Scott McCorkle, former Salesforce Marketing Cloud CEO, joins as Executive Chairman
Indianapolis, Ind. – Fuzic, a marketing technology startup, announced today the launch of its new on-site marketing platform that enables custom audio advertising and licensed music for location-based business of all sizes and industries. The company also announced Scott McCorkle as its new Executive Chairman.
McCorkle, an Executive in Residence with venture studio High Alpha and previous CEO of Salesforce Marketing Cloud, will work closely with fellow board member and veteran businessman Ted Schenberg (Owner of Strand Diagnostics and Animated Dynamics) to guide Fuzic co-founders Brent Oakley and Nathan Miller in business and product development.
“It has never been more important for retail and location-based businesses to control their environment. Intentional use of music and messaging allows businesses to create an environment that encourages customers to shop more, spend more, and ultimately have a better experience,” McCorkle said.
Oakley, a long-time retail entrepreneur, saw an acute need for location-based businesses to have more control over their atmosphere and on-site marketing and advertising. “Fuzic was born from my need as a business owner to have an easy-to-use, software-as-a-service platform that fused music and messaging through custom audio advertising integrated with licensed music,” Oakley said. Following a soft launch at the end of 2016, more than 100 location-based organizations have already adopted Fuzic, now generally available
Fuzic engages on-site customers through custom audio advertising and licensed music playlists. Managed online, it is easy to use for a business owner with a single location, yet powerful enough for a large organization. Companies with hundreds or thousands of locations can centrally control music, messaging, and advertising to whatever degree of local personalization is desired. Powered by a network of on-demand professional voice talent, messages are recorded, produced and ready for play within hours of request.
Fuzic also announced the acquisition of a mobile-development company, Pragmatix Studio. Co-founded by Chris Keaney and Barry Geipel, Pragmatix Studio developed mobile apps for some of the largest brands in the world. This acquisition will accelerate product development, giving executives who manage location-based businesses the needed online and mobile control of their messaging and music. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“Adding Scott and Pragmatix Studio to the Fuzic team brings even more energy to our fast start,” said Oakley. “We are excited to provide location-businesses of all sizes a much-needed solution for their on-site marketing.”
For more information, visit www.fuzicmedia.com.
About Fuzic, Inc.
Fuzic, Inc. is a marketing technology company based in Indianapolis, Indiana. Founded in 2016 by Brent Oakley and Nathan Miller, Fuzic lets businesses fully-control on-site marketing through customized music playlists fused with on-demand, professionally recorded audio announcements. For more information, visit www.fuzicmedia.com.
Once upon a time, not that long ago really, getting gas for a vehicle looked much different. Gas pumping has progressed from having an attendant pump the customer’s gas, to customers going into the store and asking for “$20 on pump two,” to today’s pay-at-the-pump technology.
While that’s been a great time saver—the average convenience store fuel customer spends 5 minutes or less filling up a gas tank—it certainly cuts down on the potential for in-store sales. A few customers may venture in and pick up an item or two, but the vast majority pump gas, replace the gas cap, and drive on. In fact, 300 people visit a convenience store’s gasoline pumps a day, but only 35% of those customers step foot inside the store, according to industry experts at Convenience Store Products.
One of the toughest nuts to crack for gas station convenience store marketers is how to pull those customers from the pump to the store. Finding effective and convincing ways to move the in-store needle can make a huge difference for a business’ bottom line. Take those 300 customers mentioned above. If 35% are going in the store, that’s 105 customers. If each of those customers spent even just $1, that’s an extra $105 per day—or over $38,000 per year.
So, how can marketers find ways to convert gas pumpers to in-store purchasers? Here are a few potential methods that may help out.
Loyalty programs are a great way to motivate those members to stay true to the brand, thereby increasing the visits they make as well as their spend. However, if the reward program is going to work, it must be of value to the customer. Something like a free cup of coffee or lower-margin food item on the fourth visit or earning points that can be used towards a gas card can make a customer feel like their participation is valuable to them. It can also be a key way to get already-loyal customers in the doors of the store. While they are redeeming that free cup of coffee, make sure the fresh donut display is close by or the grab-and-go breakfast items are shown off.
Credit card processing fees are a big pain for any small business. Some gas stations have taken to eliminating that specific pain point by offering special discounts on gas prices for those customers who come in the store and pay cash. According to a study by Cardtronics, cash transactions still make up 63% of all convenience store purchases. Also, a report by NACS says that 23% of surveyed gas consumers primarily use cash to pay for their fuel. Offering a discount for those who pay with cash can not only take care of credit card fees, but can also get more customers—who already are shown to use cash for convenience store purchases—in the door with cash in hand.
Customers are already at the pump and tend to be a captive audience. Why not take advantage of that and incorporate at-the-pump audio announcements? While digital displays and signage can certainly help, more often than not, the customer is looking around or is on their phone and may not see it. Using audio helps to ensure they know about the special two-gallon milk price or the daily deal on coffee and a pastry. Marketers can even work to daypart those announcements to hit key customer needs at certain times. For example, that coffee and a pastry deal? Great for the morning. But a pizza or a dinner item would better attract an evening commuter heading home.
No matter the business, the more pleasant the customer experience, the more likely they are to keep returning. This is just as true for convenience stores. Making the experience enjoyable by creating a great in-store vibe can keep customers coming in again and again. Create a playlist that appeals to the target customers, keep merchandise fresh and expertly displayed, and always keep things tidy. Also, make sure to keep customer wait times down, no matter what the time of day. Above all, keep the “convenience” in convenience store.
With the right in-store vibe and at-the-pump marketing tactics, customers will be much more likely to make their way into the store the next time they stop to grab gas. It just takes some planning and creativity along the way.
Interested in learning more? Request a demo of Vibenomics today and learn how you can start creating on-brand music and messaging for your in-store customers.
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