More than seven decades ago, Whataburger® was founded in Corpus Christi, Texas, when Harmon Dobson enacted his vision of providing customers with a tasty burger so big it would take two hands to hold. Dobson imagined customers enjoying their burgers with such enthusiasm they’d proclaim: “What a burger!” Each Whataburger is still made to order today, and customers are welcomed at more than 1,000 Whataburgers across the U.S. around the clock, seven days a week.
Whataburger was selected as a finalist for the Offer, Incentive, and Reward Design category for this year’s Loyalty360 Awards, to be held at the Loyalty Expo June 4-6 in Orlando, FL. Mark Johnson, CEO of Loyalty360, spoke with Keith McLellan, Group Director of Digital Strategy and Customer Experience at Whataburger, about his upcoming presentation.
Could you give us a brief overview of your awards presentation that will be made at the 2024 Loyalty Expo?
McLellan: Our presentation will cover how Whataburger’s new design, offer, and incentives helped us to grow loyalty transactions by 41%. We’ll talk about the value of designing a rewards marketplace with strategic partners and how we included retail offers into that marketplace. We’ll also discuss how Whataburger leveraged AI, machine learning (ML), and emotional calls to action (CTAs) to build incentive campaigns that drove acquisition by 11% and frequency to some target segments by 25%.
Who do you think would benefit most from your award presentation at the conference?
McLellan: Our presentation would be most beneficial to those in the retail industry—particularly those involved in digital strategy and customer experience—as well as those interested in loyalty programs, rewards, and customer engagement.
What are a few key takeaways attendees can expect to learn from your awards presentation?
McLellan: We’ll cover the use of AI, machine learning, emotional CTAs, and the rewards marketplace. We’ll also discuss how we’re using data and psychology for gamification and personalized offers using purchase and location data. We’ll talk about Whataburger’s vision to spread goodness 24/7 and our mission to make everyone’s lives a little bit better.
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Please visit LoyaltyExpo.com to learn more about Loyalty360’s upcoming Loyalty Expo, including details on the event agenda and how to register.