Mooyah Burgers, Fries and Shakes is taking a customer-specific approach to its new mobile application by sending users loyalty offers based on their previous purchases and frequency of in-store visits.

The fast-food chain is moving away from the days of physical rewards cards by teaming up with customer relationship management platform Punchh, which is powering the Mooyah rewards app. The app will communicate with customers both inside and outside the brand’s restaurants, ensuring that guests receive targeted messages and customized experiences.

“It’s absolutely essential to continue to engage with loyalty members after they’ve left the restaurant, and it’s one of the biggest benefits of an app-based program over the traditional punch cards,” said Natalie Anderson Liu, director of marketing at Mooyah Burgers, Fries and Shakes. “Since our Mooyah rewards app is fully integrated with our point-of-sale system and our online ordering platform, we can take engagement to the next level by communicating with guests based on their specific order history and visit frequency, not just blast generic messages to every loyalty club member.

“Mooyah rewards members won’t hear from us about items they’ve never purchased and clearly don’t have an interest in,” she said. “They’ll receive bonus point opportunities and special offers on the items we know they love.”

Heating up customization
Mooyah Burgers sought to develop a new, mobile-based loyalty program that did not rely on physical punch cards, a tactic previously used by the Texas-based fast-food chain.

Its franchisees also wanted an easier way of tracking sales for individual restaurants, prompting Mooyah to join forces with CRM platform Punchh, which also powers loyalty programs for brands including Dairy Queen and Moe’s Southwest Grill.

Consumers can download the Mooyah rewards app for their iOS or Android devices to start earning rewards. Upon opening the app, they will spot a “Mooyah Meter,” which delineates users’ current rewards balances in a graph format.

Diners will receive one point for each dollar spent at a Mooyah restaurant. One hundred points will amount to a $10 credit that can be redeemed at any Mooyah location.

Users will also be able to find nearby restaurants and place orders via the mobile app. Additionally, the brand will send guests in-app messages, which will be collected in the inbox feature.

This tool will enable Mooyah to more directly engage with diners, both inside and outside of its restaurants’ walls. The app will tap into users’ purchase history, frequency of visits, likes and dislikes.

“We are most excited that the structure of the program was built to benefit our guests in every way,” Ms. Liu said. “For example, they earn a point for every dollar they spend at Mooyah (not a generic punch per visit or a restriction on what items earn points) and they can exchange 100 points for $10 off any purchase (again, not just redeemable for certain items we deem valid).

“Guests’ points also never expire, and there’s no limit to how many $10 rewards they can redeem at one time,” she said. “We learned the pain points consumers have with other loyalty programs and we purposely avoided them with the Mooyah rewards app.

“We’re very proud that our franchise partners are in full agreement that structuring the program with little to no restrictions is the way to go.”

Leveraging guest referrals
The Mooyah rewards app includes a guest referral system, which offers users 20 extra loyalty points for recommending the app to a friend – contingent on that friend’s usage. The friend will also receive 20 additional points.

Mooyah fans may stumble across opportunities to earn double and triple points as well.

Including a friend referral program in a fast-food chain rewards app is a smart move – and one that will undoubtedly fuel word-of-mouth marketing. Consumers who recommend the Mooyah app to five friends will able to use their $10 credit toward any menu item, setting a positive precedent for a long-term relationship.

Mooyah will also likely experience a surge in mobile sales following the new app rollout.

“We conducted extensive research into what consumers want from a loyalty program and the desire for mobile was overwhelming,” Ms. Liu said. “We also educated ourselves on the mobile category in general, and it hit us pretty hard that consumers are more willing to give up their shoes for a week than their smartphones.

“We needed to be on that device.”