Mobile cuckoo' delivers loyalty to US grocer
Broadway Marketplace, an upscale Massachusetts grocery store, wanted to offer its Harvard clientele a loyalty programme that would both reward their patronage and enable Broadway to communicate with its customers immediately, with measurable impact. And it chose a mobile phone-linked loyalty scheme (provided by MobileLime) to achieve it.
Coupled with the out-of-reach cost of advertising in major metropolitan newspapers, the ineffectiveness of traditional circulars, and limited internal resources, Broadway sought a new and innovative way to get its message out quickly without taxing internal resources.
After evaluating a lot of different ideas and suppliers, Broadway Marketplace ended up choosing a solution from relationship-based mobile marketing, loyalty, and payment solution provider MobileLime. The system enables the grocer to offer its customers special savings linked to their mobile phone. This is, of course, what was nicknamed the "mobile cuckoo" in Impaq Group's June 2005 prediction of the mobile-based loyalty trend (click here for our original article on the subject).
Unique identifier Rather than issuing a loyalty card or randomly assigned number, MobileLime turns a shopper's mobile phone number into their unique member number, offering an effective way for Broadway Marketplace to build personalised relationships with its customers. The cashier simply enters the member's cell phone number at checkout and the shopper receives instant item-level savings toward purchases, enhancing both customer loyalty and satisfaction.
Once Broadway Marketplace customers sign up for the Mobile Rewards programme through MobileLime, they may opt-in to receive weekly emails and relevant text messages on their mobile phone, containing exclusive interest and event-oriented alerts, special offers, and savings on hundreds of items store-wide.
Easy to implement The MobileLime technology was simple to install as it integrated seamlessly into the Broadway StoreNext point-of-sale system. MobileLime handled all the technical implementation, in-store promotions, member enrolment and communications and database management. Post-launch, MobileLime is managing all Broadway Mobile Rewards programme communications including email and SMS.
Results With the MobileLime Interactive Cardless Loyalty programme, Broadway Marketplace is now able to communicate offers to its customers before, during and after each purchase transaction, directly influencing buying behaviours at the point of sale.
In addition to a loyal customer base, Broadway Marketplace is building a customer database that contains valid customer cell phone numbers, emails and customer preferences. The grocer now provides a combination of service cachet, encouraging shoppers to come back often and spend more.
Customer adoption The rewards programme has met with great success. Since the programme was launched in September 2005, nearly 82% of Broadway Marketplace customers have joined. In the same period, more than 64% of the people who signed up used the loyalty programme on an ongoing basis when making a purchase.
MobileLime is a US-based company that allows consumers to make purchases through any mobile phone, offering a convenient way to pay at their favourite merchants, also helping to increasing merchants' revenue while improving customer service and loyalty.
More Info: