A User-Friendly Design:

The Starbucks app is attractive with large photos and intuitive to navigate. Five top-of-the-screen menus provide access to basic functions: Pay, Stores, Gift, Order, and Music. You can gift Starbucks to your loved ones, see what music is playing in the restaurant, and receive personalized food suggestions from the order screen. On a practical level, you can locate the nearest Starbucks stores, pay with your phone, and add a tip for your favorite barista. Rather than turn the app into a “Swiss Army Knife” that does-everything (but nothing well), developers focused on a few core goals like streamlining orders, boosting foot traffic, and increasing lucrative gift card orders.

Easy, Engaging Loyalty:

The best loyalty programs are easy to understand, track, and use. For every dollar spent, you earn two stars. The more you spend, the more stars you earn. You receive free in-store refills, tailored exclusive offers, and a free birthday drink. Going one step further, Starbucks understands that gamification works to get people into a buying mood;  Starbucks reward members can complete entertaining “challenges” to earn extra points toward free food and beverages. The stars have a limited shelf life of one year for “Green” tier members and six months for “Gold” tier members, which encourages rewards holders to engage frequently.

Full Integration:

Since music has been a central part of the whole Starbucks “experience” since they first opened more than 40 years ago, their partnership with Spotify makes sense. In the earlier days, you could grab a CD with your latte or download a free digital song from an undiscovered artist. Today, app users can discover new songs playing as they wait in line, add the music to a Spotify playlist, or create a custom mix. A partnership with Lyft gives first-time riders extra stars toward a free drink. Integration with Alibaba lets users in China buy gift cards and branded merchandise through the popular shopping platform, as well as order Starbucks-to-go deliveries. Through the co-branded credit card arrangement with JP Morgan Chase, Starbucks lets users earn stars with purchases outside the chain. These integrations make Starbucks more central to people’s lives and part of their everyday consciousness.

This philosophy has spilled over into their approach to app development. The Target loyalty program starts with REDcard, which offers shoppers an immediate 5% off everything they buy, plus free two-day shipping for online purchases and perks like longer return times and exclusive gifts.

Other proprietary apps Target has developed are aimed at boosting personalization and convenience—two ingredients for a winning retail customer service formula. For instance, they have an app that allows designers in their pop-up shops to communicate in an “instant feedback loop” with guests, who voted on everything from the shape of collars and the fabrics to the colors and brands they preferred. The Target Pay app lets REDcard users use their Cartwheel deals and pay with a virtual wallet by scanning QR codes.

Bomb Pop

During a two-month summer campaign leading up to Independence Day, the red, white, and blue popsicle brand Bomb Pop wanted to drive awareness of the product through a branded lookbook and dynamic kick rewards for purchases made. Nearly half (44%) of shoppers first became aware of Bomb Pop through the Shopkick app, and 68% of buyers had not been planning to purchase Bomb Pops before visiting the store. With more than 23 million impressions, the awareness campaign was viewed as a huge success.

Barilla

Barilla sought to communicate the unique benefits of Pasta Pronto, a new innovative type of one-pan pasta that didn’t require boiling water or draining. They turned to the Shopkick app to educate with video, drive awareness in-store, incentivize product scans, and drive trials. More than half of the app users (66%) first became aware of Barilla’s Pasta Pronto from Shopkick engagement. Half the people who watched the video purchased the product. There was also a 68% lift in future intent to purchase.

Kellogg’s

Kellogg’s used Shopkick to engage shoppers shortly after the launch of Nutri-Grain Bakery Delights Crumb Cakes. The snack aisles can be a crowded, competitive place, but Kellogg’s enjoyed a 35% conversion rate, a 55% increased intent to purchase, and 5:1 ROI from their lookbook and reward offers. Best of all, 47% of the consumers who purchased the Nutri-Grain Bakery Delights Crumb Cakes during the campaign hadn’t purchased a Nutri-Grain product within the last 12 months. Truly the promotion inspired customers to give the brand another look, driving consideration, trial, and favor.