Case Study: Restaurant Chain Uses Mobile Promotions to Reach Millennials
Homestyle Dining Chief Marketing Officer Jon Rice knew that implementing a sweepstakes program across all of his company’s 142 Bonanza and Ponderosa steakhouse franchises would be a logistical challenge. So he opted to partner with Front Flip, a mobile engagement and loyalty platform, to generate excitement, boost engagement, and gain more insight about his guests…
Case Study: Using a Card-Linked Loyalty Program to Gain Customer Insights
In an effort to separate her upscale resale boutique from competitors in the area, Karma Couture business manager Sarah Kirinsky has started working with vendors like Swipely, PunchTab, Constant Contact, and Perfect Audience. She uses the platforms to reward loyalty, host online giveaways, and retarget existing customers with email newsletters and exclusive offers…
Case Study: Loyalty Program, Targeted Emails Lead to Daily Sales Spikes
At Gelato Fiasco in Portland, Maine, director of marketing and public affairs Bobby Guerette says his team initially developed the company’s digital loyalty program — dubbed the Red Spoon Society — as a way to promote individual Gelato Fiasco locations. What they later discovered was that the card-less program could be useful in promoting the wholesale side of Gelato Fiasco’s business, as well…
Case Study: Bakery Uses Mobile POS for Real-Time Business Analytics
When Tara Koenig first began researching mobile point-of-sale systems for her Virginia cupcake bakery back in 2011, her interest wasn’t driven by the lack of upfront costs or tablet integrations. It was driven by necessity. The location Koenig had chosen for her new bakery was a 500-square-foot garage with no telephone lines (a feature that’s typically necessary when installing a hardware-based POS system)…
Case Study: For NYC Nightlife Group, Adding Restrictions Increases Deal Profitability
As the marketing director for The Lure Group, Kelly Bruce isn’t afraid to try new digital platforms on for size. Over the years, she’s worked with dozens of hyperlocal vendors, including Foursquare, Yelp, Gilt City, Grouper, Scoutmob, and HowAboutWe. “We’re doing all these different experience packages to bring in a new audience who might not be familiar with the venues,” said Bruce. “Every couple of weeks, we reach new people.”
Case Study: Switching to a Cloud-Based POS For Increased Reliability, Lower Costs
As a seasoned restaurateur, Steven Cook already knew that traditional hardware-based point-of-sale systems could be overly expensive and unreliable when he opened Federal Donuts — a shop that sells cake donuts and Korean style fried chicken — in late 2011. What he didn’t know at the time, however, was that there were alternative options for quick-service restaurants…
Case Study: How a National Restaurant Group Uses Hyperlocal Platforms
As the national sales and marketing director for East Coast Saloons, a management company that operates bars and restaurants nationwide including McFadden’s, Calico Jack’s, and Johnny Utah’s in New York City, Gina Groh fields cold calls from hyperlocal startups on a daily basis. When deciding whether a particular platform will be a good fit, Groh is primarily concerned with the return on investment and the time involved in setting up the system…
Case Study: Meineke Partners With Full Slate for Online Scheduling
As consumers get more comfortable going online to book appointments and services, companies nationwide are rushing to keep up with demand. For larger businesses with multiple locations, however, instituting an online scheduling system isn’t always a cut and dry process. Rather than jumping in head first, Meineke Car Care Centers has taken a measured approach to online appointment scheduling. The company partnered with Full Slate and launched a pilot program at 30 Meineke locations…
Case Study: Overcoming Obstacles When Redeeming Mobile Deals
Digital offers have proven to be an effective driver for customer acquisition, but the infrastructure required to redeem mobile coupons is something that many businesses — and particularly local restaurants — still don’t have in place. Not having the mechanism to scan barcodes prevented Sea Island Restaurant Group from offering digital coupons at its eight Sea Island Shrimp House and Tiago’s Cabo Grille locations, until recently…
Case Study: Promoting Loyalty With Outrageous Rewards
At Vino Vidi Vici, an Italian restaurant in Massena, N.Y., owner Crista Makdouli wanted to offer something extra to help her program stand out. “For 50 [purchases] you can get your name engraved on one of our tables, so you’ll have your own table,” said Makdouli. “For a million [purchases], we will deliver a free Ferrari with a large pizza.”
Case Study: Salon Increases Average Purchase Price With Card-Linked Offers
Everyone wants a prize, and most people are willing to spend a little more to get one. At least that’s been the experience of Tiffany Amorosino. The co-owner of Bella Sante Spa uses a platform called OfferLink by Cartera to reward customers with free gift cards when they meet certain purchase price thresholds. Since opening her spa in 1996, Amorosino has seen a significant shift in the way SMB marketing is done…
Case Study: Local Deals Site Increases Subscribers With Offerpop Promotions
When Matt Toomey set out to launch a daily deals site in California’s Bay Area in September 2011, he knew he’d be challenged with competing against industry giants like Groupon and LivingSocial. What Toomey has learned in the 20 months since his company’s launch is that it takes more than just a great idea and close relationships with local businesses to make a deal site profitable — it also takes subscribers…
Case Study: California Fitness Studio Drives Referrals With Digital Program
Ninety-two percent of consumers trust “earned media” — like word-of-mouth referrals — above other forms of paid advertising. At b2be Sports & Wellness, a high-end fitness studio in Chula Vista, California, Emmanuel Corona is looking to capitalize on this trend, partnering with Perkville to reward customers for referring their friends…
Case Study: KBP Foods Uses Loyalty App to Reach Millennials
Customers between the ages of 18 and 34 are eating out less than they were five years ago, which is a major problem for executives like Anthony Gianino. The senior director of marketing at KBP Foods is trying everything in the book — including text message marketing, local print ads, and mobile loyalty apps — to reach his target demographic…
Case Study: Walmart Expands Mobile Efforts With Scan & Go App
The retail giant isn’t trying to dissuade customers from using their smartphones while they shop. In fact, the retailer is beefing up the carrier signals inside its stores to make it easier for customers to get online. Instead, the company is combating the threat of showrooming by encouraging customers to fill their screens with its own mobile application.
Restaurant Chain Looks For Location-Specific Trends in Online Reviews
Keeping up with customer reviews and social media chatter can be especially difficult for a national chain. As the director of digital marketing at Houlihan’s, a “polished casual” restaurant chain with 85 locations, Natalie Bass is responsible for making sure the company is being found online and communicating with customers through all the most popular digital channels…
Case Study: Steakhouse Takes a More-Is-More Approach to Marketing
At Franklin Steakhouse, manager Frank Oliver is always on the lookout for ways to enmesh his restaurant with the local community. In addition to tried-and-true tactics like partnering with neighboring businesses and hosting fundraisers, Oliver is taking a hyperlocal approach to digital marketing through platforms like Facebook and Yelp…