline and fierce competitionin a commodity market like this
is all very important andchallenging for us to be
successful.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
Awesome.
Thank you for that.
So what does customer loyaltymean to you at Petro Canada and
how does the PetroPoints programfit into the vision you have
for customer loyalty?
Speaker 2 (02:43):
PetroPoints program fit into the vision you have for
customer loyalty.
Well, I'm glad that customerloyalty is so important to Petro
Canada and that's where Monicaand I get to come to work every
day, really thinking about thisexact thing, and what it means
to us is really about solvingproblems or meeting a need for
our customers that really makesthem want to come back to us.
We want to make them feel seenand heard, and our PetroPoints
(03:05):
program and the evolution overthe past 30 years has really
been about adapting and drivingmore engagement with our members
.
Our partnership strategy reallyis a great example that we want
to meet Canadians where they'reat and we want to help them
redeem for gas if they wish, butwe also recognize that they may
want to redeem for somethingmuch more cool than gas, um, so
(03:25):
we have instant savings at thepump to give them cash back to
do other things.
Uh, that's with our partner rbc, or what about in?
Uh, enhanced flexibility ofchoice when it comes to
redemption, and so we give themthe ability.
With petro points, they canconvert it into canadian tire
money and that will allow themto go and to SportCheck or Marks
or other banners of CanadianTire to find things they want,
(03:46):
like clothing or sporting goodsor houseware products.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
Very cool.
So how is customer loyaltyprioritized within your
organization?
Speaker 2 (03:56):
Well, I think that's a great question and I think
it's evolved over time.
You can imagine, over 30 yearsour organizational strategy has
adapted and so has our approachto customer loyalty.
But I would say that the thingabout our business and being a
Canadian company is we're alwaysthinking about Canadians and
what they want, thinking aboutthat context and adapting our
(04:18):
approach, whether it's helpingthem save money or giving them a
contest to win something reallyinteresting.
That's happening across thecountry and doing things locally
with our associates across thecountry also allows us to really
meet the needs and meetCanadians where they're at.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
Awesome.
Well, you mentioned that theprogram has been around for 30
years and I'm sure that yourloyalty and your customer
experience strategy has evolvedover those years.
How have the methods that youuse to engage or reward
customers changed over time, andare there any enhancements that
you would like to see in thefuture?
Speaker 2 (04:51):
This is a really challenging question because I
think all of us have to adaptand really think about the
evolutions in the context aroundus, and technology is a huge
one.
So one example is our loyaltyprogram used to just have a
physical card, where customersneeded that card to swipe, to
earn products and to redeem them, and they had to do that, for
example, in the physical store.
(05:12):
But now we offer many ways toearn, many ways to save.
You can redeem online for giftcards.
We have an app now where youcan go into our app and you can
see different offers for thestore or for car wash or for
fuel.
Another example is ourstrategic partnerships allows
members to accelerate their earn, and we do that through digital
integration of organizations,which is very complex but is a
(05:35):
significant evolution thatallows customers to have a
better experience.
You know the physical cardclunkiness.
We're taking that away andallowing them to use a digital
tool.
Everybody's using their phone,or most people are using their
phone, and we're trying toreally lean into how customers
want to earn and redeem In thefuture.
That's a tough one, I think.
(05:56):
For me, the big one answer, Iwould say, is simplification,
fragmentation, because of addingthis challenge of digital and
then adding the complexity ofpartners, there does start to be
a bunch of actions and newthings that we need customers to
do so that they can save moreor redeem, and so we can tell
that, as that happens, it causesfragmentation and it causes the
(06:19):
customer to really lack theunderstanding of what is the
value proposition.
What does this partner give andwhat does that partner give,
and what does that partner giveand do those stack or not?
And so I think holistically inthe loyalty industry, we really
do need to think in the futureabout how to simplify.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
Excellent, thank you.
So when you're looking at thoseefforts in customer loyalty,
how do you measure the successof your program?
What KPIs does your team worktowards making sure that
everything is on?
Speaker 2 (06:50):
track.
So again, I'm not going to boreyou with the full list of
things we look at, becausethere's many ways that we can
slice and dice our loyaltyprogram no-transcript.
(07:18):
But I think at the highestlevel what we like to look at is
loyalty penetration.
So, relative to our retailbusiness, is our program further
engaging customers morefrequently?
Do we have a disproportionateamount of their basket size and
are we growing them more thanany other person that just shows
a better site?
So we're really looking at howdo we really connect and
(07:40):
communicate with that customerto give them value?
And then we see that we havemore of their share of wallet.
We also look at customerbehavior and proactively plan
interventions and then we wantto manage and monitor those
interventions.
So if we're looking atcustomers that are churning, how
might we see where in thelifecycle, where in the journey,
are they churning and how canwe give them something and do
(08:01):
something to remind them they'revaluable to us and bring them
back to us?
And then looking at propensitymodeling this is another way for
us to make assumptions aboutthe future potential of a
customer and monitor thatpropensity.
And if we provide interventions, do they react to it or not and
how can we more efficientlyspend our dollars to engage
members.
And then the last part isreally, if you're going to move
(08:23):
forward, as we have, withengaging with partners, it's
really important that we'remonitoring the success of our
linked members with that partnerper acquisition to making sure
that we're investing in thatpartnership and in those members
in an adequate way.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
Yeah, and so.
