Veterans Online Shopping Benefit—Our Success Depends on You
As the launch of the Veterans online shopping benefit approaches Nov. 11, each Exchange associate plays a vital role in welcoming approximately up to 13Â million Veterans back to their military family. Years of effort to recognize the service of all honorably discharged Veterans will finally pay off on Veterans Day, when shopmyexchange.com begins offering the first new benefit to Veterans since 1953.
Allowing online-only shopping is a small token of appreciation for those who served honorably. Today, 88 percent of Veterans receive no exchange privilege because the benefit was limited to former service members with 20 years of service or 100 percent disabled. The number of Veterans excluded is even higher for younger former service members, many of whom served multiple tours and were discharged, often involuntarily, before meeting the 20-year criteria for retiree status.
A game changer for the Exchange
The Veterans online shopping benefit is a game changer for the Exchange as it more than doubles our customer base and is an opportunity to generate significant incremental sales and earnings to better support the entire military community. The program can also be used as a recruitment tool for the Armed Forces since all who serve honorably can leave the military with this lifetime privilege.
Mission success on this Veterans Day is crucial. The stakes are high for us and those we seek to honor. Across the Exchange, IT, Merchandising, eCommerce, Logistics, Human Resources, Business Development and the Exchange Credit Program teams and region associates, through the Ship from Store initiative, are working tirelessly to ensure a successful rollout. Success depends on everyone.
“The Veterans online shopping benefit is an important way to welcome home all who served honorably.“
Whether at HQs or in the field, every associate is an ambassador of the Exchange brand. You know our story and mission—you live it daily, dedicating your lives to taking care of Soldiers, Airmen, retirees and their families.
Share the good news
How you can help: Share your knowledge of how shopping the Exchange makes a difference to the military communities we serve and communicate the many advantages that shopping the Exchange online offers every member of our military family.
You are a vital part of spreading the word:
Everyone knows a Veteran. Share the news about this new lifetime benefit for all who honorable served with Soldiers, Airmen, retirees and military families who you know.
Military service is often a family tradition. Chances are Soldiers and Airmen you interact with have family members who can take advantage of the Veterans online shopping benefit, even if they didn’t serve 20 years. Ask them to help spread the word!
Tell shoppers the Exchange is preparing for a rollout on Veterans Day. We’ve been working toward implementing this benefit since it was first proposed five years ago.
Remind shoppers that this online-only benefit doesn’t take anything away from active-duty service members or retirees. Allowing Veterans to shop online strengthens the Exchange benefit to better serve all authorized shoppers. Additional authorized shoppers enables the Exchange to increase buying power to deliver better pricing and improve assortments for every member of the military community.
Tout the benefits of shopmyexchange.com, including tax-free shopping with the same great prices found in-store, an assortment of roughly 3 million items and free shipping when using a MILITARY STAR card.
Exchanges will benefit
Each Exchange stands to benefit from a forecasted increase in shopmyexchange.com traffic as a result of the shopping benefit. As is the case for current active-duty and retired customers, online sales to Veterans who live within a 40-mile radius will be credited to the nearest brick-and-mortar store.
Getting Veterans in your community online improves local sales. For the 65 Exchange locations participating, the Ship from Store initiative provides a positive impact, as each facility is given sales credit for each order they fulfill, just as if the customer was ringing the sale through your register! Ship from Store, which has the potential to expand beyond the stores currently offering it, makes the Exchange more competitive, allowing for quicker, less costly product delivery and a better in-stock rate because we pull from stores as well as our distribution centers. In Europe, for example, because of the initiative, the Exchange offers faster delivery than competitors, including Amazon.
A well earned benefit
The Veterans online shopping benefit is an important way to welcome home all who served honorably. All who raised their right hands, took the oath and did their part have earned this benefit. As the launch draws closer, we will share more information. The Exchange’s success this Veterans Day lies with all of us. I’m sure our team is up to the task!
Hooah! Solider for Life!
Tom Shull, Army and Air Force Exchange Services director/CEO, and his team sit down with Col. Brad Hoagland, JBA and 11th Wing commander, Col. Bill Kale, 11th Mission Support Group commander, and Chief Master Sgt. Steve Nichols, acting 11th Wing Command Chief, to discuss ongoing renovations and expansions for the Base Exchange at JBA, Md., April 13, 2016. Team Andrews is improving its Exchange facilities to provide a one-stop shop for Andrews Airmen and their families. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Joshua R. M. Dewberry/RELEASED)
