It’s human nature to make mistakes. We all do it—some more than others (my family would love to chime in here).
And marketing is no exception to this, but is also often misunderstood in its practice. No, this is not a “feel sorry for marketing” rant. It’s actually about the root of many so-called marketing failures—and successes. Let me explain.

For restaurants and grocery businesses, the theme is always consistent—delivering a better, more personalized experience for the customer. But what does that theme actually imply for business owners?

Throughout history, businesses and entrepreneurs alike have been searching for what many have referred to as the “formula” to success. For some, that formula was thought to be hard work, determination, and a never-ending journey of chasing one’s own dreams. For others, success was a combination of right time, right place—and a lot of luck.

Okay—I’m not going to start this blog by delving into the past year. We all know that 2020 and early 2021 were horrible, so let’s leave it at that. But with light at the end of our collective tunnel vision, there is a glimmer of hope emerging that we are all about to put the worst behind us.

It takes only a minute to look around any restaurant or grocery store to know that mobile devices rule everyone’s lives. Whether it’s work-related or personal, regardless of intention or use, the mobile device is always there in people’s hands.

I cannot overstate this enough: I’m passionate about food! As a Cordon Bleu chef who has spent many happy years in restaurants as a chef, I can confidently say that I am immersed in and enjoy all things culinary-related.

Now that we’ve passed the one-year mark of the global pandemic, supporting the economy is top-of-mind for a lot of people. Undoubtedly, the restaurant sector has been hit especially hard during this challenging time. As such, we are seeing the general population rallying to support their favorite establishments.

Just a few short years ago, the term “contactless shopping” didn’t exist in common vernacular. Now we’re more than a year into a global pandemic and the term is not only commonplace—contactless shopping has also kept many businesses alive during these trying times.

Today, many people cannot survive a day, let alone an hour, without their mobile phone. And no wonder: mobile devices have become so much more than a basic communications tool. They’re also our email inboxes, cameras, alarm clocks, research tools, virtual shopping malls, and so much more.

I’m just going to come right out and say it: the business world is too caught up in being “business-y” and not focussing enough on meaningful relationships. Does that make sense? If not, it will—let me explain.

In our industry, it’s no surprise we continuously get questions and requests from restaurants and grocers about loyalty programs, and whether our platform and solutions deliver them.

The idea of the so-called “loyalty” program is an extremely odd paradigm, is it not? The concept is predicated on the idea that the more money the customer spends, the better they should feel about the relationship.