Dan Malley, vice president of marketing, said the VIP program will reward Malley's best customers with bigger, more exclusive discounts that will eventually also be available online.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Malley's Chocolates is revamping its customer loyalty card and launching a Malley's VIP card just in time for Easter, its biggest holiday for chocolate sales.
Dan Malley, vice president of marketing and unofficial "chocolate czar" of family-owned Malley's Chocolates, said the new program will reward its best customers with bigger, more exclusive discounts that will eventually also be available online.
Starting March 1, customers with VIP loyalty cards will get 15 percent off all gift box assortments and dine-in ice cream purchases, as well as email alerts about secret sales, and catalogs and postcards with members-only discount coupons. Discounts will be on select items, not everything in the store.
Malley's Chocolates VIP card launches March 1. The new cards will cost $10 per year, from the date you buy the card, and are not transferable. Anyone who bought a $5 loyalty card within the past year will be able to use it until it expires a year from purchase, but all other loyalty cards obtained before Dec. 1, 2013, will expire on Monday, Feb. 29.
"What we're doing is expanding our program to thank our best customers, and to put more value behind our cards," Dan Malley said. "So if you bought Carmello eggs on Easter, Valentine's Day chocolates on Valentine's Day, or Christmas boxes at Christmas, you'd still get 15 percent off. Nobody else gets sale items -- unless they're card holders."
"We're really excited about it," he said. "We have 10s of thousands of customers around the U.S., and soon, even if you live outside of Cleveland, you'll be able to get the same deals as those who live close by. Snowbirds who live up here for only six months, they've never been able to really take full advantage of their cards," but will soon be able to.
Dan Maley, vice president of marketing for Malley's Chocolates. Malley said VIP card holders' discounts aren't available online yet, but will begin later this year. He said no membership data will be shared with or sold to other retailers.
"We have gone to great lengths to notify all of our present members. Since we've started announcing the changes, we've had thousands of people saying 'thank you,'" he said.
The way Malley's loyalty cards work now, customers get 15 percent off whatever they bought in the stores. But shoppers didn't need a card to get a discount on select Founders' Favorite chocolates, for example.
"We have a big Easter postcard direct mail that's going out next week with six different gift certificates that have a total value of $21," he said. Those kinds of postcards won't be sent to non-VIPs starting March 1. "So it's really a no-brainer to join if you're a Malley's customer."
For more information about Malley's Loyalty Card program, stop by a store or email program director Karen Schauer at kschauer@malleys.com or Malley's Customer Service at (800) 275-6255.