Mobile Tunes Up Loyalty for Oil Change Chain
A Southern California chain of auto lube shops is using mobile to find and retain customers interested in getting car-care value offers over their mobile phones.
In a six-week campaign that launched in late April, the 80-plus outlet chain partnered with mobile marketing and loyalty provider SmartReply to send 500,000 text messages to customers who either opted in for the messaging or already belonged to EZ Lube’s existing loyalty program.
EZ Lube supplied addresses for all its service locations, and those were matched to publishers in the SmartReply Mobile Network who were already delivering mobile content and ads via text message to users in those markets. The campaign added a brief 40-character tag at the end of the: “Win 1 year free oil change! Reply EZ.”
The campaign achieved a redemption rate of 5% among general responders and 15% among EZ Lube’s loyalty club members. In addition, it built a database of 1,700 opt-ins for future EZ Lube mobile campaigns. All this was done at an acquisition cost of less than $6 per opt-in, according to the company and SmartReply.
Finally, offers received through mobile marketing provided EZ Lube with a competitive differentiator in a competitive set where the chain is vying for business not only with other quick-oil-change brands but with muffler and brake specialist outlets as well.
