In launching a new points-based digital rewards program in October 2015, Which Wich Superior Sandwiches not only increased its total registration counts by more than 250%, but also bolstered market penetration and saw increased spending among rewards members.
Built on the Paytronix rewards platform, the Vibe Club Rewards Program is scaled across 400 Which Wich restaurants nationwide and integrates with the sandwich shop’s POS and online ordering system.
Within just two months, The Vibe Club Rewards program drove immediate enrollments chainwide:
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Market penetration rate (the number of Vibe Club Rewards checks as a percentage of overall checks) rose to reach more than 35% of the Which Wich customer base;
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New “recruits” visiting more than once in the first two weeks of membership increased by more than 50%; and
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Spend per Vibe Club Rewards visitor was 36.7% higher at seven weeks from enrollment than previously.
The main reason for moving to digital in the first place? Eliminating an outdated punch card system, enabling loyalty members to redeem points on all channels.
“We were just launching our online ordering platform, which was one of our biggest initiatives for 2015,” said Chenin Pecora, Marketing Manager at Which Wich Superior Sandwiches. “All of that is placed either online or our mobile app, so we felt it was important to introduce a loyalty program that allowed you to order online and put your loyalty card onto that account. There was no way for people who order online to receive points for their purchases if it was a punch card.”
With the Vibe Club Rewards Program, consumers no longer have to carry a physical card (although they still can if they choose). Members now redeem points by registering with their phone number.
Solution Supports Localized Marketing
While the program initially started as a test exclusive to the chain’s Texas restaurants in early 2015, Which Wich expanded it after the franchises found success through marketing insights provided by the Paytronix software. With the Paytronix Local Store Marketing toolset, the eatery was able to give its franchisees the ability to:
• Capture customer data;
• Send localized marketing messages online; and
• Create in-store point-of-purchase materials designed to help guests visualize the program throughout their experience.
“Not only are people being reminded of the ability to join an e-loyalty program, but they also have continuous touch points within the store that remind them to use their card at every transaction,” said Pecora in an interview with Retail TouchPoints. “For example, some of our marketing materials had point callouts for all the items in the store that let them know how many points they would receive for adding on a bag of chips to their order.”
Working with Paytronix has enabled Which Wich to not only gather historical consumer data but also to set more accurate goals based on the expected performance of the Vibe Club Rewards Program. With that in mind, Pecora indicated that the sandwich shop has exceeded most of its initial goals for registration and engagement within the Vibe Club Rewards Program.
“The biggest opportunity lies within setting individual goals for each store,” Pecora stated. “Although all 400 domestic stores have the loyalty program, each store is different. Some of the campus locations compared to more traditional locations have different transaction percentages. Our overall average is exceeding our goals, but our biggest focus is the stores that don’t quite hit that benchmark, and being able to pull them up and cohesively raising our average even further.”
As part of an annual program designed to identify and spotlight customers leveraging the Paytronix Rewards platform, the solution provider awarded Which Wich as its “Best Loyalty Launch” of 2016.
