American fast food chain White Castle is aiming to be a strong competitor in mobile ordering with a revamped Kiwi designed application that pairs Apple Pay, order history, favourites and streamlined offer viewing to keep up with contenders.
The Auckland based Plexure Group signed a deal with White Castle last year to develop and test a new customer loyalty app. After the Plexure platform increased customer engagement during the pilot scheme from 10 percent to 250 percent White Castle went ahead with the technology across its American 363 outlets.
Plexure CEO Craig Herbison said the company, which now employs 160 staff, uses millions pf pieces of data around customers’ buying habits, personal preferences, how they live, what they like and their location. Plexure puts the technology to work and using artificial intelligence can create targeted special offers for the customer, driving foot traffic to retail spaces.
As mobile apps have become a necessity for foodservice retailers, White Castle is hoping to stay competitive by updating its mobile app with this more efficient ordering system. Users can order and pay at White Castle faster and save more money through its new design with updates derived from customer comments.
“We believe an easy to use mobile app is no longer a nice-to-have, it is a must-have to provide customers the ease of ordering needed in today’s increasingly busy world,” said Jamie Richardson, vice president at White Castle. “Technology, having our menu and ability to order ahead at your fingertips, has the potential to provide more convenience, more possibility and more satisfaction.
“We want to make sure we are constantly doing more to meet the evolving expectations of all our customers,” he said.
Streamlining efforts
The new White Castle app provides customers with a fast method of paying through Apple Pay integration but also creates a much more convenient method of ordering with its revamped order history. The tab, which congregates users’ history of ordering at the chain, has been expanded to increase the number of orders saved so customers have a longer list of what they have bought in the past.
Mobile app users can also save their favourite White Castle items by adding them to the My Faves page, which will congregate the customer’s saved items. Users just need to press “add to My Faves” on the product page.
White Castle is also providing users with a better and more visible way of accessing deals and limited offers. A page on the app features an automatic rotation of promotions and deals happening at White Castle.
The new app design comes in time for the chain’s 95th anniversary.
Mobile ordering rising
As more restaurant marketers understand the value – and necessity – of providing mobile ordering capabilities for time-strapped consumers, Chili’s Grill & Bar also raised the bar to another level by adding loyalty points as a payment option.
Dunkin’ Donuts also rolled out mobile ordering and delivery services in November for Portland and Dallas residents, respectively, highlighting its dedication to staying competitive by targeting on-the-go consumers .
“Our new app is even more customer friendly,” said Mr. Richardson. “It is easier to navigate and does a better job of highlighting the great range of hot and tasty menu items you can only get at White Castle.
“Not only does it make it easier to satisfy your cravings, it also makes it easier to pay, with an Apple Pay option that puts you a thumbprint away from getting your hands on what you crave,” he said. “Our customers have told us what was important to them, and we believe our new app delivers.”
“We hold ourselves to a high standard and a desire to get a little bit better every day. The new app helps us provide our customers an even better experience.”
