Why do fast food chains need loyalty programs? Well, it all has to do with the post-recession economic climate. With more and more people struggling in this economy, these companies are seeking ways of rewarding their customers for continued patronage despite tough times.
McDonald’s is testing a new program involving personalized customer rewards cards at select restaurants nationwide which will allow them to receive discounts based on how much they spend each time they visit one of those locations. Burger King launched its own “Burger King Crown Card Rewards Program” just last week as well; members can earn points that translate into free Whoppers by buying items like fountain drinks or breakfast sandwiches from any number of participating franchises across the country. Wendy’s recently debuted “The
In order to find more ways of convincing customers, stores are trying out new approaches. Their goal is simple: seeking the success that other chains like Starbucks and Domino’s have seen with their loyalty programs.
In an effort to get one step ahead in attracting consumers for both short-term and long-term relationships, companies such as McDonald’s Corp., Dunkin’ Brands Group Inc., Burger King Holdings Inc., and Wendy’s Co. all offer competing rewards loyalty club memberships that often include discounts or free food items within a certain number of purchases – which also makes it easier for marketers outside those brands to tap into customer data by way of these cards
Bob Byrne, director of consumer and industry insights at Restaurant Business sister company Technomic shares his thoughts on the new wave of food ordering. “With so many online orders, I don’t have that guest feedback loop that I traditionally had,” says Bob. “And on top of that, there is a proliferation in third-party delivery services which makes my life even more difficult because now not only do I not get to see what customers want or need when they come into restaurants but also their information as well.”
The restaurant business has changed drastically over the past few years with changes like an increase in internet purchases and apps for those who are too busy or lazy to cook themselves dinner from scratch.
Giving customers the opportunity to earn rewards has been shown to increase spending. For example, in an article by Paytronix, it was found that average sit-down restaurant customers who used loyalty programs spent 92% more than those who didn’t use them and ordered takeout from restaurants they spend double of what non-loyalty program members do on food orders with their respective eateries.
The Ann Arbor-based pizza chain has 40 million customers who have been in the program at one point, and it also boasts 80 million-plus customers. In an effort to gain more information about their customer base and how they can better serve people during times of need, CEO Ritch Allison said last month that “We spent a lot of time on initiatives.”
In an effort to gain more customers, Starbucks has placed a high value on the loyalty of its regulars. The number of members in their $30 annual membership program rose 15% last quarter with no sign of slowing down and now account for half all spending at company-operated stores over the last 3 months!
With a new Stars for Everyone update, all kinds of people are now able to collect stars and redeem gift certificates. This change has helped the company recover from its pandemic-related losses by enabling them to better serve its customer base with this aforementioned incentive.
The Wendy’s Rewards loyalty program is a friendly competition that rewards members with free food for being the best. The fast-food player looks to recruit Kevin Vasconi away from Domino’s and have him build their data analytics team so they can further compete in this competitive game of satisfying customers’ needs.
As we build our data analytics team and the work that Kevin and his team are doing, I believe it is important to continue reaching out not only to active users but also to those who have been less attentive.
McDonald’s is giving its customers more digital options with a new program called My McDonald’s, which will give them multiple reasons to engage digitally. In the company’s latest efforts, it began testing loyalty programs last year in the U.S., and its main goal was to increase customer engagement through mobile ordering, payments, and other features that would make accessing food even easier for busy people on the go.
McDonald’s knows how difficult life can be when you’re always running around trying just to get enough time in your day–especially if all of that effort didn’t result in an enjoyable meal or something healthy at least once every so often! To help solve this problem, they’ve introduced their newest initiative: “My Mc
“McDonald’s Chief Digital Officer, Lucy Brady says that ‘we are lucky to have some of the most loyal customers in the industry. We want to reward our customers for their loyalty and keep them coming back with a compelling reason – downloading McDonald’s app and engaging consistently,’ according to Sentieo.”
The burger wars are heating up! Burger King has launched its own loyalty program, the Royal Perks. It rewards customers with 10 crowns per $1 spent and lets them order anything off of their menu by converting points to credits for every 100 earned. Customers also earn a free side dish or drink if they spend at least $5 on delivery orders.
Rival burger chain, McDonald’s is staying ahead in this battle as it recently announced that it would roll out nationwide what was called “McDelivery” last year – allowing consumers who live within 5 miles from one of the participating restaurant’s access to an app-based service which allows them to have food delivered right outside their doorsteps without ever leaving home
Bruster’s Real Ice Cream has been a Pittsburgh staple for over 30 years, and they’re now looking to make their sweetest reward yet. Starting in 2018, customers who spend $50 at the ice cream chain will get an additional $5 back as part of Bruster’s Sweet Rewards program! They’ll also receive another bonus just for signing up–they can redeem this credit with every purchase thereafter.
Bruster’s Real Ice Cream is one Pennsylvania favorite that started its own rewards system last year: go into any store from anywhere between 2x per week through monthly ($35), and you earn points toward free products or gift cards – it all depends on how much money you’ve spent there since your enrollment date (it should be
Rewards are what will get customers into programs. “For a customer, I trade in terms of my information and frequent visitation for free stuff,” Byrne said.
Dutch Bros Coffee has just released a new rewards program for its loyal customers, Dutch Rewards. Customers can earn points by ordering from any of their locations and this will be made even easier with the recent release of an app on Apple Store as well! With such popularity in just two months since its launch, expect to see many more people coming into your local coffee shops soon.
To Company President Joth Ricci, the goal is simple. ” If we can simplify the interaction if we can make it easier for baristas and customers to connect them,” he said with a smile on his face as he used terms like “barista” and “customer.”
Without loyalty programs, companies might not be able to retain customers. Chick-fil-A One has been successful in this regard because it is so well integrated into their culture of great service and quality products that they offer. Discussing the importance of building meaningful customer relationships, Byrne noted that “trying to tailor a digital marketing piece for each and every individual is problematic.” “It’s part of understanding who you are as an organization,” she said.
She explained how in order to provide better service or create successful branding campaigns it was necessary to have some level of consistency with messages but also allow customers interactions with your brand on social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter etc. This interaction will help individuals develop loyalty towards themselves; this sense encourages them not only share their own experience about brands they like/dislike via word-of-mouth but also become more interested in future product offerings from these companies too!
