Localized Coupons Help to Build Resident Loyalty 

So naturally, Gina Johnson, Director of Marketing for Pacific Living Properties, was skeptical when she first heard of Purqz—yet another daily deal company. But Johnson says she quickly saw the unique value of the service, which provides local and national discounts exclusively to Pacific Living’s residents and onsite employees through the apartment management company’s resident portal.

Pacific Living is billed for the service, which costs only pennies per unit per month.
Unlike the Groupons of the world, Johnson says this company’s deals and discounts—which range from 50 percent off at a local four-star restaurant to 2-for-1 amusement park passes and 40 percent off at national Bath and Body Works stores—never expire, so there is no pressure to buy them that day. Residents also can download as many coupons as they want.

“The service we have chosen gives the feeling of exclusivity and is a great value-add,” says Johnson, who rolled out the program at three of Pacific Living’s 40 communities in May. “According to our service provider, if residents take advantage of every deal that is offered, they can save up to $2,500 a year. That’s an impressive statistic to share with a prospective resident.”

Maitri Johnson, CAPS, Executive Vice President of Riverstone Residential Group, agrees.

“Today, when all we hear is economic doom and gloom and shows like ‘Extreme Couponing’ are gaining in popularity, it’s clear that people are looking for a deal,”
says Johnson, whose company has rolled the program out to 20 percent of its portfolio, with additional communities budgeted to enroll this year. “Making these discounts available to our residents—whether they use them or not—is highly beneficial.

“When coupled with our other resident services packages, this program can offer the perception of getting even more value for your money by living at a Riverstone Residential community.”

What a Deal

Dallas-based Pinnacle Family of Companies has been using the resident loyalty-building program for nearly a year, with penetration continuing to increase within its portfolio.

To view the deals, residents simply go to a branded site the daily discount company has created for each company—which can be accessed through the resident portal on each community’s website—and type in their ZIP code.

Once they have activated their account, residents only need to enter their e-mail address and password each time they access the site.

Michelle Betchner, Vice President of Performance for Pinnacle, says one of the things she loves about the program is the mobile app, which includes a geo locator and enables both residents and employees to get local deals on the spot whenever they are traveling.

Betchner says the discount company is constantly expanding its network of deal providers and will work to recruit local businesses that Pinnacle would like to see on the list.

Onsite employees also have access to the discounts—a great way for them to become spokesmen for the service, Betchner adds.

“One of our associates was having a birthday party for her son and she found laser tag coupons through this program that she used for his party,” Betchner says.
“Residents and employees alike are surprised that this isn’t just your typical discounts to pizza and sandwich chains—there’s a real diversity.”

For an additional fee, corporate employees also can take advantage of the program’s offerings—a great incentive for staff that can be added to a company’s Corporate Benefits Package, says Maitri Johnson.

Although apartment owners and managers are not yet able to quantify how many residents are downloading discounts and how often—two reporting capabilities the service provider is developing—Johnson says the program is another service that could make residents think twice before moving to another community and giving up the daily deals.

Lauren Boston is NAA’s Staff Writer. She can be reached at lauren@naahq.org  or 703/797-0678.

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