Consumers Rank Discounts and Savings on Fuel as Their #1 Preferred Reward

Latest Insights Report from Excentus Finds 37% of American Consumers Choose Fuel Savings over Cash-Back, Card Rewards, Coupons & Discounts

DALLAS--()--“The Road to Rewards,” a newly released consumer behavior report, which is part of the Excentus Insights Series, features results from a July 2015 survey of American consumers. The report found that more than (54%) belong to loyalty programs that enable them to save on the cost of fuel and rank these programs #1 for membership and activity over credit-card cash-back rewards, coupons, discounts, airline miles, hotel points and other rewards programs.

The company’s Road to Rewards report also found that:

  • 37% of consumers ranked fuel savings as their preferred rewards program, followed by
  • 32% credit-card cashback programs
  • 25% retailer/brand coupons
  • 24% (tie) credit card rewards and cash-register instant discounts
  • 22% retailer-specific points/rewards
  • 17% airline miles
  • 16% restaurant/grocer rewards
  • 14% hotel points

Of the American consumers surveyed, nearly half of (46%) say they earn, buy, redeem or check their fuel-savings rewards daily or weekly. When asked why they join rewards programs, 47% say they like saving money any way they can and 23% like earning rewards on everyday purchases.

The survey also confirmed previous findings from Excentus, which operates the nationwide Fuel Rewards™ program, about consumers’ preference for fuel discounts even when gasoline prices fluctuate. More than two-thirds of the survey respondents (67%) say they pay attention to gas prices, and consumers agree it is important to save on fuel when gas prices rise (64%) or fall (54%).

Many choices, clear preferences for incentives

“This survey confirms what our merchant partners and over 5 million members have been telling us for the last three years,” said Brandon Logsdon, President and CEO of Dallas-based Excentus. “Today’s consumers clearly value the ability to earn rewards – like fuel savings – that have a meaningful and tangible impact on their household budget, making everyday life more affordable. At a time when consumers have so many choices for marketplace incentives and loyalty programs, it’s not surprising that the rewards they prefer and engage with most actively are built into everyday shopping and spending routines with their favorite merchants.”

According to the report, consumers belong to fuel-saving rewards programs offered by grocery stores (68%), retail stores (22%), credit cards (16%) and restaurants/dining venues (7%). When asked why they join, 46% say the rewards are offered as part of an existing loyalty program, 40% join to save money, 37% to earn rewards where they already shop, 19% to save on the cost of driving, and 15% because the incentive is linked to a credit card.

Incentives to save on fuel can also influence consumer shopping behavior and retailer brand preferences, according to the Excentus report. Almost one in five consumers (19%) would choose a different brand to earn 25-50 cents per gallon on fuel, 17%-20% would switch retailers to earn 25 cents to $1 per gallon on fuel, and 20% would purchase in-store rather than online to earn 25-50 cents per gallon on fuel.

Powerful driver of consumer behaviors

“In a country that’s highly dependent on vehicles for transportation, the ability to save on fuel can serve as a powerful driver of consumer behaviors and preferences,” Logsdon points out.

Additional findings from the survey include:

  • Millennials (ages 18-34) are more than twice as likely as other age groups to track their rewards from a mobile app (33% Millennials; 16% ages 35-54; 6% ages 55+)
  • Midwestern consumers (57%) are more likely than those in the West (56%), South (52%) and Northeast (50%) to belong to a fuel-savings rewards program
  • Women and men participate equally in fuel-savings programs (54% female, 53% male), while participation based on income varied by 11% (47% under $50,000, 58% over $50,000)

The “The Road to Rewards” is part of the Excentus Insight Series, which is available for download here. Upcoming reports in this series include “Spotlight on Millennials,” and “American Shopper Insights,” both of which will be available in Q4, 2015.

The survey of 1,016 U.S. consumers was conducted during July 10-13, 2015 by Ipsos eNation on behalf of Excentus Corp. The survey has a margin of error of +/- 3.1 percentage points.

For more information about the Fuel Rewards program, the July rewards-focused survey or to interview a Fuel Rewards program executive, please contact Vanessa Horwell at vhorwell@thinkinkpr.com or 305-749-5342 ext. 232, or Patricia Nunez at pnunez@thinkinkpr.com or 305-749-5342 ext. 233.

About EXCENTUS

At EXCENTUS, we create programs that help lower the cost of everyday life. Whether through direct-to-consumer programs like Fuel Rewards® and fuelperks!, or through companies utilizing our Centego products and services, EXCENTUS proprietary software is the engine helping numerous loyalty and marketing programs drive down the cost of everyday commodities like gasoline. In fact, since 2012 we’ve helped consumers and small businesses across America save over $500 million at the pump. Creating real savings that positively affect the everyday lives of real people – that’s what EXCENTUS is all about. Founded in 1996 in Dallas, TX, EXCENTUS is a privately held company with more than 200 employees. For more information, please visit www.excentus.com.

Contacts

ThinkInk
Vanessa Horwell, +1-305-749-5342 x 232
vhorwell@thinkinkpr.com

Contacts

ThinkInk
Vanessa Horwell, +1-305-749-5342 x 232
vhorwell@thinkinkpr.com