Are there any KPIs that youwish you had more information on
, or that you would like to seemore industry coverage around?
Speaker 2 (08:57):
I don't want any more KPIs, ethan, but what I do want
is a 360 view of my customer.
I would say, especially with a30-year-old program, there is no
lack of data, but it's the dataconnection that allows us to
have informed insights that willinform decision making to make
(09:18):
our business grow and to makethe need of the customer be more
met.
So I think it's not about moreis not more I say that often in
many aspects of running thisprogram but it's really about
this connectedness, thisintegration of the data and the
KPIs, that we can reallyunderstand how to drive more
value for our members.
(09:41):
Yeah, that makes total sense andare there other?
Speaker 1 (09:44):
challenges that you have regarding the measurement
of.
Roi for your customer loyaltyefforts beyond those data
challenges.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
I wouldn't say we have challenges in measuring the
ROI.
I think the biggest challenge,particularly in the Canadian
market, from my perspective isit's very saturated from a
loyalty perspective andespecially in the fuel market,
because we're a high frequencycategory, a lot of our
competitors are doing a lot ofgreat campaigns and we're trying
(10:14):
to constantly up the ante aswell, and so I think it really
is about how do youdifferentiate and how do you
capture that mindshare of thatcustomer.
When the average Canadian issomewhere part of approximately
like 15 loyalty programs, itreally gets hard for the members
to really be dedicated orcommitted to us.
(10:34):
And so I think the biggerchallenge isn't so much from a
KPI perspective, but it's how dowe stay relevant and stay
interesting and bedifferentiated from our
competitors so that peoplereally do want to keep coming
back to Petro Canada.
Speaker 1 (10:48):
Awesome.
So one of the things that I'veheard you mention a couple of
times is partnerships, andthat's something that we
continue to hear about fromLoyalty 360 members pretty
regularly.
Right now, brands are facingthe challenge of creating more
personalized and relevantpartnerships that align with
customer values and fit withtheir brand mission.
At the same time, you know thisprocess is taking longer, as
(11:10):
these partnerships need to becarefully assessed and developed
.
So how is your brand addressingthis challenge?
Speaker 3 (11:17):
Well, our mission at Petro Canada is to connect
people to what matters most tothem, so in that regard, we've
taken a really intentional andvalues-led approach to
partnerships.
We're really focused on qualityover quantity.
Our goal is really to ensurethat every partnership is
delivering real value to ourmembers while at the same time
allowing to our brand purposeand the expectations of our
(11:40):
members.
So for us, this means we'regoing to invest more time
upfront researching customerinsights, testing their
alignment with our brand mission, evaluating how this potential
partner could enhance theoverall membership and the
member experience, and also howit's going to support our
business in terms of drivingfuel in a very fragmented market
(12:00):
.
We're also increasingly focusedon personalization, so we're
working to tailor our offers andour experiences with our
partners based on what ourmembers tell us they prefer and
based on their past purchasebehavior.
Speaker 1 (12:15):
So would you say that partnerships will have a more
significant focus for you goingforward?
Speaker 3 (12:20):
I think partnerships are here to stay.
We're always exploring howwe're going to enhance the
program and we're continuallyassessing new opportunities.
For us, it's not just aboutfinding that brand fit.
It's really about building thatmeaningful long-term
partnership that feels reallyrelevant and rewarding to our
members and delivers thatincreased market share really
(12:41):
relevant and rewarding to ourmembers and delivers that
increased market share.
And so I think by building thatlong-term partnership to
Amanda's point we have theopportunity to simplify the
message and make it even easierfor members to understand the
value we bring.
Speaker 1 (12:52):
Awesome.
So when you're approachingthose partnerships, how do you
make sure that they'rebeneficial for both or all
brands in some cases that areinvolved and that things don't
become too one-sided?
Speaker 3 (13:04):
It's a great question .
We believe that the mostsuccessful partnerships are
really built on shared goals andtransparency.
To make partnerships reallymutually beneficial, we really
have to identify our brand andour partner's values and their
objectives and just understandwhere they intersect.
So, whether we both want to growour audience or market share,
(13:25):
whether we both want to enhancethe member experience through
additional flexibility inredemption opportunities, like
the partnership of Canadian TireTriangle or whether we're
really trying to drive a veryspecific purchase or redemption
behavior, we also reallycarefully structure the
partnership in a way that'screating value for both sides.
So this often means a lot ofconference calls, teaming up how
(13:48):
to develop offers, sharinginsights back and forth between
each other and really aligningthe KPI so that we all
collectively feel like we'regetting that win-win for all
brands involved.
Truly, to be successful interms of making a partnership
beneficial, it's aboutcollaboration and open
communication.
Our partners are really anextension of our brand and we
(14:10):
have to work together to evolvethese plans and pivot based on
what's working and not workingand how members respond to the
activities that we put in playand how members respond to the
activities that we put in play,so shifting gears a little bit.
Speaker 1 (14:24):
One thing that we also continue to hear a lot
about is emotional loyalty and,as a high-frequency, brand.
Speaker 2 (14:36):
How does Petro Canada work to cultivate emotional
loyalty with their customers?
