Wholesale buying group Sugro UK has unveiled a new AI-powered loyalty scheme to reward retailer behaviour.
Created in partnership with B2B customer engagement specialist ProConnect, the scheme is designed to reward independent retailers for completing specific actions set by suppliers.
Suppliers that support the initiative can build campaigns around behaviours they want to encourage, such as trialling or stocking a particular product, displaying PoS material, ranging the correct SKUs or meeting agreed merchandising requirements.
Gamification will also be a key part of the scheme, with retailers able to spin a digital wheel to reveal a personalised reward or incentive.
ProConnect will use purchase history to help identify which offers and activities are most relevant, rather than every customer seeing the promotion. This means that retailers could be encouraged to try a line they have never stocked, re-engage with a product they have stopped buying, or complete an in-store action, according to Sugro.
Retailers can also be asked to provide evidence that an agreed task has been completed by submitting a photograph through WhatsApp, with ProConnect’s AI photo verification technology able to confirm if a reward can be released.
The programme is supplier-funded, meaning participating Sugro member wholesalers will not have to pay for the rewards themselves. Supporting brands will also receive campaign reporting showing which stores were targeted, who took part and if subsequent purchasing behaviour changed.
“Our previous e-loyalty scheme proved supplier-funded rewards work in our channel, but this is the next generation,” said Sugro head of commercial and marketing Yulia Petitt.
“ProConnect has used AI to target retailers with the right offer at the right time based on their purchase history and to verify what’s actually on shelf, making for a more personalised experience that will deliver results.”
ProConnect CEO Rob Mannion added: “Suppliers will pay for something different – distribution they can prove. Our loyalty scheme puts supplier money through the wholesaler rather than around it, uses AI to target the right offer and the right store from real purchase history and verifies the shelf with a photo rather than a promise.”
It follows the launch of Sugro’s E-Learning Hub in March to support members and their independent retailers with educational content and training tools. The initial training modules focused on category expertise, product knowledge, AI, digital, sustainability, and sales-driving tactics.
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