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How GAIL’s keeps the customer at heart with its Loyalty App

Digital transformation should never come at the cost of a brand’s identity.

That was the challenge GAIL’s faced as it expanded to over 160 locations. How could it embrace technology while staying true to its craft bakery ethos?

gail's bakery storefront Gail's loyalty on a screen

Business Type

Bakery,
Quick Service Restaurant

Products

Mobile App,
Loyalty

1/3

customers use app

150%

growth in new customers

One 

fully integrated branded app

Background

GAIL’s Bakery, a beloved British craft bakery, has successfully expanded to over 160 locations since its inception in Hampstead in 2005.

Its success is largely attributed to its ability to retain customers through authentic interactions, both in-store and online.

To sustain this growth while maintaining its core values, GAIL’s embarked on a digital transformation journey in 2021 through a partnership with Vita Mojo.

A partnership to solve fragmentation

GAIL’s strategic decision to digitise aspects of its customer experience was driven by the need for efficiency without compromising its craft bakery ethos. Recognising the challenges of digital integration, Vita Mojo collaborated closely with GAIL’s senior team to streamline operations. The initial focus was on replacing fragmented technology with a centralised system, integrating key functions like POS, stock management, CRM, and multi-channel management.

Rosie Hill, GAIL’s Head of Ecommerce, emphasised the importance of selecting minimal yet effective technology partners. Vita Mojo’s aggregator hub allowed for seamless menu management across multiple live channels, ensuring an efficient and cohesive digital ecosystem.

Lots of different pieces had to fit together, so we picked the fewest possible partners without compromising what we wanted. For example, we wanted our teams to manage multiple live channels in one space, so we also used
Vita Mojo’s aggregator hub for menu management.
Rosie Hill
Head of Ecommerce

An integrated App that says ‘thank you’ to customers 

One of the significant milestones in this transformation was the development of GAIL’s loyalty app, aimed at rewarding all customers, not just frequent buyers of coffee and bread.

The initiative stemmed from a fundamental question: “How do we say thank you to all our customers?” This approach aligned with GAIL’s core value of customer appreciation, ensuring inclusivity in its rewards system.

Before developing the app, the team focused on defining its purpose. Vita Mojo engaged closely with GAIL’s marketing team, immersing themselves in bakery operations to understand unique challenges.

Unlike generic white-label solutions, the app was designed to reflect the brand’s identity while integrating seamlessly into its existing tech stack. The integration process, however, was complex, requiring careful selection of partners. Eventually, GAIL’s opted for Vita Mojo for ecommerce and Acteol for loyalty management, ensuring a smooth and scalable system.

The app underwent a meticulous three-month design and build phase, followed by four months of rigorous testing. Vita Mojo continuously iterated on feedback, refining the app to enhance functionality and user experience.

A critical aspect of the process was ensuring the app worked harmoniously with existing technology while minimising integration complexities.

Vita Mojo wanted to help us build something new. We’re genuinely proud of the fact that we’ve managed to end up with something that feels like us.
Rosie Hill
Head of Ecommerce

Results and impact

The loyalty app launched in 2023 and quickly gained traction among customers. Its success was measured not only by downloads and sign-ups but also by its impact on value-driven marketing.

GAIL’s set an initial goal of achieving 10% of transactions through the loyalty app, but by 2024, nearly one-third of its customers were actively using it. The app also contributed to a 150% increase in new customer acquisition compared to the previous year.

Nearly a third of our customers are using it, which is one of the highest engagements across the industry. We love that people are so passionate about the loyalty scheme.
Rosie Hill
Head of Ecommerce

Long-term vision

GAIL’s aims to further personalise the app experience over the next three to five years. With a trusted partner in Vita Mojo, the bakery is confident in its ability to scale and innovate while preserving its craft bakery identity. By choosing adaptable partners and maintaining a customer-centric approach, GAIL’s has successfully embraced digital transformation without compromising its brand values.

This strategic approach exemplifies how a traditional bakery can modernise while staying true to its heritage, ensuring continued success in a competitive digital landscape.

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