Yeah, so emotional loyalty isdefinitely on our radar.
We are constantly trying tounpack the ways that we can
engage with Canadians.
That goes beyond thetransactions and you know maybe
I don't know, ethan, about you,but I don't go to the gas
station thinking about beingemotionally filled up but I
think there's always ways forbrands to connect with people
(14:57):
where they are, to connect withpeople where they are.
So one example that maybe isunconventional or maybe not
everyone knows about us, but wehave a charity.
It's called the Petra CanadaCaremakers Foundation and we
support family caregivers andprovide grants to organizations
supporting this cause.
To date, our CaremakersFoundation has awarded $10
million to organizations acrossCanada to help them provide
(15:18):
critical resources and programsto family caregivers.
We've also expanded our memberearning and redemption options
to enable them to redeem forthings that bring them joy.
So, again, not being kind ofcentric on our brand and our
sales, but if you want to redeemon fuel, if you want to buy a
new kayak, if you want to go getHalloween decorations at Party
(15:39):
City, if you want to get newcars, tires for your car, we're
really trying to think about thecustomer and think about, you
know, when they redeem, whatwould bring them happiness to
redeem and what are those brands.
That, to your previous question,and Monica answered so well, is
really about how do we getourselves attached with brands
(15:59):
where customer demand is thereand that they can use our
currency to go get those things,while we're constantly living
our brand purpose, tramponingthat Canadian spirit and trying
to keep people moving to whatmatters to them?
We do believe there's so muchmore that can be done to try to
drive that emotional connectionwith our customers and it's just
really hard to do.
You know we're all probablyvery busy, you know we have how
(16:22):
many devices and we're reallytrying to take care of things in
our lives and even today, insuch a challenging economic
environment, sometimes it reallyis about how do we help them
save.
That's probably more importantin the current landscape than
this emotional connection.
However, we're trying to againunderstand, as Monica mentioned,
through research, what are waysthat people can engage with us.
(16:45):
They can donate theirPetroPoints to our charity if
they want, instead of gettingsome discounts, and so it's that
optionality.
I think that does allow forthat more emotional connection.
Speaker 1 (16:55):
Awesome.
So what do you think is thenext big thing for customer
loyalty or customer experiencethat Petro Canada is focused on
or investing in?
Speaker 2 (17:08):
Well, I wish I had a you know a material announcement
to make here with you on yourpodcast, but I don't and I can't
disclose too much.
But my promise to you is thatthere are exciting new
developments coming up in 2025.
I would ask you to keep an eyeon us, watch for press releases
and even just watch or be aspart of our program when you're
(17:30):
members.
You're going to see new thingsthat we're doing to bring more
value to members, that bringloyalty to us and for us to keep
evolving.
We have been committed for thepast 30 years to keep this
program relevant to Canadiansand we will continue to do that.
Speaker 1 (17:46):
Awesome.
Well, we look forward tofollowing that, and we look
forward to following that, that,and we look forward to
following that, and we willreach out and hopefully have you
back on the podcast later thisyear to fill us in when you can
make more definite announcements.
Speaker 2 (17:59):
I'd be happy to do that.
Speaker 1 (18:01):
Awesome.
What are two or three thingsyou are most proud of for your
program?
Speaker 3 (18:07):
Oh, that was a tough one.
There's so many things I'mproud of, particularly as a
Canadian who's grown up with thePetro Canada brand in my
community, I would say from aloyalty program perspective,
with 30 years of experience todraw on, this program continues
to evolve to provide our memberswith new ways to save, to earn,
to redeem and stay relevant.
(18:29):
I think we've partnered withsome amazing, trusted leading
Canadian brands, with ourbanking partner RBC and our
retail partner Canadian TireTriangle Rewards.
They really put a strong focuson customer satisfaction and
community engagement.
So I feel there's a reallybeautiful alignment there.
And, lastly, I would say thesepartnerships just provide a
(18:52):
seamless and rewardingexperience.
They make it so easy for ourcustomers to maximize the
benefits across multiple brandsto think that you can fuel up
and double dip or even tripledip.
So you could fuel up at PetroCanada with your linked RBC card
and instantly save money offthe pump, off the fuel price,
and collect PetroPoints andcollect Canadian tire money.
(19:15):
There's so much available.
Speaker 2 (19:19):
Can I add one thing, one near-term thing?
So in the last year I am mostproud.
So Monica spoke about generallyour program.
That's, our pride is really inthe construct of it and what it
brings to Canadians every day.
In the last year I am mostproud that our program has
(19:40):
experienced the most growth wehave had in over a decade.
So we have built some newelements into the program,
revitalized the way we go tomarket, as Monica mentioned.
We launched Canadian Tire, wewent to market with a new value
proposition with RBC, and so Ijust want to add that I'm most
(20:00):
proud that we are doing morethan ever and it's really seeing
the reaction of the marketplaceand more Canadians that are
jumping into the program.
I'm just really excited aboutthat.
Speaker 1 (20:08):
That's amazing.
To see such growth in a legacyprogram like that is really,
really cool.
That's awesome.
So a little bit of a selfishquestion to wrap it up is what
can Loyalty360 do to help youand your program?
