“2023 proved to be a resounding success story for Thirsty Camel Victoria on all fronts,” says Adrian Moelands, General Manager of Thirsty Camel Victoria, when reflecting on the past year.
Growth was a core theme of the year, with great achievements across the business commercially, and in its growing membership base. It’s something that the member-focused business is incredibly proud of.
“Our membership grew by nine per cent in 2023, a testament to our commitment towards fostering growth and success in our members and for their stores,” Moelands said.
Not only did new membership grow, but engagement with existing members in the network was higher than ever, a critical element to continued success. Throughout 2023, this culminated in the biggest Thirsty Camel international conference on record, alongside fantastic interest in the group’s annual Forum and Awards event.
On the customer front, loyalty was a key area of growth with the continued success of Thirsty Camel’s Hump Club.
“In the past year, Thirsty Camel has achieved notable milestones in loyalty. We saw unprecedented Hump Club engagement through our Bonus Rewards and Thirsty Bonanza campaigns and witnessed a massive 25 per cent increase in unique loyalty customers in the month of September in line with our national Footy Finals campaign,” Moelands explained.
“Since its inception in 2012, data shows that our Hump Club members spend 40 per cent more than the average liquor customer. These are incredibly encouraging results that make it clear to us how much of a priority loyalty must be.”
Challenges and opportunities of 2024 The great growth found in 2023 did not come without its hurdles, with Thirsty Camel and its members navigating drastic fluctuations in the Victorian market coming from cost-of-living pressures, CPI spikes and the introduction of the Container Deposit Scheme. Many of these challenges will continue to impact operations in the year ahead, but Moelands is confident in Thirsty Camel’s ability to tackle them.
“One of Thirsty Camel’s greatest strengths has always been that we’re able to be adaptive and innovative and will remain so in the face of the ever-changing consumer landscape,” he said.
“Our key priority this year, as it is every year, will be to deliver strong margins and profitability for our 131 Victorian members. Collaborating closely with our suppliers, we’re dedicated to identifying innovative programs that not only increase member profitability, but also foster growth opportunities for our valued suppliers. A focus area for this strength in 2024 will be an alignment to digital channels, both through operations and through advertising. Thirsty Camel’s recently launched e-commerce platform, and its integration with the loyalty program, has expanded the group’s appeal and offering to new audiences.
“The introduction of our new platform presents an opportunity to leverage technology for brand expansion, audience diversification, and to communicate Thirsty Camel’s unique brand identity in the digital realm,” Moelands said.
That brand identity includes core pillars of Thirsty Camel’s approach, including its Everyday Value program to deliver consistently good value to cost-conscious customers; delivery and click and collect options for convenience-driven customers; and a local presence, reflecting a broader trend of consumer valuing local businesses. But it also includes an innovative mindset to tackle new opportunities as they arise.
As Moelands said: “Innovation is key to driving growth and meeting changing consumer demands in 2024. We’ll work with our trusted partners to deliver innovation in our program as the market evolves and consumers look for new, exciting offerings.”
This article originally appeared in the 2024 Leaders Forum issue of National Liquor News.