Barbeques Galore cooks up customer loyalty program gamechanger

Australia’s leading barbeque retailer, Barbeques Galore, has fired up the once traditional customer engagement approach with the launch of its brand-new customer loyalty program the ‘Barbeque Legends Club.’

Part of a broader digital transformation strategy, the online-based Barbeque Legends Club is designed to elevate existing customer relationships and establish new brand fans.

The program offers members free access to more than 30 exclusive barbeque courses and classes over twelve months from some of the most popular, ‘barbequers,’ in the country, while connecting them with a passionate online community of like-minded barbeque enthusiasts.

For a well-done experience, legendary members will also be provided access to member-only offers and competitions, plus recipe advice and content available on the Barbeque Legends Club page.

Members can turn up the heat further and participate in exclusive, additional paid masterclasses appropriately coined, “meat-ups,” both face to face and online, alongside other passionate legends.

The launch of the club follows extensive market research by the brand into how to better engage and support barbequing customers of all levels, from beginners to professionals. As a result, the hub will house a mix of aspirational and educational content, both year-round and at key customer calendar milestones, such as the summer and the festive season.

Barbeques Galore CEO, Angus McDonald, said the business always was, and will remain, centered on the goal to help celebrate the great Australian tradition of the backyard barbeque.

“The announcement of the Legends Club materialises our customer obsessed ambition, again – by setting a new benchmark for customer engagement within the home and outdoor retail industry and delivering something unique in the field,” he said.

“Beyond this program, we continue to invest heavily in other digital capabilities to further enhance the customer experience.

“Most recently, we relaunched our new website and we are now looking to take this further as we leverage our investment in Salesforce Marketing Cloud to not just power our Barbeque Legends Club but also deliver consistent and personalised experiences to our customers,” added Mr McDonald.

To help deliver the legendary experience, Barbeques Galore has enlisted the support of its own, ‘Barbeque Legends,’ to help connect people around the flame, with each legend acutely positioned to deliver their support to a specific audience within the barbeque category:

• Adam Roberts, amongst the most decorated pit masters in the country will support budding pitmasters and experts alike in the ever-growing solid fuel (low’n’slow) category.
• Hatted Chef Joshua Mason will support barbequers looking to raise the steaks and inject a little more flair into their BBQ skills.
• Finally, the vibrant and beloved Grill Sisters, Irene Sharp and Desi Longinidis, will support the everyday barbequer who is looking to up their game and go from winging it, to owning it on the grill.

Mike Ainsworth, Barbeques Galore General Manager, Marketing and Customer, said: “We’re throwing out the rulebook for your typical, ‘loyalty club,’ mentality of spend and save schemes.

“Instead, we’re pursuing customer relationships at its finest beyond the transaction – offering unparalleled, unrivalled access to content, information, and advice, delivered by the experts; and connected around a community of like-minded fans.

“Whether you’re a lover of the low ‘n’ slow, or looking to fire up a new passion in the backyard this summer – our dedicated legends, Adam, Joshua, Irene and Desi, are here to help.

“Pleasingly, we are already off to an exciting start with the online community seeing six times the expected number of members join during the teaser campaign, which ran for only two weeks – we’re humbled by the early interest and can’t wait to see more legends get involved in the future,” added Mr Ainsworth.

The promotion of the Barbeques Legends Club will be supported through digital, owned and earned channels, as well as catalogues and in-store. In future, the brand will also host masterclass events via the Legends themselves at select stores, nationwide.

The Legends Club announcement also follows the brand’s recently launched, “Seasoned Experts” offering, giving customers the opportunity to book and request a virtual appointment with staff in stores to demo the product directly.

Ainsworth added: “Our Seasoned Experts offering comes at a time when the omnichannel experience has never been more critical in the success of beloved brands. Customers can now have a tailored and enriching experience from the comfort of their homes when shopping online, ensuring we’re cooking up an experience to the customer, whenever and wherever they may be.”

The concept was trialed in early October this year and is now live via technology partner, Brauz. Alongside these digital investments, the brand also continues to roll out its award-winning new store design, with three additional new stores opening by Christmas.

To join the Legends Club or find out more, please visit: https://bbqg.info/3asPf3R