Popeyes have just launched their new loyalty program, Popeyes Rewards. To y’all of my Australian based readers, Popeyes is a QSR with over 3,300 stores in the US and internationally, specialising in Southern (Louisiana) style fried chicken, amongst other things.

Because Loyalty & Reward Co staff join every loyalty program we possibly can, I naturally took it upon myself to join to explore the member experience. Also, I love fried chicken.

I was particularly interested, because we’ve previously worked with McDonald’s and as part of that engagement, conducted a global review of QSR programs and their comparable loyalty offerings.

So, how does Popeyes Rewards stack up?        

This program encompasses several best practice principles that we’ve identified as being key to a successful program. Let’s explore them one by one.

Simple

• The program is Simple to join; the join process was literally 2 fields, being an email address and my name. It took me 5 seconds to become a member. I then received an email verification (in real time) and the process was completed.
• The program is Simple to understand; both the website and the welcome email clearly outline the benefits. The member portal shows a clear progress tracker, based on the amount of points the member has earned.
• The program is Simple to engage with; although I wasn’t able to download their App in Australia, it’s clear that after registering a payment card, the member will be able to transact and earn points towards their goal.

Valuable

The value equation is clear. Members earn 10 points per $1 and the T&C’s clearly show the items that are available for redemption, along with their commensurate points values. For example, 2 biscuits are available for 150 points, which based on the above earn rate can be achieved after only $15 of spend. Therefore, the value is both understandable and achievable.

There’s a welcome bonus for all new members for a limited time period. This is in line with best practice because it helps to stimulate engagement. This isn’t hidden in any way, but rather very clear and obvious within the member profile.

There’s also an opportunity to access a special family deal that’s exclusive to Popeyes Rewards members for a two-week period. Upon purchasing that meal, members will receive a bonus of 500 points.

The member profile is already filled with a bunch of offers, including happy hour for members with $1 sides, which again reiterates member value.

Finally, the welcome email talks to the fact that bonus points are earned for all combo and family meals. Why is this important? Because many programs are quite vague about bonus points earning opportunities (as there’s typically an incremental cost to the business of providing those points). Popeyes, however, are very clear about what the members need to do to earn bonus points.

So the program is filled with value, giving consumers a very compelling reason to join. 

Stimulating

According to the program T&C’s, members will also have access to challenges and personalised offers. This is great, because post the initial buzz of the launch offers, the program must be stimulating enough for members to continue to engage with it.

Complementary

The program is quite obviously linked back to Popeyes’ Southern roots with the language they use and is contextually relevant by giving members what they want in return for their loyalty: fried chicken. Is it lunch time yet?

Final thought

Whilst Popeyes Rewards haven’t done anything ground-breaking or highly innovative, they did the most important thing. They got the fundamentals right, without in any way overcomplicating the program or the messaging. It’s clear that they’ve thought about the program design. 

This now sets them up nicely to then evolve and differentiate the program further as required. Having salivated over their fried chicken sandwiches whilst writing this blog article, I will definitely be downloading their app and ordering one next time I’m in the US.