Mama Fu partnered with Punchh to create the new mobile rewards program that will fully roll out in January 2014. The Funatics mobile application will let consumers view menus, order online, track and redeem loyalty rewards and share rewards with friends.

“We already had more than 25,000 Funatics at Mama Fu’s,” said Gary Bahl, marketing director at Mama Fu’s, Austin, TX.  “Making loyalty easy for customers and operators was key to both parties using and maximizing its benefits.

“Our guests are tech-savvy and embrace technology, so migrating our card-based loyalty program to an app-based system made sense,” he said. “We know that our guests are typically busy, active families who are always on the go and that mobile is an important part of their lifestyle.

“We’ve built the Mama Fu’s brand using smart technology throughout the organization, and this is the latest way for us to continue our approach to using technology to control costs, increase productivity, create better reporting and deliver a superior guest experience. We’re always working to differentiate Mama Fu’s from the competition and having a generous and easy-to-use rewards program is part of proving a unique guest experience.”

Mama Fu’s Asian House operates 16 restaurants in the Southeastern United States.

Funatics
The Funatics loyalty program lets consumers earn one point for every dollar they spend at Mama Fu. Once consumers earn 100 points, they will receive $10 to Mama Fu.

Consumers can track and redeem these points directly within the app in real-time.

They can also locate stores and browse a menu, as well as place an order via the app. Additionally, the Funatics app has a “News and Offers” feature that lets consumers stay up to date with Mama Fu happenings.

The Funatics app also lets consumers communicate with operators through social media.

The app will be available in Apple’s App Store and Google Play.

Mobile loyalty
By appealing to its consumers via mobile, Mama Fu is able to maintain a constant presence on consumers’ smartphones, which are rarely far from consumers. This keeps Mama Fu top of mind and encourages consumers to come back for more.

It also benefits the consumers by taking away the need to carry around physical rewards cards.

Additionally, it enables Mama Fu to better understand their consumers by looking at purchase history. The restaurant operator can then better cater to its consumers with personalized offers.

“It also allows everyone to engage each other while they’re in the restaurant or later through social media,” Mr. Bahl said.. “That level of engagement and interaction heightens every aspect of the customer experience and promotes loyalty. We see the Punchh platform as a way for our guests to have more engagement with the Mama Fu’s brand as it gives them more control and easier access to their account.

“Importantly, we view the app as tool to engage with our guests beyond loyalty. Working with Punchh we are able to have a Mama Fu’s branded app with the capability to market directly to our loyal guests while keeping them informed about innovations like new menu items and exclusive promotions.”

Final Take
Rebecca Borison is editorial assistant on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York