Speaker 3 (20:23):
Well, I will say that , as a longtime Loyalty360 email
subscriber and follower, I'mreally excited to be here and to
share the best practices thatI'm learning.
But, most importantly, what Ilove is how Loyalty360 is always
sharing case studies and bestpractice across the industry.
It is so refreshing to learnfrom others, to learn that
(20:45):
others have the same businessproblems that you might
encounter and how they'reapproaching it and what you
might be able to take away foryour members or for your program
.
So please keep it up.
Speaker 1 (20:57):
Amazing, so glad to hear, and you know it always
warms my heart when I hearsomeone talk about our email
because, you know, most of thetime I'm sending that out and
just hoping that people arereading it, you know, so that's
great.
Thank you so much for thefeedback.
Speaker 2 (21:11):
Can I add one more thing that I think you guys can
continue to do?
I think it's really about thatthought leadership and bringing
people together to share, asMonica said, challenges, but to
share the vision of how can weall raise the bar in this space.
And I think you know theconference that you hold.
(21:33):
I learned so much and havereally enjoyed meeting other
people in totally differentindustries that are tackling
some of the same problems thatwe're tackling, and so that
creates this sense of communitythat we can all take back and be
better.
And so I think, in order forloyalty to continue to play a
key role for businesses aroundthe globe, we are going to have
(21:54):
to, you know, do it at lowercost.
We're going to have to managefraud, manage data from a
privacy perspective, especiallyin the age of digital tools, and
so I think there's just thisamazing opportunity and you have
been doing it of bringingprofessionals together and that
thought leadership so that wecan make the loyalty space
(22:14):
something that does drive demandfor decades to come.
Speaker 1 (22:18):
Yeah, thank you for that, and we're all very much
looking forward to the LoyaltyExpo 2025 in Orlando coming up
May 20th to the 22nd, lookingforward to meeting all of you
folks in person who I've talkedto on the podcast and really,
you know, having some time todive into those things.
You know, and the peer-to-peersharing that happens at the Expo
(22:39):
is one of the most valuablethings that we do every year, so
it's going to be really great.
This year is going to be thebest one yet.
We have incredible speakers, solooking forward to it.
Well, now is the time for us todo our famous quickfire
questions.
We like to keep the answers tothese to be like one word or
(23:00):
short phrase, and you guys cantake turns if you'd like, since
we have two of you today, or youcan both answer, if you'd like
as well.
So here we go.
How would you describe yourwork life?
Speaker 2 (23:11):
Exciting.
Speaker 1 (23:15):
If you have a day or a week off from work, what are
you doing?
Speaker 3 (23:18):
I'm at the beach with my family.
Speaker 1 (23:21):
If you could live in any city or country, where would
you live?
Speaker 2 (23:25):
I would move to Paris .
Speaker 1 (23:28):
Nice.
If you could go back to school,what would you study?
Speaker 3 (23:32):
Naturopathic medicine .
I really believe in themind-body connection.
Speaker 1 (23:41):
Awesome.
What facet of your job wouldyou like to know more about.
Ai.
What facet of your job wouldyou like to know less about?
Can you ever know too much?
What?
Speaker 2 (23:56):
motivates you when tackling challenges at Petro
Canada.
Speaker 1 (24:01):
My amazing team.
Speaker 3 (24:04):
What do you draw inspiration from?
What lights your fire?
Speaker 1 (24:07):
Remembering- that every challenge has a face.
What is your?
Speaker 2 (24:10):
favorite sport or hobby?
Speaker 1 (24:13):
Cycling.
Speaker 3 (24:17):
And what do you typically think about at the end
of the day?
Speaker 1 (24:21):
What did I learn and how can I bring it forward into
the next day?
Excellent, those are all greatanswers, and thank you both
again for joining us on thisweek's episode of Leaders in
Customer Loyalty Brand Story.
We really enjoyed having youand hearing all about it, and if
you want to meet these ladiesin person, join us at the
Loyalty Expo in Orlando May 20thto the 22nd and you can learn
from them and a bunch of otherpeers and experts in the
(24:43):
customer loyalty space Untilnext Thursday.
We will see you later, thankyou.
Good afternoon and good morning.
This is Ethan Perry ofLoyalty360, welcoming you to
another episode of Leaders inCustomer Loyalty Brand Stories,
where we talk to brand leadersabout what they're seeing and
hearing on the front lines ofcustomer channel and brand
loyalty.
It's great to have you with ustoday and every Thursday.
In this episode, we will hearfrom Amanda Mitchell, head of
(00:24):
Loyalty, and Monica Stevenson,strategic Partnerships Manager
at Petro Canada.
Amanda Monica, thank you somuch for taking the time to join
us today.
How are you?
Speaker 3 (00:34):
We're doing great Thanks for having us.
Yes, thank you for having us.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
Well, so for those who may not know, can you please
give us a short introduction toPetro Canada?
How was the company started?
What was the genesis of it?
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Sure so.
Petro Canada is an iconicCanadian brand.
We operate one of the largestretail gas stations in Canada
this year is actually our 50thbirthday, so we've been around
for 50 years and we have about1600 locations offering fuel,
car wash and convenience storescoast to coast.
