Company Overview
This Michigan-based sporting goods retailer operates more than 80 stores across seven Midwestern states, specializing in authentic sports equipment, athletic footwear, and performance apparel. They leverage an enterprise loyalty program to enhance customer engagement. The chain serves athletes, families, and sports enthusiasts in both small communities and major metropolitan markets.
As traditional newspaper circulars declined in reach and advertising channels became increasingly fragmented, the retailer—like many others—sought a more direct, measurable way to communicate with customers. Leadership wanted clear visibility into who their most valuable shoppers were, how often they visited, and how much they spent. They also needed a rewards strategy that truly recognized loyalty, rather than relying on broad, margin-eroding discounts.
To meet these objectives, the retailer partnered with Preferred Patron Loyalty™ to launch an enterprise-scale loyalty program fully integrated into its front- and back-office environments via the Preferred Patron™ REST API. The enterprise loyalty platform centralized customer data and synchronized real-time loyalty activity to and from the point-of-sale, then aggregated it on the back end for robust analysis. Enterprise dashboards gave the marketing team the insight they needed, while accumulated points were automatically converted into cash-value vouchers and mailed directly to customers—driving repeat visits at levels not previously achievable with traditional marketing alone.
At a Glance
| Insights | Enterprise sporting goods chain used a fully integrated enterprise loyalty platform to strengthen customer engagement, automate reward certificate fulfillment, and scale loyalty-driven revenue across all locations. |
| Client | Retail Sporting Goods Chain |
| Industry | Sporting Goods, Athletic Footwear, and Retail Apparel |
| Locations | More than 80 stores across 7 Midwestern states |
| Business Model | Multi-location sporting goods retail with high transaction volume and strong repeat purchase behavior |
| Loyalty Platform | Preferred Patron™ Enterprise Edition loyalty platform with full POS integration through REST API |
| Buyer Segment | Enterprise Retail—Sporting Goods |
| Program Impact | 5x higher member spend ($179 vs. $39), 1.2+ million enrolled members, loyalty members contributing 20–29% of total sales while representing only 7% of transactions, and automated reward certificates driving consistent redemption and repeat visits chain wide. |
The Enterprise Retail Challenge
Before launching its new enterprise loyalty program, this sporting goods retailer relied heavily on print circulars, broad seasonal promotions, and storewide discount events. These tactics created short bursts of traffic but failed to distinguish between casual shoppers and the loyal customers who generated most of the revenue. The marketing team needed a stronger loyalty foundation that could support the following objectives:
- Centralize customer data across all 80+ locations.
- Identify high-value customers based on visit frequency, basket size, and long-term spend.
- Reward repeat customers with meaningful benefits instead of broad discount events.
- Measure marketing performance using accurate, transaction-based reporting.
- Support consistent engagement across all locations without increasing store workload.
The Enterprise Loyalty Program Solution
The retailer selected Preferred Patron™ Enterprise Edition as the backbone of its Active Rewards enterprise loyalty program. The objective was to create a unified enterprise loyalty platform that seamlessly connected point-of-sale activity, rewards logic, certificate fulfillment, and reporting into one coordinated system.
- Full POS integration through REST API enabling fast enrollment, accurate lookup, and seamless point calculation.
- Threshold-based rewards that automatically issued certificates when members reached spending milestones.
- Automated production and mailing of reward certificates, including data validation, numbering, printing, and postal processing handled by Preferred Patron™.
- Centralized reporting providing visibility into enrollment, visits, spend, and redemption behavior across all stores.
- Configurable lifecycle emails including new member welcome, birthday rewards, and targeted campaigns powered by loyalty data.
Implementation Experience
Deployment began with a focused pilot group where enrollment flow, point tracking, and certificate redemption were validated. After confirming accuracy and ease of use for store teams, Active Rewards expanded across the full chain.
Preferred Patron™ provided proactive oversight throughout the rollout, ensuring every element of card production, data alignment, and numbering logic remained precise and aligned with the retailer’s specifications. Close collaboration with the retailer’s leadership maintained uninterrupted customer engagement across all locations.
Preferred Patron™ worked closely with information technology, operations, and marketing leadership to incorporate enhancements, refine reports, and extend functionality as the enterprise loyalty program grew.
Measurable Results
High-Value Member Behavior
Active Rewards members demonstrated exceptional value, producing average purchases of $179 compared to $39 for non-members, a 5x lift in per-visit spend.
Loyalty-Driven Sales Contribution
Members represented only 7% of transactions yet contributed 20–29% of total sales, showing strong revenue concentration among engaged participants.
Enterprise-Scale Membership Growth
Enrollment expanded rapidly, within a few years, from early pilot stores to more than 1.2 million active members across the full estate.
Consistent Engagement Through Certificates
Automated reward certificate fulfillment maintained continuous engagement and steady repeat visit patterns throughout the year.
Actionable Reporting and Insight
Leadership gained clear visibility into customer behavior, store performance, visit frequency, and promotion impact using centralized reporting within the enterprise loyalty solution.
What This Means for Enterprise Retailers
The Active Rewards program illustrates how an enterprise retailer can transform broad, discount-based marketing into measurable, loyalty-driven growth. Deep POS integration, automated fulfillment, and centralized analytics give retailers a dependable enterprise loyalty framework for recognizing their best customers and encouraging repeat activity.
- Member-driven revenue lift even at modest enrollment percentages.
- Threshold-based rewards that motivate customers to consolidate purchases.
- Automated fulfillment reducing internal workload while maintaining a high-touch customer experience.
- Reporting that supports confident, data-driven marketing decisions.
Looking Ahead
With a strong enterprise loyalty foundation in place, the retailer was positioned to evolve its engagement strategy, refine reward thresholds, and extend customer insight into future business systems. Active Rewards demonstrated that enterprise retailers can sustain long-term retention through consistent engagement and centralized customer visibility.
Client Perspective
“Implementation was fast and easy. Our stores love the integration into our point of sale system. Customers can be identified by card, last name, phone number, or email. The back office functionality gives me everything I need to monitor and measure customer relationships. Preferred Patron’s customer service and information technology teams are outstanding. We have a successful rewards program thanks to Preferred Patron™.”
Ed Rix, Vice President Marketing and Advertising, Enterprise Sporting Goods Retailer
Key Takeaways
- Members consistently outperformed non-members with up to 5x higher per-visit spend.
- A small portion of transactions generated a disproportionately strong share of total revenue.
- Automated certificate fulfillment sustained customer engagement without added operational burden.
- Centralized data improved visibility and decision-making across all locations.
- A collaborative partnership supported continuous optimization of the enterprise loyalty program.
Next Steps
If your organization is evaluating ways to improve customer retention, strengthen direct communication, and modernize customer engagement, Preferred Patron Loyalty™ can help. Our enterprise-ready loyalty platform supports deep POS integration, automated reward earning and fulfillment, and analytics tied directly to transaction behavior. To explore customer retention software pricing and how an enterprise loyalty program like Active Rewards can support your growth, visit Preferred Patron™ or contact our team for a personalized demonstration.