Church’s Chicken is fueling more engagement on its mobile application with a suite of new features, including access to a music streaming channel, instant win promotions and branded photo filters, showcasing the importance of enhancing loyalty apps.

The quick service restaurant chain’s latest app iteration consists of a slew of upgrades designed to improve navigation, appearance and integration with discounts and offers. Users will also be able to participate in its Fanta Flava Craze promotion by uncovering instant-win codes on Fanta drinks and inputting them into the app for a chance to win music streaming subscriptions, branded gear, food prizes and other incentives.

“The Fanta brand helps provide the brand awareness and core values that our guests connect so deeply with,” said Kira Clayborne, senior manager of digital media at Church’s Chicken. “Helping tie the Church’s brand together with Fanta really highlights the similarities in values and insights to help make this promotion successful.

“The app then helps amplify that message and the continued connection to the brand,” she said. “Yes, downloads for the app come with the redemption process of our codes, but we hope that it opens the eyes of our guests to the technology.

“These opportunities that our app has to offer for our guests just need trial, and this program will help drive guests comprehensively through our digital ecosystem, in turn becoming more loyal guests.”

Heating up mobile connections
Church’s Chicken is aiming to shift its mobile app toward a more lifestyle-oriented and photo-centric destination. The updated app now has tabs dedicated to rewards, savings, photo filters and music, in addition to staple features such as feedback surveys, menu information and location finders.

Fans will be able to partake in the Fanta Flava Craze promotion by purchasing Fanta beverages at Church’s Chicken restaurants and inputting the instant-win codes into the designated pop-up window. This will give individuals the opportunity to snag prizes such as branded gear and music streaming subscriptions.

With music streaming enjoying its zenith of popularity – particularly among millennials and younger audiences – other quick service restaurant chains may want to hop on the bandwagon and also begin offering subscriptions to Spotify, Pandora or Apple Music as part of their sweepstakes giveaways.

Church’s Chicken app users will receive access to a plethora of Fanta Craze perks, including the #FlavaCraze music streaming channel. The channel allows users to listen to songs themed in accordance with Church’s Chicken’s menu items. For example, many of the featured songs’ titles include the word “chick” or “hot.”

Consumers can click on the iTunes icon to purchase any song.

“We came to realize that people spend much of their day on their phones in mid-commute or for distraction,” Ms. Clayborne said. “Church’s wanted to be able to keep the connection between the guest and their world from outside our restaurants throughout the transaction.

“Adding this interactive piece of streaming music allows for the guest to smoothly transition from their world into ours. Creating an engaging, free platform and opportunity to explore what Church’s has to offer is honestly our pleasure to help provide the experience that guests are craving.”

Additionally, several Fanta-themed graphics and icons will be available within the app’s photo filter tab.

The app update will pave the way for future rewards integrations and first glimpses at upcoming events and promotions.

Leveraging continuous updates
Quick service restaurant chains with significant customer followings may find value in continuously introducing updated features into their apps.

While the standard mobile ordering, location finding and nutritional information is imperative for any chain’s digital platform, interactive tools such as music streaming and downloadable filters or GIFs can hit a home run with users.

Last January, Church’s Chicken delved deeper into mobile rewards by letting customers earn savings, offers and coupons through a new mobile application (see story).

More than 190,000 consumers have downloaded the app since then, with more users likely to jump onboard following the new update.

The app launch was also followed up with a promotion in partnership with Coca-Cola that allowed consumers to enter promotional codes found on bottle caps into the quick service chain’s app for a chance to win prizes (see story).

“Owned technology, such as our app, and even Web platforms, is so important to ‘building’ the guests’ trust and creating a relationship,” Ms. Clayborne said. “Comprehensively, all of the features are important to the guests’ experiences and work as a delicate ecosystem.

“There have been improvements to many of our functionalities, but we are most excited about what our music streaming and photo filter add-ons can do for our guests’ experiences, both for themselves and their families.”