Petro Canada is proudly ownedby Suncorp, which is Canada's
(01:08):
leading integrated energycompany, and at Petro Canada
we're committing to keepingCanadians moving toward what
matters most to them, and we runone of the longest running and
most recognized loyalty programsPetroPoints.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
Awesome, so can you both tell us a?
Little bit more about yourroles with the company and how
you got to where you are today.
What positions led you to thisrole?
Speaker 2 (01:32):
Sure, I don't know if you want this full background,
ethan.
Honestly, it kind of is toolong to share.
I've been with Petro Canada foralmost 20 years.
I've had an amazing andchallenging career so far and
I've got the opportunity to bein many different departments,
such as sales operations,logistics, our transformation
office, marketing and now I runour loyalty team.
I'm also thrilled to introducemy colleague, monica Stevenson.
(01:55):
She's been with my team forabout a year in loyalty
marketing here at Petra Canadaand I'm happy that she joined us
and she has extensiveexperience in loyalty and
marketing from the airlineindustry.
I think the other piece thatI'll share in terms of like what
keeps us up at night or why wedo the work we do is really
(02:15):
about seeking to make adifference in the lives of our
customers and winning marketshare.
The economy, customerpreferences, gasoline demand
decline and fierce competitionin a commodity market like this
is all very important andchallenging for us to be
successful.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
Awesome.
Thank you for that.
So what does customer loyaltymean to you at Petro Canada and
how does the PetroPoints programfit into the vision you have
for customer loyalty?
Speaker 2 (02:43):
PetroPoints program fit into the vision you have for
customer loyalty.
Well, I'm glad that customerloyalty is so important to Petro
Canada and that's where Monicaand I get to come to work every
day, really thinking about thisexact thing, and what it means
to us is really about solvingproblems or meeting a need for
our customers that really makesthem want to come back to us.
We want to make them feel seenand heard, and our PetroPoints
(03:05):
program and the evolution overthe past 30 years has really
been about adapting and drivingmore engagement with our members
.
Our partnership strategy reallyis a great example that we want
to meet Canadians where they'reat and we want to help them
redeem for gas if they wish, butwe also recognize that they may
want to redeem for somethingmuch more cool than gas, um, so
(03:25):
we have instant savings at thepump to give them cash back to
do other things.
Uh, that's with our partner rbc, or what about in?
Uh, enhanced flexibility ofchoice when it comes to
redemption, and so we give themthe ability.
With petro points, they canconvert it into canadian tire
money and that will allow themto go and to SportCheck or Marks
or other banners of CanadianTire to find things they want,
(03:46):
like clothing or sporting goodsor houseware products.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
Very cool.
So how is customer loyaltyprioritized within your
organization?
Speaker 2 (03:56):
Well, I think that's a great question and I think
it's evolved over time.
You can imagine, over 30 yearsour organizational strategy has
adapted and so has our approachto customer loyalty.
But I would say that the thingabout our business and being a
Canadian company is we're alwaysthinking about Canadians and
what they want, thinking aboutthat context and adapting our
(04:18):
approach, whether it's helpingthem save money or giving them a
contest to win something reallyinteresting.
That's happening across thecountry and doing things locally
with our associates across thecountry also allows us to really
meet the needs and meetCanadians where they're at.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
Awesome.
Well, you mentioned that theprogram has been around for 30
years and I'm sure that yourloyalty and your customer
experience strategy has evolvedover those years.
How have the methods that youuse to engage or reward
customers changed over time, andare there any enhancements that
you would like to see in thefuture?
Speaker 2 (04:51):
This is a really challenging question because I
think all of us have to adaptand really think about the
evolutions in the context aroundus, and technology is a huge
one.
So one example is our loyaltyprogram used to just have a
physical card, where customersneeded that card to swipe, to
earn products and to redeem them, and they had to do that, for
example, in the physical store.
(05:12):
But now we offer many ways toearn, many ways to save.
You can redeem online for giftcards.
We have an app now where youcan go into our app and you can
see different offers for thestore or for car wash or for
fuel.
Another example is ourstrategic partnerships allows
members to accelerate their earn, and we do that through digital
integration of organizations,which is very complex but is a
(05:35):
significant evolution thatallows customers to have a
better experience.
You know the physical cardclunkiness.
We're taking that away andallowing them to use a digital
tool.
Everybody's using their phone,or most people are using their
phone, and we're trying toreally lean into how customers
want to earn and redeem In thefuture.
That's a tough one, I think.
(05:56):
For me, the big one answer, Iwould say, is simplification,
fragmentation, because of addingthis challenge of digital and
then adding the complexity ofpartners, there does start to be
a bunch of actions and newthings that we need customers to
do so that they can save moreor redeem, and so we can tell
that, as that happens, it causesfragmentation and it causes the
(06:19):
customer to really lack theunderstanding of what is the
value proposition.
What does this partner give andwhat does that partner give,
and what does that partner giveand do those stack or not?
And so I think holistically inthe loyalty industry, we really
do need to think in the futureabout how to simplify.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
Excellent, thank you.
So when you're looking at thoseefforts in customer loyalty,
how do you measure the successof your program?
What KPIs does your team worktowards making sure that
everything is on?
Speaker 2 (06:50):
track.
So again, I'm not going to boreyou with the full list of
things we look at, becausethere's many ways that we can
slice and dice our loyaltyprogram no-transcript.
