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Keller relaunches "Open Rewards" pilot with $50,000 fund, staff reports near-1,000 users in first weeks
Summary
Keller staff told the Economic Development Board that the city relaunched its Open Rewards cash-back pilot on Nov. 22 with $50,000 in funding and a 10% cash-back incentive; staff reported 974 users and nearly $4,000 distributed in three weeks and said they will compile fuller data for council in February.
Keller economic development staff on Dec. 15 told the city—s Economic Development Board that the city relaunched its Open Rewards pilot on Nov. 22 with $50,000 in funding and a 10% cash-back incentive aimed at keeping sales tax dollars in Keller.
"We have $50,000, and we're giving 10% cash back," Anna, the assistant director of economic development, said during the board presentation. Staff described the program as an encouragement for residents and visitors to make retail and restaurant purchases in Keller rather than neighboring cities.
Staff reported preliminary participation and payout figures from two trials. During a six-week summer trial the program had 461 participants and distributed $1,700; in the current relaunch (three weeks) staff reported 974 users and nearly $4,000 distributed so far. Anna said a built-in app survey question showed 71% of respondents so far reported Open Rewards influences their decision to shop locally.
Program mechanics staff described include a maximum $50 cash-back per transaction and a maximum $100 per user over time. Staff said participation includes mostly Keller residents but also users from Fort Worth and other nearby cities. Printed materials (flyers, QR-coded cards and register cards) and targeted digital marketing, including limited geofencing beyond Keller, were part of the relaunch strategy.
Board members raised concerns about broad participation by large-box retailers. Chair Tad Green said council had debated inclusion of Kroger, Sam—s and Lowe—s and directed staff to collect data to determine whether the program achieved the goal of shifting spending to smaller local businesses. "If we see everyone only used it at Kroger, then it didn't really serve the purpose," Anna said.
Staff told the board they will report updated metrics to council and present a fuller dashboard in coming months; Anna said the program team expects to have enough data for a year-end review by February and a more detailed look by May, when three-month lag data will be available.
Next steps: staff will continue running the relaunch while tracking business-level redemption data and will bring a progress report to the board and council for decisions about future scope and funding.
