Initial situation
The pharmacy chain Amavita uses a loyalty program called “Starcard”. Loyal customers benefit from coupons that can either be redeemed as shopping vouchers or exchanged for cash at a branch. Until now, the vouchers were sent by post, which resulted in high costs. In order to digitize this entire process, Mayoris developed a concept that, among other things, focused on ideal handling and storage of the digital vouchers for customers. But how was the process implemented with the interactive mailing and what role does mailix.com play in this?
Goal
The aim of the project is the complete digitalization of the loyalty discounts for the Starcard users. The whole process and the different ways of using them should be worked out taking into account that the average age of the members was over 55 years.
Implementation
An interactive mailing was developed for Amavita pharmacies, in which Starcard members can use and manage their loyalty discounts directly in the mail. The advantage here is that the entire process is handled by a single marketing automationMarketing Automation ist ein Framework bestehende aus Strategie (First Party Data und Marketing), Use Cases und Prozessen, Daten bzw. Customer Data Platform, Technologien, Inhalten, Organisation und Skills sowie dem Rechtsrahmen bzw. dem Consent Management.... system. For the implementation, Mayoris developed mailix.ch, a central mailing platform that can be adapted to other similar projects and other interactive use cases and that works independently of the mailing technology.
Coupon directly in the mail
One problem that should not be underestimated was obtaining e-mail addresses from customers in the first place and permission to switch to digital coupons. In a first wave, 35% of the customers could be transformed. Subsequently, the shopping vouchers as well as the bar checks are sent to the customers in an interactive e-mail on a quarterly basis. The value of the vouchers is deliberately higher for the shopping vouchers than for the bar checks to provide an incentive to buy.
Storage and handling
The solution developed offers three storage options, so the needs of the majority of members are covered.
Variant 1 – Mailbox: The customer keeps the vouchers in the e-mail and thus in the mailbox and can use them as needed online or in stationary stores (via barcode or QR code) directly from the e-mail app.
Variant 2 – Wallet App: The vouchers can be deposited from the mail into the Wallet App on the smartphone. In this variant, the PKPass file is automatically downloaded and stored on the smartphone like an electronic boarding pass. If the email is opened on a desktop, the user can use the QR code to save the vouchers to their wallet app. This variant was also worked out because some email apps automatically delete the messages after 30 days and, moreover, many users move an email directly to the trash after reading it.
Variant 3 – Vouchers Printing: Vouchers can be printed for stationary use for storage in the wallet. For this purpose, Mayoris has developed another innovation. Via the button “Print vouchers”, a print view of the e-mail is automatically generated, which only displays an explanatory text and the vouchers.
Redeem
The voucher redemption options are as versatile as the customers’ needs. On the one hand, the shopping vouchers and the bar checks can be printed out or used on a smartphone via the barcode in the stores. By dividing the credit into several individual vouchers, they can be redeemed together or separately as desired.
Shopping vouchers in the mail or wallet can be used directly for online shopping. The button opens the selection. The selected vouchers are directly integrated into the purchase process in the Amavita online store and deducted from the value of goods.
Real-time redemption status in the email
In the email, the status of the vouchers (redeemed / available) is checked in real time at the time of opening. The status is transmitted promptly from the POS system and the online store to the CRM/marketing automationMarketing Automation ist ein Framework bestehende aus Strategie (First Party Data und Marketing), Use Cases und Prozessen, Daten bzw. Customer Data Platform, Technologien, Inhalten, Organisation und Skills sowie dem Rechtsrahmen bzw. dem Consent Management.... system. Vouchers that have already been used are no longer available for the storage and redemption variants described above. Through this 360° integration of the data flow, a functionality is achieved directly in the email, which otherwise can only be provided in an app or a dedicated customer portal. Compared to such solutions, massive cost savings can be achieved with the interactive email variant and customers do not have to be forced to install an additional app.
Vorteile
- Digitization of expensive coupons physically mailed in an analog process.
- Automation of the loyalty program
- Voucher variants for online and offline redemption
- Near real-time validation of vouchers
- UX optimization across the entire voucher process: covering customer needs with multiple usage and retention options
- No additional app or customer portal (with login) required