(07:18):
But I think at the highestlevel what we like to look at is
loyalty penetration.
So, relative to our retailbusiness, is our program further
engaging customers morefrequently?
Do we have a disproportionateamount of their basket size and
are we growing them more thanany other person that just shows
a better site?
So we're really looking at howdo we really connect and
(07:40):
communicate with that customerto give them value?
And then we see that we havemore of their share of wallet.
We also look at customerbehavior and proactively plan
interventions and then we wantto manage and monitor those
interventions.
So if we're looking atcustomers that are churning, how
might we see where in thelifecycle, where in the journey,
are they churning and how canwe give them something and do
(08:01):
something to remind them they'revaluable to us and bring them
back to us?
And then looking at propensitymodeling this is another way for
us to make assumptions aboutthe future potential of a
customer and monitor thatpropensity.
And if we provide interventions, do they react to it or not and
how can we more efficientlyspend our dollars to engage
members.
And then the last part isreally, if you're going to move
(08:23):
forward, as we have, withengaging with partners, it's
really important that we'remonitoring the success of our
linked members with that partnerper acquisition to making sure
that we're investing in thatpartnership and in those members
in an adequate way.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
Yeah, and so.
Are there any KPIs that youwish you had more information on
, or that you would like to seemore industry coverage around?
Speaker 2 (08:57):
I don't want any more KPIs, ethan, but what I do want
is a 360 view of my customer.
I would say, especially with a30-year-old program, there is no
lack of data, but it's the dataconnection that allows us to
have informed insights that willinform decision making to make
(09:18):
our business grow and to makethe need of the customer be more
met.
So I think it's not about moreis not more I say that often in
many aspects of running thisprogram but it's really about
this connectedness, thisintegration of the data and the
KPIs, that we can reallyunderstand how to drive more
value for our members.
(09:41):
Yeah, that makes total sense andare there other?
Speaker 1 (09:44):
challenges that you have regarding the measurement
of.
Roi for your customer loyaltyefforts beyond those data
challenges.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
I wouldn't say we have challenges in measuring the
ROI.
I think the biggest challenge,particularly in the Canadian
market, from my perspective isit's very saturated from a
loyalty perspective andespecially in the fuel market,
because we're a high frequencycategory, a lot of our
competitors are doing a lot ofgreat campaigns and we're trying
(10:14):
to constantly up the ante aswell, and so I think it really
is about how do youdifferentiate and how do you
capture that mindshare of thatcustomer.
When the average Canadian issomewhere part of approximately
like 15 loyalty programs, itreally gets hard for the members
to really be dedicated orcommitted to us.
(10:34):
And so I think the biggerchallenge isn't so much from a
KPI perspective, but it's how dowe stay relevant and stay
interesting and bedifferentiated from our
competitors so that peoplereally do want to keep coming
back to Petro Canada.
Speaker 1 (10:48):
Awesome.
So one of the things that I'veheard you mention a couple of
times is partnerships, andthat's something that we
continue to hear about fromLoyalty 360 members pretty
regularly.
Right now, brands are facingthe challenge of creating more
personalized and relevantpartnerships that align with
customer values and fit withtheir brand mission.
At the same time, you know thisprocess is taking longer, as
(11:10):
these partnerships need to becarefully assessed and developed
.
So how is your brand addressingthis challenge?
Speaker 3 (11:17):
Well, our mission at Petro Canada is to connect
people to what matters most tothem, so in that regard, we've
taken a really intentional andvalues-led approach to
partnerships.
We're really focused on qualityover quantity.
Our goal is really to ensurethat every partnership is
delivering real value to ourmembers while at the same time
allowing to our brand purposeand the expectations of our
(11:40):
members.
So for us, this means we'regoing to invest more time
upfront researching customerinsights, testing their
alignment with our brand mission, evaluating how this potential
partner could enhance theoverall membership and the
member experience, and also howit's going to support our
business in terms of drivingfuel in a very fragmented market
(12:00):
.
We're also increasingly focusedon personalization, so we're
working to tailor our offers andour experiences with our
partners based on what ourmembers tell us they prefer and
based on their past purchasebehavior.
Speaker 1 (12:15):
So would you say that partnerships will have a more
significant focus for you goingforward?
Speaker 3 (12:20):
I think partnerships are here to stay.
We're always exploring howwe're going to enhance the
program and we're continuallyassessing new opportunities.
For us, it's not just aboutfinding that brand fit.
It's really about building thatmeaningful long-term
partnership that feels reallyrelevant and rewarding to our
members and delivers thatincreased market share really
(12:41):
relevant and rewarding to ourmembers and delivers that
increased market share.
And so I think by building thatlong-term partnership to
Amanda's point we have theopportunity to simplify the
message and make it even easierfor members to understand the
value we bring.
Speaker 1 (12:52):
Awesome.
So when you're approachingthose partnerships, how do you
make sure that they'rebeneficial for both or all
brands in some cases that areinvolved and that things don't
become too one-sided?
Speaker 3 (13:04):
It's a great question .
We believe that the mostsuccessful partnerships are
really built on shared goals andtransparency.
To make partnerships reallymutually beneficial, we really
have to identify our brand andour partner's values and their
objectives and just understandwhere they intersect.
