In mere months, health and wellness brand Jamba Juice has seen 1 million transactions through an Isis mobile wallet giveaway promotion and 1 million more mobile subscribers to its loyalty rewards program. 

The brand continues the trek as it aims for 1 million more loyalty sign-ups, furthering its goal to provide a seamless and tech-first experience for its growing consumer base. Through a multi-channel and simple approach, consumers have willingly hopped on board, prepping Jamba to next extend its presence on social media in the coming months.

“The key is that we are not afraid to try new things,” said Julie S. Washington, senior vice president and chief brand officer at Jamba Juice, Cincinnati. “For instance, we piloted several loyalty program applications before landing on Spendgo.

“Our company has a mindset toward innovation and we can move quickly and set up a pilot program to test innovative technologies. Our more than 800 stores make a perfect learning lab for testing new approaches.”

A multi-channel approach
The Jamba Insider Rewards loyalty program was developed in part with Spendgo and awards members with free rewards, products and personalized offers.

To be a reward member, consumers simply input their phone numbers into terminals located at registers and their transaction is recorded.

Jamba Juice claims their enlistment rate rose quickly and outpaced the enlistment rate of other industry leaders. Given this success, the brand hopes to reach two million members by 2015.

Simultaneously but indirectly, Jamba gave away the one-millionth free beverage for its Million Free Juice or Smoothie Giveaway. Free beverages were given to customers who paid with the Isis mobile wallet in stores.

“We are obviously very pleased with the rate at which consumers signed up for our Insider Rewards loyalty program,” Ms. Washington said. “We believe it speaks to the high level of affinity our customers have for the brand as well as the ease with which they can sign in.

“We view our one million free juices and smoothie giveaway as a huge success and a win-win for us and for the mobile carriers who make up Isis. The campaign was a great way to leverage mobile to attract new customers while rewarding those who have been loyal Jamba fans for some time.”

Health enthusiasts tend to also be drawn to tech-first experiences, which are two key offerings from the brand. It is clear Jamba Juice wants to please a forward thinking consumer by offering as many technological experiences as possible to go alongside its health-conscious products.

A period of testing
Jamba Juice rolled out its new rewards program on a national level following a test from summer 2013.

The smoothie chain’s Jamba Insider Rewards program went live in Jamba Juice’s 851 stores early 2014. Using SMS and email, Jamba Juice pushes out real-time offers and deals to consumers. These customized offers are based on past purchase behavior and include free food with a drink order and coupons (see story).

Earlier in 2013, Jamba Juice tested Isis’ mobile wallet, but to convince consumers that the mobile wallet was worth it, the companies planned to incentivize the payments solution with free smoothies.

Later that year, the companies planned to give away up to 1 million free smoothies to consumers who paid with Isis. The giveaway began after Isis’s national launch, and it only applied at participating United States locations (see story).

Jamba has turned around both projects in a short time and is already seeing the benefits and exceptional responses. With the brand’s consumer base on board, Jamba can continue to expand its mobile and social efforts.

“We have a lot of things in the works, including new ways to use social media to build awareness and we continue to explore how we can leverage mobile apps to enhance the customer experience in our stores,” Ms. Washington said.

Final Take
Caitlyn Bohannon, editorial assistant for Mobile Commerce Daily, New York