Four powerful benefits of a hospitality mobile app

You can’t get much closer to your customers than taking up real estate on their phone with a mobile app.

Mobile apps are quickly becoming one of the hospitality industry’s most powerful tools for increasing loyalty and enhancing customer experience.

Brands like Pret a Manger, Starbucks and McDonald’s have reported record numbers of loyalty subscribers downloading and using their mobile apps. GAIL’s Bakery recently threw its apron in the ring with its own beautifully branded app.

Is it time for you to start planning a mobile app for your own business?

Discover the powerful benefits that mobile apps can bring to an operation in this article, featuring insights from hospitality brands who’ve launched successful mobile apps already.

On that note, let’s go! 👇

What are the benefits of a hospitality mobile app?

1. Enhance your loyalty scheme

Nurturing a community of loyal customers is one of the most effective ways to generate long-term revenue for your brand.

According to IGD, 39% of eating out loyalty users say that loyalty schemes influence where they buy food and drink.

With businesses competing more than ever for loyalty, customers have come to expect more from restaurant reward programmes than a simple paper stamp card. From Sushi Daily’s new omnichannel loyalty scheme to KFC’s gamified rewards system, operators are stepping up their loyalty game.

Mobile apps are at the heart of this movement.

From an app, you can give customers a convenient and easily accessible place to earn points and redeem rewards.

You can also integrate your mobile app loyalty journey with the rest of your ordering channels. This means your customers can be rewarded for their loyalty across all touch points.

This adds an extra incentive to transact with you – leading to more repeat visits and more revenue. It’s a real win-win.

Personalisation is key in making the customer feel like they are treated as ‘loyal’.

According to McKinsey, 76% of consumers get frustrated when they don’t receive personalised experiences. 

With a loyalty programme embedded in your mobile app, you can offer targeted rewards and promotions that satisfy your customers’ hunger for personalisation.

Marta Pogroszewska, GAIL’s Bakery Manager, says that their focus is now on giving customers “unexpected delights and treats” that are specifically tailored to their preferences.

The possibilities are endless – from offering a free plant-based menu item to a loyal customer who always orders veggie food, to surprising and delighting customers with a special birthday treat.