7–Eleven Adds Mobile Rewards App

7-Eleven announced on March 9 that it has added a rewards program known as 7Rewards, which will reward registered customers with a free drink after they purchase six drinks of any size, hot or cold.

And yes, that does include Slurpees.

To take advantage of the rewards program, consumers have to register as members on the mobile app, which is available for Android and iOS. It takes the form of a digital punch card with a scannable bar code on the home screen, recently moved there as a preparation for the program’s launch. A “punch” automatically appears when a drink purchase is recorded on the mobile app, and the consumer becomes notified of their free beverage once six drinks are logged. Once the free drink is redeemed, the loyalty card resets itself and customers can share their rewards via Facebook or Twitter. There are also no limits to the number of beverages that can be bought in a day, or how frequently a particular customer comes in for a Slurpee or a Big Gulp, which 7-Eleven hopes to be a sticking point for customers.

With over 60 percent of customers buying a beverage with each purchase, the loyalty program is geared toward increasing consumer choice and in-store sales with an eye toward millennials, according to Laura Gordon, the vice president of brand innovation and marketing.

“We know that millennials like to have plenty of choices and, hands down, 7Rewards offers more beverage variety than any other rewards program,” Gordon said.

Despite reports that show e-commerce potentially hurting brand loyalty among customers, Americans continue to seek out and register for loyalty programs. According to retail-loyalty research company Colloquy, over 3.3 billion memberships are held in the United States as of last month, even though less than half are actively used per household. Last summer, 7-Eleven partnered with Belly to launch its mobile CRM app in over 2,800 stores. The company’s new loyalty program is an in-house app rather than the third-party, points-based program run by Belly.