TECHNOLOGY
ability to store payment information, so they can earn, redeem loyalty points and pay with a single scan. It needs to be easy to use.” Simplicity often trumps other bells and whistles like rewards or discounts, which is evident for Wingstop, based in Addison, Texas, and operating more than 1,400 locations in the United States. The company does not offer a loyalty program, but provides a simple and seamless mobile experience through an app and mobile website, according to Rice. “Their digital experience is about convenience and making it easy to order and get your wings however you want them,” he explained. “You can order food, pick it up or have it delivered, and they make the process so easy that 62 percent of their transactions come from digital channels.” For those offering mobile apps or websites, retailers need to avoid “feature overload” with too many options or distractions, Rice added, noting that the user experience must be easy to navigate. “It’s function over form, and if you look at the restaurant industry, there is a big investment in experience, the design and how people interact and navigate apps and websites,” he said, pointing out how fast-casual restaurant chain Shake Shack spent a lot of time to make its mobile apps and sites easy to use. “It’s almost fun to navigate and place your order, and they won a Webby award for the best mobile app in the entire food and drink category.”
Ways to Engage There are so many options to engage with customers via mobile in today’s world, and many c-store retailers start with the creation of a mobile website and app. In fact, 19 percent of shoppers choose to shop at a store because it has a great mobile app, according to the Inmar Intelligence 2022 Shopper Experience Survey. Additionally, 29 percent of respondents indicated they use retailer apps every week, and another 13 percent reported using the app constantly to build a list or check for deals. But app space on a consumer’s phone is prime real estate, and retailers need to give consumers a reason to download and keep the app. “The fight for real estate on consumers'
phones is growing more by the day,” said Jeff Hoover, director of c-store data insights at Newton, Mass.-based Paytronix, which provides customer engagement solutions and loyalty programs for restaurants, retail chains and c-stores. “If there isn’t a real utility to using the app, it will quickly be deleted.” Creating a strong “value exchange” where customers benefit from having the app or joining a loyalty program with an app attached to it is the way to win space on a consumer’s device. This can include saving them time, money, or access to something they would not get without it, said Rice. “It could be access to special products, limited-time offers, or even priority on how quickly I get my order or can get gas at the pump — as we are seeing priority loyalty drivethru lanes for restaurants now,” he noted. “C-stores must have a strong value proposition that gives something to customers in exchange for the interaction.”
“The fight for real estate on consumers’ phones is growing more by the day. If there isn’t a real utility to using the app, it will quickly be deleted.” — Jeff Hoover, Paytronix
One way c-stores are keeping consumers engaged is through gamification where loyalty members or app users can participate in challenges to complete tasks, sweepstakes or giveaways. Some retailers are offering VIP tiers, badges or experiences based on interaction with the brand. This also creates reasons for repeat visits and purchases. “Everyone wants to be treated like a VIP and unlocking those experiences and exclusivity as they shop more with you vs. your competitors is a way to create engagement,” recommended Stout. There are some retailers offering actual video games inside an app leveraging gaming tiers, challenges and leaderboards to engage customers and reward them. At Dutch Bros Coffee, a drive-thru coffee chain based in Grants Pass, Ore., which operates 538 locations in 12 states, customers get rewarded with digital stickers as they make purchases. They can collect the stickers and build a collection while also earning discounts and rewards, noted Rice. “Using sweepstakes, contests and challenges are a way to keep customers engaged, but they have to be contextually relevant,” he said. “Starbucks, for example, will say if you purchase three times in the next seven days, then you get XYZ, and they base the challenge off purchase data so if I already purchase three times a week, then my challenge would be four times.”
86 Convenience Store News C S N E W S . c o m
84-87.Technology_CSN0822.indd 86
8/2/22 2:44 PM
