Sprouts will soon launch its first ever chain wide loyalty program according to grocery dive.
Speaker AAfter showing promising results across test markets in 2024, sprouts farmers markets long awaited loyalty program will begin a phased rollout in Q3 of 2025, CEO Jack Sinclair said during a Thursday call to investors.
Speaker AThe specialty grocer will continue to pilot the loyalty program and will quote add additional functionality, end quote during the first half of 2025.
Speaker ASinclair added with without providing any additional information.
Speaker AChris, how surprised were you to learn that Sprouts didn't already have a loyalty program?
Speaker BOh my God.
Speaker BI'd probably about as shocked as, as shocked as Jack Sinclair was when he interviewed to be the CEO back in 2019.
Speaker BI mean I can only imagine the look on his face.
Speaker BHe's probably like what?
Speaker BWtf?
Speaker BYou guys don't have a loyalty program?
Speaker BYeah, I see the dollar sign streaming through his eyes at that point like I got to take this job because that's, that's the low hanging fruit.
Speaker BHe's probably pitched that.
Speaker BI, I can see him like when he's interviewing people that come to Sprouts.
Speaker BHe's like dude, guys, we don't have, they don't even have a loyalty program.
Speaker BThat's the opportunity we're talking about.
Speaker BHere you come.
Speaker BWe're going to kill this.
Speaker BWe're going to do so well.
Speaker BAnd, and Sprouts is killing it.
Speaker BThat's the thing that's crazy too.
Speaker BThey don't have a loyalty program and they're killing it.
Speaker BThe cops 11 and a half percent last quarter.
Speaker BAnd a loyalty program is only going to add fuel to the fire.
Speaker BAnd the other thing about this too that I think is important is particularly in loyalty.
Speaker BAnd loyalty in this day and age is digital and Sprouts customers are showing that they want to engage with Sprouts digitally too, which is something new and I think interesting that people didn't know about before because almost.
Speaker BAnd did you know this?
Speaker BAlmost 15% of sprout sales come from digital.
Speaker BThat's crazy.
Speaker BSo yeah, it's not.
Speaker BOr the digital.
Speaker BDigital.
Speaker BIt's probably not come from digital but like there's a digital component to 15% of their sales.
Speaker BSo this e commerce 15%.
Speaker ASo like through, through like Instacart or something.
Speaker AThat's where people are finding them right now.
Speaker BYeah, probably like Instacart curbside it probably.
Speaker BOkay, pickup all the E commerce, Internet, all the.
Speaker BGot it said e commerce is 15% of their business.
Speaker BSo you know Jack and his team are just doing an awesome job.
Speaker BAnd the fact that this is a bullet in the chamber that is just now being loaded is, is wild to me.
Speaker BIt's absolutely wild.
Speaker BLike, how does a grocer not have a loyalty program?
Speaker BMy co op has a loyalty program down the road.
Speaker BRight.
Speaker ALike, I know, but it's weird though.
Speaker ALike Ken, you ever noticed that when, I mean, granted we are only stopping in sprouts when we're traveling because we still don't have one nearby.
Speaker BI have one.
Speaker BYeah.
Speaker ABut like I've never even thought about that or noticed it going into a sprouts before.
Speaker ALike, I'm just like, oh, I just really like shopping in the store.
Speaker AIt's great and things are fresh and quality is good and all these things.
Speaker ASo I think you're 100% right.
Speaker AI mean, we talked about this last week with Save a lot too.
Speaker ALike they don't have a loyalty program.
Speaker AThey didn't have a loyalty program either.
Speaker AThis is like the easiest low hanging fruit that you can get, like you said.
Speaker AI also think that there's another edge to this that I find interesting.
Speaker AAnd not to say that they're going to be like hugely discounting things for their loyalty members, but it does open up them opportunity for them to start to do special kinds of offers and previews for their Sprouts loyalty members.
Speaker ABut I think that Sprout still is a little bit higher price point than Trader Joe's.
Speaker AAnd now I think that once you start to bring this loyalty program in and you're giving these discounts, like, I think there's going to be a huge grab from the Trader Joe's audience who are like this.
Speaker ASprouts has better quality, they have national brands in there.
Speaker AIt's, it's really going to lead people from Trader Joe's.
Speaker AAnd I think conversely, you also have a pull that you'll get from Whole Foods participants to or Whole Foods customers too because you don't have the cold, sterile environment that you've talked about with the Whole Foods Amazon partnership.
Speaker ANow you have like all the best parts of Sprouts.
Speaker AThe best quality, the best store experience and now potentially a lower price point for it.
Speaker AI mean, I think that they've just got it in the bag and it's, it's like we already have said watch out for sprouts, but I think, I think they're on a trajectory with this that you talked about.
Speaker ALike it's going to be a huge, huge impact as they continue to expand across the country.
Speaker BYeah, they're only in 24 states.
Speaker BThe other point I make that I make on what you just said, too, is like sprouts.
Speaker BSprouts will willingly admit they're an additional trip.
Speaker BRight.
Speaker BLike you're the trip you stop at sprouts when you're going on another errand.
Speaker BRight.
Speaker BRight.
Speaker BAnd so a loyalty program only amplifies the fact that you would want to stop there on that trip.
Speaker BSo it's perfectly synergistic with how they position themselves in the market, to your point about grabbing Trader Joe's and Whole Foods customers over time, so.