• by Karl Greenberg , August 12, 2009

Jiffy Lube, the Houston-based division of Shell, is launching a loyalty program to boost store volume and reward regular customers. The Jiffy Lube Rewards effort offers deals to customers who make regular vehicle-maintenance stops at the quick-service chain. Customers who buy two Jiffy Lube Signature Service Oil Changes for the same vehicle within six months earn 50% off a third Jiffy Lube Signature Service Oil Change for the same vehicle.

Customers can sign up at their local Jiffy Lube service center or online at www.JiffyLubeRewards.com. The company tracks each purchase and redeems rewards as earned. The Jiffy Lube Signature Service Oil Change includes elements like inspection; fluid and oil filter change, and tire pressure.

John Sanfacon, head of marketing and innovations at Jiffy Lube International, says the program is not only new for Jiffy Lube, but "to my knowledge, on this scale it is brand new to the segment as well" -- noting that there are regional and local loyalty programs, but nothing national. He says the reasons have to do with the difficulty of putting such a program together. "Loyalty programs, unless you do simple punch cards, which are pretty easy to manipulate, are inherently difficult. They are a big challenge in terms of doing appropriate tracking."

He says the company will hold off on advertising, leading instead with point-of-purchase programs. "We have about 26 million consumers per year, a lot of traffic -- so the best way to approach these folks is when they drive into service bays," he says. "So service crews make sure they are engaging customers who drive in with this message that we value them. That's the primary thrust."

Later, the company will provide TV and radio tags about the program to stores for local-market advertising "if they want to dial up the volume in their respective markets," says Sanfacon.

Sanfacon says the program was not developed as an attraction tool to get new customers into Jiffy Lube stores, nor is it a response to the economy. "This has been in development for a little over two years, long before the economy went south," he says. "We had seen trends suggesting consumers are extending maintenance interviews, which is mostly a phenomenon having to do with better vehicle technology -- it's just a fact of the industry."