Commerce Corner S2|E4: Abigail Cerra from Chestnut Market

In this episode of Commerce Corner, Abigail Cerra, Director of Marketing, Loyalty, and Communications at Chestnut Market, joins Adit Gupta and Matt Kopyt to talk about what it really takes to build a loyalty program from the ground up.

Abigail shares her journey from part-time cashier to leading loyalty strategy across 80 convenience store locations in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. She breaks down how Chestnut Market built its Chestnut Rewards program with fully enrolled members from day one, why she maps her tech roadmap backward from a 10-year vision, and what most retailers get wrong about digital promotions.

The conversation also covers retail media opportunities for regional chains, why she thinks digital wallets should go away, and what convenience retail can learn from other industries when it comes to personalization.

Abigail is also a founding board member of C-Store Women, and shares her perspective on advancing women into director and c-suite level roles in the convenience industry.