So, whether we both want to growour audience or market share,
(13:25):
whether we both want to enhancethe member experience through
additional flexibility inredemption opportunities, like
the partnership of Canadian TireTriangle or whether we're
really trying to drive a veryspecific purchase or redemption
behavior, we also reallycarefully structure the
partnership in a way that'screating value for both sides.
So this often means a lot ofconference calls, teaming up how
(13:48):
to develop offers, sharinginsights back and forth between
each other and really aligningthe KPI so that we all
collectively feel like we'regetting that win-win for all
brands involved.
Truly, to be successful interms of making a partnership
beneficial, it's aboutcollaboration and open
communication.
Our partners are really anextension of our brand and we
(14:10):
have to work together to evolvethese plans and pivot based on
what's working and not workingand how members respond to the
activities that we put in playand how members respond to the
activities that we put in play,so shifting gears a little bit.
Speaker 1 (14:24):
One thing that we also continue to hear a lot
about is emotional loyalty and,as a high-frequency, brand.
Speaker 2 (14:36):
How does Petro Canada work to cultivate emotional
loyalty with their customers?
Yeah, so emotional loyalty isdefinitely on our radar.
We are constantly trying tounpack the ways that we can
engage with Canadians.
That goes beyond thetransactions and you know maybe
I don't know, ethan, about you,but I don't go to the gas
station thinking about beingemotionally filled up but I
think there's always ways forbrands to connect with people
(14:57):
where they are, to connect withpeople where they are.
So one example that maybe isunconventional or maybe not
everyone knows about us, but wehave a charity.
It's called the Petra CanadaCaremakers Foundation and we
support family caregivers andprovide grants to organizations
supporting this cause.
To date, our CaremakersFoundation has awarded $10
million to organizations acrossCanada to help them provide
(15:18):
critical resources and programsto family caregivers.
We've also expanded our memberearning and redemption options
to enable them to redeem forthings that bring them joy.
So, again, not being kind ofcentric on our brand and our
sales, but if you want to redeemon fuel, if you want to buy a
new kayak, if you want to go getHalloween decorations at Party
(15:39):
City, if you want to get newcars, tires for your car, we're
really trying to think about thecustomer and think about, you
know, when they redeem, whatwould bring them happiness to
redeem and what are those brands.
That, to your previous question,and Monica answered so well, is
really about how do we getourselves attached with brands
(15:59):
where customer demand is thereand that they can use our
currency to go get those things,while we're constantly living
our brand purpose, tramponingthat Canadian spirit and trying
to keep people moving to whatmatters to them?
We do believe there's so muchmore that can be done to try to
drive that emotional connectionwith our customers and it's just
really hard to do.
You know we're all probablyvery busy, you know we have how
(16:22):
many devices and we're reallytrying to take care of things in
our lives and even today, insuch a challenging economic
environment, sometimes it reallyis about how do we help them
save.
That's probably more importantin the current landscape than
this emotional connection.
However, we're trying to againunderstand, as Monica mentioned,
through research, what are waysthat people can engage with us.
(16:45):
They can donate theirPetroPoints to our charity if
they want, instead of gettingsome discounts, and so it's that
optionality.
I think that does allow forthat more emotional connection.
Speaker 1 (16:55):
Awesome.
So what do you think is thenext big thing for customer
loyalty or customer experiencethat Petro Canada is focused on
or investing in?
Speaker 2 (17:08):
Well, I wish I had a you know a material announcement
to make here with you on yourpodcast, but I don't and I can't
disclose too much.
But my promise to you is thatthere are exciting new
developments coming up in 2025.
I would ask you to keep an eyeon us, watch for press releases
and even just watch or be aspart of our program when you're
(17:30):
members.
You're going to see new thingsthat we're doing to bring more
value to members, that bringloyalty to us and for us to keep
evolving.
We have been committed for thepast 30 years to keep this
program relevant to Canadiansand we will continue to do that.
Speaker 1 (17:46):
Awesome.
Well, we look forward tofollowing that, and we look
forward to following that, that,and we look forward to
following that, and we willreach out and hopefully have you
back on the podcast later thisyear to fill us in when you can
make more definite announcements.
Speaker 2 (17:59):
I'd be happy to do that.
Speaker 1 (18:01):
Awesome.
What are two or three thingsyou are most proud of for your
program?
Speaker 3 (18:07):
Oh, that was a tough one.
There's so many things I'mproud of, particularly as a
Canadian who's grown up with thePetro Canada brand in my
community, I would say from aloyalty program perspective,
with 30 years of experience todraw on, this program continues
to evolve to provide our memberswith new ways to save, to earn,
to redeem and stay relevant.
(18:29):
I think we've partnered withsome amazing, trusted leading
Canadian brands, with ourbanking partner RBC and our
retail partner Canadian TireTriangle Rewards.
They really put a strong focuson customer satisfaction and
community engagement.
So I feel there's a reallybeautiful alignment there.
And, lastly, I would say thesepartnerships just provide a
(18:52):
seamless and rewardingexperience.
They make it so easy for ourcustomers to maximize the
benefits across multiple brandsto think that you can fuel up
and double dip or even tripledip.
