BINGHAMPTON, N.Y. — Mirabito, a convenience-store chain in central New York state, has tapped ZipLine to enhance and market its payment-powered loyalty program, Mirabito Rewards Plus Debit.

Mirabito Rewards Plus Debit is an upgrade to Mirabito Rewards Plus that offers customers an interest-free debit card combined with discounts at the pump.

ZipLine, a provider of custom payment and rewards-driven loyalty programs to the retail industry, worked with Mirabito to make the program easier for customers to use and to simplify messaging so the benefits to enrolling and upgrading are clearer.

The program, relaunched in May 2018, combines fuel and in-store savings with the ability to pay using a Mirabito rewards card. Instant activation is also a new part of the enrollment process.

“Thanks to ZipLine’s consumer engagement team, we were able to pinpoint what our customers are looking for in a rewards program and package it in a manner they would understand and value. We’re already seeing a very positive response,” said Joe Mirabito, president and CEO.

In addition to conducting consumer research and developing the program, ZipLine created a marketing campaign to drive awareness, enrollment and usage. This included a suite of marketing materials, direct mail, a social-media campaign, pay-per-click advertising and more.

The enrollment website was redesigned to create a smoother consumer experience, presenting program benefits more clearly to help grow the membership base. ZipLine is also providing training and ongoing support to Mirabito employees at all of its 100-plus locations.

Going forward, the ZipLine consumer engagement team will continue to analyze shopper insight, behavior and purchase data gathered through the rewards program to better understand the Mirabito customer and provide timely and relevant offers to customers.

The Mirabito Cos., based in Binghampton, N.Y., operates in eight states with multiple divisions, including natural gas and electric, home energy products and services, wholesale energy products and services, convenience stores, and truck repair. It ranked No. 62 on CSP’s 2017 Top 202 list of the largest c-store chains in the United States.

Portland, Maine-based ZipLine provides branded payment and rewards-driven loyalty programs to retailers in the United States.