TORONTO – Vicinity, a new loyalty and automation platform launched in Toronto on Wednesday by Rogers Communications, is geared towards providing local retailers who buy into the program the opportunity to deliver customized loyalty programs which recognize, reward and communicate with customers – and hopefully grow repeat business.
"Small businesses across Canada are looking for cost effective, turn-key solutions to drive growth in their business and establish meaningful customer relationships," said Fiona Lake Waslander, general manager, Vicinity, in the company’s press release. "Vicinity integrates easily into businesses, providing a simple platform to drive return traffic and increase customer lifetime value while encouraging residents to support local businesses."
Vicinity is powered by U.S.-based company FiveStars and its Loyalty Automation Program. Through an exclusive agreement, Rogers will provide Canadian small and medium businesses with access to FiveStars' technology (which integrates with retailers' point-of-sale systems) under the Vicinity banner.
With Vicinity, small and mid-sized retailers can do things like build cloud-based customer databases, generate automated targeted offers and customer communications, and access professional reporting tools and dashboards to track offers, points and return on investment.
Customers of the retailer simply register for a Vicinity rewards loyalty card at a participating local business and access their rewards profile online or on the Vicinity mobile app available for iPhone or Android smart phones. Participating businesses can offer a variety of rewards to customers including points to be redeemed for service or merchandise and targeted discounts. As additional businesses implement the Vicinity loyalty solution, consumers can use their existing loyalty card to collect rewards across the network of Vicinity locations, reads the press release.
"We know that Canadian small businesses are starved for affordable digital solutions that make it easy to connect with consumers and grow their business. The launch of Vicinity marks another milestone for our overall local digital portfolio," said Nyla Ahmad, vice-president, local digital, Rogers. "Vicinity joins Outrank and Zoocasa as part of our growing suite of local digital services that leverage intelligent technology platforms to efficiently bring buyers and sellers together at the local level."
