Denise Pedini, executive director of marketing for Pizza Inn Franchise, told Loyalty360 that company officials sought a better, more engaging way to reward their loyal customers. In this day and age of burgeoning mobile capabilities and usage, Pizza Inn officials launched an app-based loyalty program called “Pizza Inn Rewards.”
Pizza Inn, known for its made–from–scratch crispy, crackery Original Thin crust and tangy signature sauce, partnered with Punchh to offer guests an innovative app-based loyalty program. Guests can earn points for their purchases while enjoying the ease and convenience of ordering through the Pizza Inn website on the new “Pizza Inn Rewards” app. The program is currently in 41 locations.
Founded in 1958, Pizza Inn is an international pizza chain featuring traditional and specialty pizzas, as well as freshly made pasta, sandwiches, and desserts. Pizza Inn is a subsidiary of RAVE Restaurant Group, Inc. based in Dallas. RAVE owns, franchises, and supplies more than 300 Pizza Inn and Pie Five restaurants, operating domestically and internationally.
“We wanted to reward our loyal customers for visiting us on a regular basis,” Pedini explained to Loyalty360. “The new program also gives us an easy, efficient way to communicate with guests about special product news and exclusive offers. Punchh provided a turnkey app-based loyalty program that fits our brand and was easy for our guests to use and for us to manage.”
Pedini said that customer feedback always plays a big role in new initiatives.
“Before we launched the Pizza Inn Rewards app, we had a punch card loyalty program,” she said. “Punch cards get lost easily and can be susceptible to fraud. This can be frustrating to guests. Our franchisees wanted a new program that, not only rewarded our customers for visiting us frequently but would be a great communication tool for our customers to communicate with their local Pizza Inn manager.”
From a customer engagement perspective, Pedini is very excited about the new app-based loyalty program.
“Not only would we like our current customers to take advantage of using the app and get rewarded for visiting, but we would also hope that they tell their friends who may be customers that have not visited us in a while or are new customers,” she explained. “We created a ‘Refer a Friend’ program on the app, which allows current Pizza Inn Rewards members to refer a friend to the rewards program. If their friend signs up and uses the app, then they will receive an extra reward for that referral. By spreading the news about our program, everyone can benefit.”
Pedini added: “At Pizza Inn, we are very fortunate that our brand is known for its heritage and loyal customers that extend from generation to generation. This was our way of saying ‘Thank You’ to those loyal customers by giving them an extra reason to make Pizza Inn their hometown pizza place.”