With a reputation for delicious seafood, Norway has achieved extraordinary success marketing its salmon as a delicacy, perfect for raw consumption as sushi, even in countries like Japan which traditionally simply did not eat raw salmon. Sushi of course originated in South East Asia with Japan the most famous market for its love of this healthy food, and countries around the world are now increasingly enjoying it too.
Sabrura Sushi was launched in Norway in recent years and the brand already boasts sixteen restaurants as well as an innovative eCommerce channel launched in late 2019. As well as allowing their customers to pre-order and pre-pay, the business decided to also introduce a simple and effective digital loyalty programme to recognise their most loyal customers, who they call Goldfish. In this article, we are showcasing the key features and benefits that Sabrura Sushi created for sushi-loving, digitally-savvy consumers.
Sabrura Sushi created an app to connect with and reward their loyal customers
Simplicity & Sabrura Sushi
The Sabrura app has been designed as a simple platform that appeals to customers who love the simplicity of sushi.
Firstly, here are the features and benefits they offer all of their members:
- Every 10th sushi buffet is free.
- Every member enjoys a birthday treat which is currently a generous offer of two-for-one on their famous buffet – combining the enjoyment of sushi while spending time with a friend or family member.
- Every Friday, members are entered in to a game to win a free sushi buffet, or even some simple consolation prizes.
- Students also enjoy 10% off anytime they eat.
As well as this programme of benefits that every member enjoys, Sabrura’s most valuable customers can easily become a VIP Goldfish. Here are the ways they can earn their “stars” and enjoy elite status:
- Members earn a star for every friend they refer to join the programme.
- They enjoy a star for every visit once they spend over 100 NOK (approximately $11).
- Anyone who earns over ten stars in ninety days becomes a top tier member and enjoy these great extra benefits:
- Discounted sushi buffet every time they visit
- Free coffee when they purchase a meal
- They are also entered in to an engaging game each week with a chance to win a generous 2 for 1 sushi buffet coupon!
- Gold status lasts for ninety days, so only regular customers can achieve and maintain these benefits by remaining loyal.
Upgrading & Connecting
One of the key success factors for this programme is that the team have ensured a simple journey to upgrade their existing loyal customers to their digital programme.
In the past, customers had been presenting a paper loyalty stamp card to keep track of their visits and earn rewards, so diners are encouraged and incentivised to download the app, earn an instant reward for that and also have their stamps transferred to the new digital programme in the restaurant right there on the spot. The approach is simply to scan a QR code in the app and activate their coupons. Easy and enjoyable!
In addition to this upgrade option, Sabrura have created a whole life cycle of customer communications, from welcome messages when onboarding new members through to relevant messages that continue through the entire customer journey, using our automated communication feature.
A Solution for Unexpected Times
The Covid pandemic has certainly accelerated the importance of digital solutions such as eCommerce for restaurants like Sabrura Sushi, and their digital channel is also proving useful to record their diner’s details in the event that an infection is detected.
The need to “track and trace” restaurant diners has been in force since May for many countries, becoming mandatory in the UK in September 2020, however some countries, including Norway, have struggled to protect consumer’s privacy, increasing the awareness of the need for secure tools, “handling consent” in a way that is both GDPR compliant and yet allows customers to manage their own data in a way they trust.
Regardless of the current pandemic, demand has truly accelerated for digital solutions that make life easier for diners. Sabrura Sushi is a great restaurant chain that we admire for offering innovative channels for customers to order and connect.
In our view, the next step for this programme would be to add “payment linked loyalty”, where members can simply save their payment details securely within the app and earn their stars and stamps effortlessly from then on by simply paying with the same card. We’ll certainly report back if and when that is launched.
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About Us:
Liquid Barcodes is a leading global loyalty and digital marketing technology company specialising in the convenience store and foodservice industries. Our proprietary cloud-based technology platform allow retailers to create and manage their digital marketing campaigns with a proprietary process we call the “customer connection cycle’ to engage, promote and reward customers activities in real-time across digital and media channels.
How we do it:
We have developed the most advanced loyalty and digital marketing technology platform specifically for convenience store and foodservice retailers globally.
Retailers use our self-service dashboard to create and manage loyalty driven marketing campaigns that increase purchases with their existing customers, as well as effectively target and acquire new customers through partners or paid media channels.
One core component of live loyalty is gamification. We have gamified branding, loyalty and promotions. We believe this approach is essential in order to get customers’ attention and ultimately truly engage them with repeatable actions thereby winning their loyalty.
Check out some of our exciting/proven results here:
About Me:
Chief Content Officer, Liquid Barcodes and Independent Loyalty Consultant
With over twenty-five years marketing experience, I specialise in loyalty marketing consulting, managing consumer loyalty propositions, strategy and operations. In addition to working with Liquid Barcodes, my clients have included Telefonica O2 Priority, Three Mobile, Electric Ireland, Allied Irish Bank and The Entertainer Group (UAE), as well as Avios – the global points currency for some of the world’s top airlines. I am also a former judge for the Loyalty Magazine Awards and host of the “Let’s Talk Loyalty” podcast.
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