At Upside, we've built our approach around one key insight: grocery networks operate differently than traditional retailers, and the best partnerships respect those differences. Rather than forcing a one-size-fits-all solution, we adapt to however your network prefers to work.

We've partnered with several grocery cooperatives that have ownership structures similar to Wakefern's. What these partnerships demonstrate is our ability to flex around your established processes, decision-making culture, and operational preferences while delivering measurable customer acquisition results.

Three stories of how we've adapted to different cooperative approaches

Each cooperative network has developed its own rhythm for introducing new initiatives. Some corporate teams prefer to lead with comprehensive education and clear communication. Others leverage their strong peer-sharing culture to let results speak for themselves. Still others want everything handled centrally with minimal individual store involvement. Here's how we've worked within each of these preferences:

Education-first implementation

The situation: A value-focused regional cooperative with 900+ independently owned stores across the Southeast wanted to introduce customer acquisition capabilities while maintaining complete respect for individual owner autonomy.

Our approach: We designed an education-first rollout, working with corporate to organize optional webinars that presented the program with zero pressure and no operational changes required. Participation remained completely voluntary, with a system allowing store owners to simply opt in while giving customers a choice between receipt uploads or payment card linking.

Results: 1% sales lift with 80% incremental revenue. 50% of Upside customers were new to participating stores. 45% average ROI during the test period, validated by third-party analysts using existing data systems.

Peer-to-peer validation

The situation: A well-established cooperative serving dozens of family-owned stores throughout a major Midwest metro area wanted to leverage its existing peer-sharing culture for program adoption.

Our approach: We worked with the board to provide initial endorsement, then supported early adopters with detailed performance data they could easily share with other members. This peer-to-peer testimonial approach made results transparent and led to waves of 20+ stores joining simultaneously based on real member success stories.

Results: $550K monthly attributable sales (2% of card transactions). $370K in new incremental sales, $40K+ monthly net profit. 85% average ROI. 60% of transactions from new or infrequent customers, with existing customers increasing basket size and visit frequency by 10-20%.

Centralized automation

The situation: A multi-banner wholesale group operating nearly 100 locations across three states under different regional brands needed customer acquisition capabilities with zero individual store involvement while maintaining performance tracking across their diverse portfolio.

Our approach: We built a fully automated system using direct data feeds to handle launch logistics, performance tracking, and billing centrally. The system included profit-sharing incentives and regular communication channels while ensuring individual store owners required no involvement beyond deciding to participate.

Results: Seamless scaling across diverse markets and operational models with no individual store lift required, enabling rapid expansion while maintaining the operational autonomy member companies value.

Growth that respects Wakefern’s unique approach

These examples illustrate our core philosophy: we mold our approach to fit your established culture and decision-making processes, not the other way around.

For Wakefern's 45 member brands operating hundreds of stores across multiple banners and nine states, we can design implementation around exactly how your network operates best. Whether that means corporate-led education, leveraging peer relationships among member companies, centralized automation, or a completely different approach that fits your specific needs.

The key is delivering strong returns and new customer growth to individual store owners without disrupting how they run their business. We work within your existing systems and data infrastructure — no changes to normal operations across different banners or markets, no disruption to your established decision-making processes.

Just measurable customer growth that respects both corporate coordination requirements and individual member company autonomy.

Want to explore what this might look like for Wakefern's brands and banners? We'd be happy to discuss your specific operational preferences and show you exactly how other cooperatives are using Upside to drive sales growth and customer acquisition