So you could fuel up at PetroCanada with your linked RBC card
and instantly save money offthe pump, off the fuel price,
and collect PetroPoints andcollect Canadian tire money.
(19:15):
There's so much available.
Speaker 2 (19:19):
Can I add one thing, one near-term thing?
So in the last year I am mostproud.
So Monica spoke about generallyour program.
That's, our pride is really inthe construct of it and what it
brings to Canadians every day.
In the last year I am mostproud that our program has
(19:40):
experienced the most growth wehave had in over a decade.
So we have built some newelements into the program,
revitalized the way we go tomarket, as Monica mentioned.
We launched Canadian Tire, wewent to market with a new value
proposition with RBC, and so Ijust want to add that I'm most
(20:00):
proud that we are doing morethan ever and it's really seeing
the reaction of the marketplaceand more Canadians that are
jumping into the program.
I'm just really excited aboutthat.
Speaker 1 (20:08):
That's amazing.
To see such growth in a legacyprogram like that is really,
really cool.
That's awesome.
So a little bit of a selfishquestion to wrap it up is what
can Loyalty360 do to help youand your program?
Speaker 3 (20:23):
Well, I will say that , as a longtime Loyalty360 email
subscriber and follower, I'mreally excited to be here and to
share the best practices thatI'm learning.
But, most importantly, what Ilove is how Loyalty360 is always
sharing case studies and bestpractice across the industry.
It is so refreshing to learnfrom others, to learn that
(20:45):
others have the same businessproblems that you might
encounter and how they'reapproaching it and what you
might be able to take away foryour members or for your program
.
So please keep it up.
Speaker 1 (20:57):
Amazing, so glad to hear, and you know it always
warms my heart when I hearsomeone talk about our email
because, you know, most of thetime I'm sending that out and
just hoping that people arereading it, you know, so that's
great.
Thank you so much for thefeedback.
Speaker 2 (21:11):
Can I add one more thing that I think you guys can
continue to do?
I think it's really about thatthought leadership and bringing
people together to share, asMonica said, challenges, but to
share the vision of how can weall raise the bar in this space.
And I think you know theconference that you hold.
(21:33):
I learned so much and havereally enjoyed meeting other
people in totally differentindustries that are tackling
some of the same problems thatwe're tackling, and so that
creates this sense of communitythat we can all take back and be
better.
And so I think, in order forloyalty to continue to play a
key role for businesses aroundthe globe, we are going to have
(21:54):
to, you know, do it at lowercost.
We're going to have to managefraud, manage data from a
privacy perspective, especiallyin the age of digital tools, and
so I think there's just thisamazing opportunity and you have
been doing it of bringingprofessionals together and that
thought leadership so that wecan make the loyalty space
(22:14):
something that does drive demandfor decades to come.
Speaker 1 (22:18):
Yeah, thank you for that, and we're all very much
looking forward to the LoyaltyExpo 2025 in Orlando coming up
May 20th to the 22nd, lookingforward to meeting all of you
folks in person who I've talkedto on the podcast and really,
you know, having some time todive into those things.
You know, and the peer-to-peersharing that happens at the Expo
(22:39):
is one of the most valuablethings that we do every year, so
it's going to be really great.
This year is going to be thebest one yet.
We have incredible speakers, solooking forward to it.
Well, now is the time for us todo our famous quickfire
questions.
We like to keep the answers tothese to be like one word or
(23:00):
short phrase, and you guys cantake turns if you'd like, since
we have two of you today, or youcan both answer, if you'd like
as well.
So here we go.
How would you describe yourwork life?
Speaker 2 (23:11):
Exciting.
Speaker 1 (23:15):
If you have a day or a week off from work, what are
you doing?
Speaker 3 (23:18):
I'm at the beach with my family.
Speaker 1 (23:21):
If you could live in any city or country, where would
you live?
Speaker 2 (23:25):
I would move to Paris .
Speaker 1 (23:28):
Nice.
If you could go back to school,what would you study?
Speaker 3 (23:32):
Naturopathic medicine .
I really believe in themind-body connection.
Speaker 1 (23:41):
Awesome.
What facet of your job wouldyou like to know more about.
Ai.
What facet of your job wouldyou like to know less about?
Can you ever know too much?
What?
Speaker 2 (23:56):
motivates you when tackling challenges at Petro
Canada.
Speaker 1 (24:01):
My amazing team.
Speaker 3 (24:04):
What do you draw inspiration from?
What lights your fire?
Speaker 1 (24:07):
Remembering- that every challenge has a face.
What is your?
Speaker 2 (24:10):
favorite sport or hobby?
Speaker 1 (24:13):
Cycling.
Speaker 3 (24:17):
And what do you typically think about at the end
of the day?
Speaker 1 (24:21):
What did I learn and how can I bring it forward into
the next day?
Excellent, those are all greatanswers, and thank you both
again for joining us on thisweek's episode of Leaders in
Customer Loyalty Brand Story.
We really enjoyed having youand hearing all about it, and if
you want to meet these ladiesin person, join us at the
Loyalty Expo in Orlando May 20thto the 22nd and you can learn
from them and a bunch of otherpeers and experts in the
(24:43):
customer loyalty space Untilnext Thursday.
We will see you later, thankyou.
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