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Keller Board to Help Relaunch Open Rewards; Businesses Assigned District Contact
Summary
The Keller Economic Development Board will help relaunch the city's Open Rewards program in early to mid-November, with board members assigned to personally contact local retailers and restaurants to boost participation and distribution of marketing materials funded by hot tax revenues.
The Keller Economic Development Board agreed Oct. 20 to help relaunch the city's Open Rewards program and personally recruit businesses in assigned districts to promote the program.
The program, funded from the city's hotel occupancy (hot) tax, offers participating shoppers 10% cash back on qualifying purchases at sales-tax-producing retail, dining and entertainment businesses in Keller. The pilot produced 461 users and distributed $1,739 in rewards from a $50,000 allocation; staff said the relaunched program will run until the money is exhausted and will continue to cap individual payouts at $100 per person.
Economic Development staff told the board that the pilot was brief and that low business engagement and limited time for word-of-mouth likely reduced uptake. "This round will be open to all sales tax producing, retail, dining, and entertainment businesses in Keller offering 10% cash back to participants," a staff member said. The staff member asked board members to personally call on businesses in their assigned district, confirm awareness that the program is funded by the hot tax, and distribute marketing material the city will provide.
Board and business participants outlined marketing tactics they said should be part of the relaunch. Ashley, a local business owner, urged the city to prepare templated graphics businesses can quickly customize and share on social platforms. "If you give them a packet they can put their logo on and share, that's how you'll start driving some of those people that aren't following city channels," Ashley said, recommending Canva templates, a campaign hashtag and an emphasis on Instagram and TikTok to reach younger shoppers.
Staff and board members discussed program timing to avoid overlap with other campaigns. The chamber's "Loyal to Local" program starts mid-November; staff said they expect the Open Rewards relaunch to begin in early- to mid-November but will set an exact start date after marketing materials are finalized. Staff said materials should be ready for distribution before the board's next meeting, Nov. 17.
City staff reiterated program mechanics and capacity: the program pays 10% cash back up to $100 per person and will remain open until the $50,000 allocation is exhausted. Based on pilot spending (461 users, roughly $1,739 returned), staff estimated remaining funds could support many more participants if adoption increases. The city will not require businesses to pay to participate; staff said the program does not reduce merchant margins.
Board members accepted district assignments and discussed tactics for outreach, including a Google form to collect business sign-ups, using interns to prepare and distribute materials, and encouraging participating businesses to post links and QR codes. Staff said they will provide ready-to-use digital and physical materials and collaborate with the city's communications team.
The board also approved the meeting minutes from Sept. 15, by voice vote with no opposition.
Next steps: staff will finalize marketing templates and an outreach packet, distribute materials to assigned board members, and aim to have the Open Rewards relaunch begin in early- to mid-November pending marketing readiness. The Economic Development Board will review progress at its Nov. 17 meeting.
