Nittany MinitMart Pulls Off Technology Trifecta

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — With 28 convenience stores, Nittany MinitMart has established a strong foundation in central Pennsylvania. In 2024, the retailer took a big step toward building upon that foundation with the simultaneous launch of a new mobile app, loyalty program and online ordering platform.

Going live with three new platforms required months of work — think setup, design, testing and troubleshooting — but the shift was planned to create a single, simple transition for customers.

The overarching goal was to improve the user experience and design consistency with the Nittany MinitMart app, increase enrollment in and usage of the Nittany MinitRewards loyalty program, and boost online food sales.

Although the convenience retailer recognized that its customers in mostly rural and small-town communities valued the simple discounts its previous rewards program and app offered, Nittany MinitMart saw opportunity to drive growth, increase engagement and build loyalty through a new, more robust program.

Room for Improvement

Unlike some smaller-sized chains that are wary to step into the technology space, Nittany MinitMart did not hesitate when it came to refreshing its connection with customers. According to the company, the previous Nittany MinitRewards app lacked the functionality and adaptability needed to support a modern loyalty program and vigorous promotional strategy.

Additionally, the app had limited features, an outdated interface and offered little incentive for ongoing engagement. The retailer's digital platforms weren't aligned with the highly dynamic in-store experience that Nittany MinitMart locations offer, or with the evolving expectations of customers — especially when competing with other, larger c-store chains.

Nittany MinitMart collaborated with Rovertown for its new mobile app and incorporated loyalty from Punchh, online ordering from Vroom and 21-plus offers from PDI Technologies. The effort unites a complex network of c-store technology providers chosen to best suit the small chain's customers and integrate with its backend systems.

"From first learning about the Rovertown platform late in 2023 to launching their new app, loyalty and online ordering in September 2024, the entire digital transformation took less than a year, thanks to the entire Nittany team's drive to embrace innovation and develop a tech suite that would give customers an engaging, valuable and seamless digital experience," the company's nominator noted.

"While Nittany's former loyalty program offered a static everyday gas discount but not much else, their 2024 digital rebrand replaced old-school loyalty cards with a dynamic app-based loyalty program that rewards customers with points on purchases, rotating vendor offers and incentives for online ordering," the nominator added.

Growing Engagement

To highlight the launch, Nittany MinitMart kicked off a revamped version of its annual sweepstakes. Previously, customers earned entries by scanning their loyalty card in stores and at the pump or by placing food orders at in-store kiosks.

The revamped version went digital. Customers earned entries by using their new app-based loyalty card or filling out a free entry form on the Nittany MinitRewards app. Additionally, each on-app food order earned 10 bonus entries. The retailer spread the word through in-store signage, digital advertising, social media campaigns, push notifi cations and email marketing.

Nittany MinitMart was more than pleased with the results. The convenience store operator saw a 302% increase in daily entries compared to 2023, after accounting for bonus entries. Total entries jumped from around 18,000 in 2023 to more than 110,000 in 2024.

In all, the sweepstakes helped drive 11,700 new app downloads and 153,000 app sessions, and doubled the number of total app users in just 90 days.

At the same time, the retailer leveraged Rovertown's Employee Hub feature to run a separate giveaway exclusively for its employees, driving employee buy-in and engagement as the new app rolled out. Since then, it's used the mobile Employee Hub to make announcements, explain new features and promotions, and promote an employee loyalty program that's just as robust as the public-facing rewards program, according to the retailer.

Not Standing Still

Nittany MinitMart didn't call it a day after the successful three-way launch.

The retailer has since worked closely with the teams at Rovertown and Vroom to share feedback, test new features and demonstrate how small chains in rural areas can utilize technology in forward-thinking ways.

Rather than letting their app remain static, Nittany MinitMart has fully incorporated digital platforms into its promotional efforts. Senergy Marketing, a creative marketing agency specializing in the convenience store and petroleum industries, designs the retailer's in-store signage, social media and digital marketing content with a tie-in to the local communities Nittany MinitMart serves.

Along with creating print materials and digital advertising to push app downloads, they work to keep app users engaged by regularly rolling out app-exclusive content and updating the look and feel of the MinitRewards app alongside every changeout.

Nittany MinitMart also has worked closely with Vroom to boost online ordering through digital advertising. In addition, the team has collaborated with Vroom to test new features to improve their ability to make data-informed decisions.

Digital and in-store promotions drove hundreds of orders in the first days following the launch of the new app and online ordering platform. Online orders have continued to increase steadily since.

About the Author

Melissa Kress

Melissa Kress is Executive Editor of Convenience Store News. She joined the brand in 2010. Melissa handles much of CSNews' hard news coverage, such as mergers and acquisitions and company financial reports, and the technology beat. She is also one of the industry's leading media experts on the tobacco category.