It’s time for a retail media road trip, and TWIRM is buckling up for the ride. First stop: A fresh initiative from the U.K. that could turn your car into the ultimate loyalty card.
TWIRM, as always, is the This Week in Retail Media podcast, where Kate Dickson, Head of Marketing and Communications, Retail Media, STRATACACHE, and Jonathan Rosen, STRATACACHE’s Global EVP of Retail Media Strategy, reach across the Atlantic to discuss three retail media news stories that intrigue them, excite them and even, sometimes, start their proverbial “engines.”
This week, the first story revving them up (courtesy of Mediashotz) is i-media’s brand-new Pitstop app—the UK’s first B2C driver rewards program that uses automated number plate recognition (ANPR) technology to reward motorists passively. With 1,000 downloads in its first week and 130 locations, the app promises to reward drivers with perks and deals at everyday fuel stops—without the hassle of scanning receipts or entering codes.
For Jonathan, the key innovation is the app’s license plate recognition, which could open up savvy targeting opportunities for advertisers. “You can judge a person by their car,” he says, observing that vehicle data can give brands invaluable insights into a driver’s lifestyle.
Kate has her eye on the app’s scalability. “Once you start linking it into all petrol stations, potentially you could network it out to theme parks and other motorway attractions,” she muses, envisioning a future where your car becomes your universal rewards card.
After zipping up the road to passive loyalty, Kate and Jonathan drop by Upshop to see how it’s tackling retail’s inventory alignment challenge, ensuring that promoted products are actually on shelves when customers arrive. Lastly, they look at recent studies, as reported in Retail World Magazine and WashingtonPost.com, showing that consumers aren’t sold on AI in shopping environments.
Click here to listen to Kate and Jonathan’s freewheeling discussion of Pitstop’s app innovation.
