The coffee and bakery chain recently reported that it has reached nearly 8 million downloads of the Dunkin Donuts mobile app and that more than 1.3 million customers have signed up for Dunkin Donuts Perks Rewards members, which was introduced earlier this year and is tightly integrated with the app. To further promote the app, over the weekend, Dunkin’ Donuts offered Twitter users a free coupon for entering the sweepstakes by naming which Dunkin’ Donuts beverage they would order through the app and including the hashtag #DunkinAppSweeps.

“We’re always looking for ways to distinguish the Dunkin’ App and our brand,” said Scott Hudler, vice president of global consumer engagement at Dunkin’ Brands.

“For us, it’s important that we continue to provide our guests with new levels of speed and convenience so that people can run on Dunkin’ more quickly than ever before,” he said.

Strong mobile experiences
Entering the sweepstakes gave Twitter users a chance to win two $22 mobile gift cards.

The tweets promoting Dunkin’ Donuts app point to how the brand is encouraging customers to come back to its app time and time again.

While some merchants are investing more in the mobile Web over apps, brands such as Dunkin’ Donuts and Starbucks, whose customers typically visit frequently, are finding that apps are an important way to provide a strong mobile experience. Both brands have apps that include payments and loyalty functionality as a way to help repeat customers get in and out of a location with their order as quickly as possible.

Twitter happy
Dunkin’ Donuts is very active on Twitter and sends out regular tweets throughout day to keep its customers engaged.

The app sweepstakes tweets were joined by another targeting students headed back to school with a photo of a Dunkin’ Donuts iced coffee in backpack and copy explaining that a morning coffee is the one thing that can always be squeezed into a semester’s schedule.

Dunkin’ Donuts also joined the many marketers leveraging Twitter to tap into the excitement around Discovery Channel’s Shark Week with a tweet The message included a Vine video showing a Coolatta beverage inside a cage and being lowered into a pool as a toy shark attacks.

The marketer also promoted a new Coolatta flavor combination featuring Minute Maid Orange and Vanilla Bean with a tweet and a picture.

“Mobile apps play a huge role with a business like Dunkin Donuts,” said Rob Hoxie, vice president of business development and partnerships at Atimi Software, Vancouver, Canada.

“Repeat customers are a key part of the business plan and apps can drive that loyalty through their preferred deals, timely reminders and convenient payment options,” he said. “Apps also help with product awareness, letting the customer preview what menu items are available prior to going to the store.

“Dunkin Donuts has come on strong over the past year with the ability to link your Dunkin Donuts card to the app for mobile payments at the register and, more importantly, purchasing and reloading a virtual card in the app.”

Final Take
Chantal Tode is senior editor on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York