Challenges and Objectives
- Deduplication of profiles
- Accurate customer segmentation
- Seamless data integration
- Engaging targeted communication
Implementation:
- Smooth onboarding and ongoing management of Platinum Club members
- Deduplication process to identify existing customers and update their profiles with the new Platinum Club status
Results
- 31% higher table spend by Platinum Club members vs Gold Club members
- 16% higher opt-in rate by Platinum Club members vs Gold Club members
- 62% higher average visit from Platinum Club members vs Gold Club members
- Platinum Club makes up 13% of total spend for 2024, despite the total members making up only 0.3% of Gusto Italian’s total database
Background
Gusto Italian, founded in 2005, is a family of 14 Italian restaurants located across the UK. Their reward scheme, Gold Club, has been a successful tool for building customer loyalty, but the brand was looking to elevate their guests' experience further, so in 2024, they introduced Platinum Club. The newly launched scheme encompasses all the benefits of Gold Club membership, with the added rewards of 40% off food for the cardholder and up to 3 guests in the out-of-city Gusto Italian restaurants.
There are two sides of the loyalty coin: what guests want and what businesses want. The question is, how do you make it work for both sides?
Implementation
To implement the new Platinum Club, Gusto Italian needed to effectively segment customers and target them with engaging personalised communication. Acteol CRM helped turn this idea into success in a very short time.
Deduplication and data management
The integration for Platinum Club involved receiving customer information at signup, assigning them to their new status and triggering a welcome campaign containing a unique voucher code for the customer to enjoy. Platinum Club members are (on many occasions) existing Gusto Italian customers, so the deduplication process was an important step in detecting these contacts and updating their new status to an existing profile. With Acteol, Gusto Italian could easily access a list of all members via the Single Customer View, as well as identify Platinum Club customers' ongoing engagement, which builds a picture of how they differ from Gold Club customers.
Campaigns
To maximise engagement, Gusto Italian leveraged Acteol's Automated Campaigns feature to deliver tailored communications that stand out from Gold Club messaging. This involved building a strategic customer flow for Platinum Club subscribers - one that included personalised welcome campaigns, exclusive offers, and dynamic updates on their cashback balance. By housing all customer data in one central location, Gusto Italian could effectively target existing customers for Platinum Club sign-ups and ensure consistent messaging across all touchpoints.
Results
Platinum Club has delivered impressive results, exceeding expectations in driving both engagement and revenue growth for the brand - Platinum Club received more than 1,000 signups in its first week alone.
Exceptional member engagement
With the introduction of Platinum Club, Gusto Italian recorded that 91% of its members have visited a venue since signing up for the scheme. Analysis of customer purchasing data also revealed that these members not only dine more frequently but also spend more on each visit, consistently selecting higher-value items.
Significant revenue growth
From the programme launch in February 2024 to the end of August, the annual average table spend for Platinum Club members is 134% higher than those who are not part of any Gusto Italian loyalty scheme.
Effective communication strategy
The personalised welcome campaigns and targeted offers have resonated strongly with Platinum Club members, achieving an open rate 79% higher than the industry benchmark, while Platinum Club birthday campaign boasts an open rate 55% higher than the benchmark.
We have spent a lot of time trying to understand loyalty. Our feedback from guests was that they didn't want to work hard to access having a special relationship with us. Acteol helped us create this exclusive experience that our customers absolutely love. The results have been beyond our expectations – increased visits, higher spending, and a real sense of community among our Platinum Club members. We're thrilled with the results and look forward to continuing our partnership with Access.
-Kat Schofield, Sales & Marketing Director
