Cape Cod grocer opts for mobile phone loyalty

The Wise Marketer
Monday May 1, 2006

The Cape Cod-based grocer, Ring Brothers Marketplace, has deployed the mobile phone-based payment and customer loyalty solution from MobileLime, offering its customers the ability to pay for groceries with their mobile phone, and to collect frequent shopper rewards at the same time.

Through MobileLime's Mobile Rewards platform, the grocer can offer its customers exclusive member benefits, information-based alerts, and instant savings on items throughout the store through their mobile phone. dfallon This article is copyright 2006 TheWiseMarketer.com).

Mobile payments

By linking customers' mobile phones with their credit cards, bank accounts or a prepaid accounts, they can tap their mobile handset against a terminal at the point of sale to make their payment. The system also allows members to tracking their spending online, and to receive mobile special offer coupons.

This integrated mobile payment, customer loyalty and marketing solution allows merchants such as Ring Brothers to communicate with their customers in real time, and make their shopping experience more rewarding. According to Ed Ring, co-owner of Ring Brothers Marketplace, "Shoppers enrolled in our Mobile Rewards programme love the fact that they get instant savings without carrying a card, and know right away how much they've saved money - all through their mobile phone, which they always carry whey they shop."

Loyalty link-up

Perhaps one of the most important benefits for the consumer's already-bulging wallet or purse is that the programme removes the need for physical plastic loyalty cards - the customer's mobile phone number is simply linked with a loyalty account number. The cashier enters the member's phone number at checkout and the shopper receives instant item-level savings.

At Ring Brothers Marketplace, members can also opt to receive weekly e-mails, interest-oriented text messages, event alerts, special offers and savings on a selection of items each week.

The Mobile Rewards programme is free to the consumer. Consumers in the Cape Cod area can sign up at the store. For the first four weeks (from 1st May 2006), customers enrolling in the programme will also be entered into one of four weekly sweepstakes to win a US$100 gift card valid at Ring Brothers.