Wasabi, the sushi and bento restaurant chain, is ditching mobile apps in its first ever customer loyalty promotion launching Monday 30 April across its Central London outlets. Instead of being asked to download an app, which creates unnecessary friction in the user experience, customers will simply be able to tap or scan a smartcard with their mobile to join the ‘Wasabi Club’ and collect loyalty points in store. Club members that collect seven loyalty stamps will then be able to claim a free meal.
The campaign, which will provide valuable insight into customer behaviour and footfall, is being delivered using mobile technology platform Thyngs, which provides off-the-shelf customer acquisition and loyalty solutions to brands and their marketing agencies. It will be supported by wireless messaging from Devicescape and point-of-sale materials created in-house.
Andreia Harwood, Senior Marketing Manager for Wasabi, said, "We are delighted to be launching our first ever loyalty promotion using Thyngs. Creating a dedicated app would have been time-consuming, expensive, and inconvenient for our customers. Instead, we’ve been able to launch this campaign in a matter of weeks, providing a low-friction customer experience with no impact to speed of service across our high footfall stores, whilst also benefiting from greater visibility into behaviour and loyalty across our outlets.”
Neil Garner, Founder and CEO of Thyngs, added, "Getting consumers to download yet another app and then take action at the point of purchase is a huge challenge for quick service retail brands. By turning ordinary items into mobile engagement points, we’re transforming how Wasabi’s customers engage with their brand, delivering valuable insight in the process.”
The campaign will run until 30 June 2018.