Case Study: Dow Chemical Employees Credit Union boosts card activation and earns 200%+ ROI with Saylent

Boosting Revenue and Lowering Costs Through Optimized Card Activation Campaigns

Dow Chemical Employees Credit Union, a $1.6B institution serving 62,000 members, faced a common but costly problem: many newly‑issued debit and credit cards were not being activated or used, creating missed-purchase opportunities and the risk that members would shift habitual spending to other cards. Analysis in CO‑OP’s Revelation showed a significant share of recent issuances had no POS or payment transactions, so Dow needed a way to accelerate adoption and protect cardholder spending.

Working with CO‑OP’s Monthly Activation Campaign service powered by Saylent, Dow targets cards issued in the prior month with no transactions, contacts cardholders by email/direct mail, and incentivizes five POS/payment transactions within a month with a $10 gift card. The campaign lifted targeted cards from zero to an average 1.25 transactions and $55.20 monthly spend; qualifiers saw average transactions and spend rise by 15.75 and $550.69, respectively, with a 5.1% qualification rate and an ROI of over 200%. The process is now run monthly with minimal effort and repeatable reporting for ongoing optimization.

Dow Chemical

Danielle Merillat

ATM & Debit Product Analyst