Boost Loyalty App UAE is a pioneering platform designed to revolutionize customer engagement and retention in the competitive retail market of the United Arab Emirates. The app enables businesses to design bespoke loyalty programs that enhance customer satisfaction and foster enduring brand loyalty. The strategic objective of the app is to foster repeat purchases, strengthen brand loyalty, and deliver a seamless user experience. Lagardère Travel Retail (LTR), which operates 15 food service locations at Dubai International Airport (DXB) and 4 outlets at Abu Dhabi Airport, aimed to elevate customer engagement and loyalty by introducing an innovative digital platform. Established in the UAE's food service sector since 2014, LTR launched the Boost App—a loyalty program designed to reward both its staff and airport employees for dining, drinking, and shopping.
Problem Statement
Lagardère Travel Retail encountered several challenges in establishing a structured loyalty program to incentivize repeat business, including:
- Lack of an Engaging Mechanism to Encourage Repeat Purchases
- Delays in integrating the app with the existing TCPOS system.
- Demand for a straightforward, transparent, and impactful loyalty solution.
- Tight deadlines for Phase 1, requiring an accelerated development cycle.
Objectives
- Create a loyalty program that offers users a free coffee after completing a specified number of purchases like "Buy 5 Coffee, Get 1 Coffee Free".
- Incorporate intuitive features for tracking rewards, sending notifications, and facilitating seamless redemption.
- Implement smooth transaction recording and user verification through QR code integration.
- Utilize push notifications to boost user engagement and maintain effective communication.
- Expedite the Phase 1 launch to collect feedback and refine subsequent iterations.
Proposed Solution
The Boost App was designed to meet the client’s specific needs with the following features:
Loyalty Program Design:
Create a loyalty program that offers users a free item after completing a specified number of purchases like "Buy 5 Coffee, Get 1 Coffee Free".
User Sign Up and Verification:
Implement user sign-up with mobile number verification via OTPs sent as SMS to authenticate users.
QR Code Integration:
Each user has a unique QR code that cashiers can scan to view their rewards.
Easy Reward Redemption:
Cashiers at the outlet could scan a user's QR code to redeem their rewards easily.
Push Notifications:
Send notifications to users about new offers, as well as when they make a purchase item or redeem rewards at the outlet.
TCPOS Integration:
TCPOS uses the Boost API to verify users, check free coffee eligibility, and record reward redemption.
Technologies used
Mobile App
Backend
Frontend
Database
Server
Cloud Services
Implementation Process
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Planning & Requirement Analysis: Held workshops to finalize the loyalty model and plan a phased launch for tight deadlines.
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Design Phase: Created wireframes and prototypes, focusing on usability and seamless navigation. Designed QR code-based user interaction flows for ease of use.
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Development: The backend team used PHP Laravel for APIs, while the mobile team built a cross-platform app with Flutter and Dart, adding Firebase push notifications and QR scanning.
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Testing: Conducted unit, integration, and user acceptance testing to ensure reliability and security. Gathered early feedback from airport staff during the pilot phase.
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Deployment: Launched Phase 1, targeting airport staff for initial usage and feedback collection.
Challenges Faced
- Tight Deadlines: Hired additional developers and streamlined task management to meet the timeline.
- TCPOS Integration Delays: An interim Android cashier app was introduced as a temporary solution, which was later replaced once the TCPOS integration was completed.
- User Experience: Iteratively refined features like QR code scanning and notifications to enhance usability.
- User Verification: Ensured robust OTP-based mobile verification for security and reliability.
Results and Outcomes
Users actively tracked their rewards and purchases, resulting in higher app engagement.
The loyalty program incentivized additional purchases to meet thresholds, driving increased transaction volume.
The transparent and easy-to-use reward system fostered repeat business and positive brand perception.
Customers appreciated the simplicity and effectiveness of the program, contributing to word-of-mouth promotion.
Increased sales, improved customer retention, and positive sentiment demonstrated the program’s success.
Future Enhancements
- Plan to introduce three types of users: LTR passengers, airport staff, and passengers. During sign-up, the user type will be identified, and based on this classification, tailored discounts will be offered to each group.
- Generate reports using Looker Studio and BigQuery: to analyze data and present insights to top management, enabling informed decision-making.
Conclusion
The Boost App loyalty program successfully met the client’s immediate needs, delivering a seamless, engaging, and transparent experience for users. Despite challenges such as tight deadlines and delayed integration, the app’s phased rollout provided valuable feedback for future improvements. With increased customer engagement, purchase frequency, and brand loyalty, the Boost App has set the stage for long-term growth and innovation.
