Magnolia Bakery is developing a mobile loyalty and payments application that will feature a different reward each month based on users reaching a certain number of purchases.

The New York-based bakery is well-known as an early booster of the cupcake trend and from its appearance in HBO’s popular show “Sex and the City.” The mobile loyalty and payments app will enable users to place orders, earn rewards, track their rewards and pay for their purchases in a streamlined manner via MasterCard’s MasterPass or by keying in their credit card information.

“The application is being designed to encourage people to pay, order and get rewarded by Magnolia Bakery,” said Bob Gold, CEO of Gold Mobile, Clark, NJ. “Rewards will be an essential part of the app, engaging the user by the artistic use and gamification of Magnolia’s brand and offerings.

“Easily comparable to the Starbucks application, which has a cup that fills up with stars, the Magnolia Bakery reward experience will be unique to the bakery and showcase a variety of the goods it offers,” he said.

“The rewards display with change on a monthly basis. One month the rewards section could be a timer counting down with each reward and the next it could be a cookie tin filling up with Magnolia Bakery cookies.”

Sweet small of success
Magnolia Bakery has five locations in New York, one location each in Los Angeles and Chicago as well as multiple locations in the Middle East.  The chain is in the process of opening 11 new locations in nine countries.

The bakery is built around offering shoppers an in-person experience, with all the bakery items for sale made on the premises in small batches, enabling customers to enjoy the smell of fresh baked treats and watch them being decorated.

Magnolia partnered with Gold Mobile to take the bakery experience and translate it for mobile with the goal of increasing brand recognition and repeat business.

The app will enable users to place orders, earn rewards, track their rewards and pay for their purchases. It will also display photographs from inside the bakeries and a list of locations.

Users will be able to earn points for every purchase and view how close they are to earning their next reward, with the rewards changing every month.

MasterPass by MasterCard will be included as a payment option for faster checkout and wallet replenishment.

Easy ordering
The loyalty integration piece is being powered by GoMo Rewards Wallet, which will feature rewards for transactions such as paying and orderings, as well as actions like sharing on social media.

The application is currently in development and will be available for download from the Apple App Store and Google Play.

Customers will also be able to log into their account, order, pay and see rewards through the Magnolia Bakery Web site.

“The application and the Web experience helps Magnolia to reach more of its on-the-go customers and provide them with a way to skip the line by using mobile ordering,” Mr. Gold said.

“The application will also increase brand recognition and repeat business through payment and rewards that are branded to the Magnolia Bakery style,” he said.

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