Constant Promotion Key to AJ’s Success
Added August 12, 2009
When it comes to promoting your business, retailers should take notice of AJ’s One Stop, located in Branson, Missouri. This family-owned business, complete with a c-store, truck and bus repair shop and a needlework store next door, has focused on loyalty programs and promotional events to drive traffic to their location.
“We learned everything from my grandparents, Ethel and Andrew Rekowski,” said Amy Williams, Manager of AJ’s. “They taught all of us an exceptional work ethic and to continue to better ourselves every day. We all worked in their sub shop in South Boston, Massachusetts—Ethel & Andy's. My grandfather used to tell me as a kid, ‘No matter what you do in life, always get better the next time, always top yourself.’"
“We realize that, while we’re in a very tourist-driven area, our locals are our bread and butter come winter,” she continued. “That’s why we’re always working to keep our focus on the local population, rather than the tourists. We try to do things a little differently than most operators. We try to keep the atmosphere in the store like family; we try to do things outside of work as a crew, and that helps the crew feel more comfortable to give out ideas/complaints. As the boss, I really try to get my crew involved in coming up with ideas—they’re on the front line and know what’s working and what isn’t.”
What exactly has AJ’s done to help inspire customers?
Local Customer Loyalty Program
Local customers can get the Payday Card, which rewards customers for their patronage. Purchases result in card punches, which then result in cash towards merchandise and fuel when the card is completely punched.
In addition, local customers are treated to everyday discounts on cigarette purchases, in addition to changing monthly promotions, which may include free fountain drinks, 10¢ off per gallon, or other merchandise. These specials may or may not be tied into the Payday Card.
Happy Hours
AJ’s celebrates Happy Hour every Friday from 4-6 pm, complete with a different special each week. Incentives to attend include discounted merchandise, additional discounts on gas, or the opportunity to earn extra punches on the Payday Card.
Special Events
AJ’s has hosted some unique and fun events to attract customers. In July, they hosted an Ugly Truck Show, in which locals competed on categories such as Best/Worst Paint Job, Most/Best Bumper Stickers and Best/Worst Stereo. There was even a worst vehicle to be driven on the property category. “Wow was it bad,” Amy stated. “He drove in on milk crates!”
Amy attributes part of the success of this and other events to the hard work of her crew. "I couldn't do any of this without this crew and the support of my vendors, who help promote the events and provide prizes and other items. It really is a team effort that benefits everyone and boosts sales on all fronts,” she said.
Any operator can come up with cool ideas and events to boost traffic. “We get a lot of inspiration from crazy holiday lists for some of our monthly events. We’ve done different promotions for holidays like National Chocolate Lovers Day or National Ice Cream month,” said Amy. “We also take all ideas from our customers; our most recent one is to host a dance-off and a cook-off with local area restaurants.”
Next on the event list is an August Battle of the Bands competition, which the group is looking forward to organizing.
AJ’s currently promotes their business though a website (www.ajsonestop.com) and is on both Facebook and Twitter, applications that allow customers receive special deals, as well as information on current promotions and events. They also do radio advertising and Amy has a weekly 3-5 minute stint on a local radio show (6:50 a.m. on 106.3 KRZK).
And what have been the results of all of this fanfare to get customers in to visit AJ’s One Stop? It has boosted monthly gallons sold an average of 42% this year alone. In addition, the extra traffic created through these events and promotions has resulted in a 9% increase in in-store sales in 2008 and another 4% to date in 2009. And the year isn’t over yet!
“This is proof that consistently promoting your stores can increase not only your gallons, but your overall sales,” said Ron Dannaldson, CarterEnergy Area Manager. “We hope that AJ’s tactics will inspire other operators to find fun and unique ways to promote their business so that they, too, can reap these kinds of rewards—especially during these tough economic times.”
As far as future plans, Amy is planning to sit down with her crew to plan out a new event for each month between the months of May and October. “Now that the cars show is over, it’s time to focus on the next cool thing,” she said. “We intend to continually top ourselves!”
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