Canada student card expands to US
6.5 million first-year membership planned
The Student Price Card (SPC Card) loyalty scheme now operating in Canada is to move into the US in August.
The company is projecting a first-year membership of 6.5 million students, and over 35 national retail chain partners.
“Based on almost 20 years of success in Canada, several of our largest U.S. retail clients have expressed great interest in seeing our youth loyalty model move south of the border,” said SPC president Dean Mazzariol. “We have already signed on half-a-dozen national retailers for the US program.”
Student Price Card has more than 120 national retail partners and over 650,000 student shopper members in Canada. Partners include Aéropostale, American Eagle Outfitters, Aldo Shoes, Armani Exchange, Burger King, Champs Sports, Claire’s, FCUK French Connection, Foot Locker, Guess, Levi’s Stores, Lucky Brand Jeans, Orange Julius, Payless ShoeSource and Pizza Hut.
The company believes that these types of established relationships will be the springboard for their entry into the US market.
The programme aims for student shoppers aged from 14 to 24.
SPC says the recent downturn and slow recovery of the economy has posed challenges to both student shoppers and retailers alike.
The retail market has seen a fundamental, long-term shift in consumer psychology and purchasing behaviour. Cash-strapped students are looking for greater value from the stores where they shop, while retailers are in search of new and innovative ways to attract new young shoppers. Retailers are also looking for new and innovative ways of having their established customers come back more often.