Founded in 1977 in Chicago, Potbelly Sandwich Shop is known for its toasted sandwiches, soups, salads, and shakes. Potbelly has quickly expanded across the United States with over 400 locations. Offering a cozy, nostalgic atmosphere, Potbelly prides itself on using high-quality ingredients and serving up made-to-order sandwiches with a variety of tasty toppings. Their menu includes classics like the “Wreck” and “Mamas Meatballs” alongside innovative options, catering to diverse tastes and preferences.
Potbelly faced the challenge of modernizing their loyalty program to meet evolving customer expectations and stay competitive in the restaurant industry. Their previous loyalty program, while functional, was outdated and lacked customization and flexibility. Customers had to accumulate a high number of points before they could redeem rewards, limiting their engagement with the program and lessening its effectiveness as a marketing tool. Additionally, the loyalty program was not seamlessly integrated into the digital customer experience, making it less visible and less impactful.
To address the known challenges, Potbelly partnered with Bottle Rocket, to revamp Potbelly’s loyalty program, and transition it to a bankable Coins program that prioritized simplicity and personalized rewards. The new solution involved strategic collaboration with Paytronix, a loyalty platform provider, to restructure the program’s mechanics and introduce innovative features. Through a data-driven analysis of customer behavior and preferences, the team identified opportunities to enhance the program’s appeal and increase its effectiveness.
Bottle Rocket also facilitated collaboration between Potbelly‘s marketing and tech teams, fostering alignment and efficient execution of the project goals. Throughout the process, extensive user research and testing were conducted to validate design decisions and refine the user experience. The team leveraged qualitative and quantitative data insights to optimize the loyalty program’s functionality and drive customer satisfaction.
