Amid a backlash from industry groups about the benefits of fuel discounts by supermarket chains, a new fuel rewards program plans to launch in November.
FuelCents, to be run by iMobileMedia, is open to all businesses and brands, and offers can be redeemed at any petrol outlet in Australia.
Rob Keogh, chief technology officer at iMobileMedia, says shoppers collect FuelCents as an activity incentive or reward on purchase, with the receipt from the petrol purchase scanned by the ScanZap app and the reward value is rebated to the shopper’s account.
There is no limit on the FuelCents that can be redeemed in one transaction and households can collect FuelCents on multiple retailer or brand purchases and aggregate the rewards into a single claim at any petrol outlet.
According to iMobileMedia, by opening fuel rewards to everyone, FuelCents dilutes the fuel price imbalance that has resulted from Coles and Woolworths exclusive offers, supporting competition.
“There is no doubt about the compelling attraction of fuel discounts for consumers. They are said to drive over $1 billion in trade to Coles and Woolworths,” said Keogh.
“The combined trade from the two million businesses of the independent groups, together with their suppliers and five million staff, means independent businesses have an equal, if not wider capability to leverage fuel rewards to engage customer loyalty.”
During the launch phase of FuelCents, iMobileMedia is offering more than $2.5 million in subsidised rewards to get businesses, suppliers, brand manufacturers and retailers on board.
iMobileMedia is aiming to engage 100,000 shoppers, ideally starting with household staples like bread, milk and coffee, perhaps expanding across motoring products like tyres, insurance or car servicing, even vehicle manufacturers.
