Real Rewards App

We have made saving with SuperValu a breeze – the loyalty card, vouchers and coupons are ready to scan instantly at the till.

Real Rewards App

The Challenge

Real Rewards App on mobile

SuperValu, a leading name in the retail industry, partnered with us to advance their customer loyalty program through this tech-forward digital solution.

Customers expect easy and efficient way to engage with their Real Rewards loyalty program. The challenge was to enhance the user experience by streamlining how customers receive, activate, and use their loyalty rewards — all through their mobile devices.

In essence, the Real Rewards app needed to:

  • Streamline user experience by making loyalty options easily accessible.
  • Handle user surges efficiently without performance degradation.
  • Integrate smoothly with external services for vouchers, user authentication, and real-time notifications.
  • Ensure high security and compliance while safeguarding customer data.

The Solution

Laposa initiated a systematic approach to transform the Real Rewards app into a dynamic, frictionless platform for SuperValu’s massive user base.

1. Enhancing the User Experience

Laposa prioritized creating a user-friendly interface that vastly improved on the older version. The goal was to make the app intuitive by restructuring key functions.

Leveraging React Native, the app was built to offer consistent UI experiences across both iOS and Android, ensuring that all users, regardless of their platform, could easily navigate and use the app.

Real Rewards App on mobile
Real Rewards App on mobile

2. Integration with Multiple External Services

One of the biggest challenges involved syncing various external systems into one seamless workflow for the user. Laposa tackled this by employing a robust middleware solution for seamless communication between app features and third-party services:

  • Loyalty Provider Integration: Deep integration with the loyalty provider's APIs ensured real-time validation of points, rewards, and offers.
  • Identity Management: Authentication was aligned through secure connections to Musgrave's identity management provider, allowing for frictionless login and account synchronization.
  • Headless CMS: Integration with a headless content management system enabled consistent delivery of real-time promotions and campaigns across both mobile and online platforms.
  • Messaging for Real-time Alerts: Users received personalized and real-time push notifications regarding top weekly offers, rewards, and alerts to activate available coupons.

3. Middleware for Smooth Service Communication

The middleware layer acted as the bridge between the client app and several backend services, ensuring smooth data exchange with APIs, databases, and messages. This greatly mitigated any potential bottlenecks by handling:

  • Data flow management
  • API communication
  • Security encryption to comply with GDPR standards

    • 4. Smart Monitoring and Proactive Issue Resolution

    In order to minimize disruptions and handle real-time problem-solving, Laposa implemented a smart monitoring system across the Real Rewards app:

    • KPIs and System Alerts: Proactive monitoring of key health indicators, vacancy patterns, and system errors ensured rapid response to any service interruption.
    • Reduced Downtime & User Issues: Laposa’s alerting system allowed the detection of anomalies in real-time before they would impact the end user.

    Additionally, the implementation of autoscaling technology allowed the system to handle peaks in activity during high-demand periods, ensuring that users enjoyed the same high-quality experience even during promotions and holidays.

Real Rewards App on mobile
Real Rewards App on mobile

5. Scalability for Peak Periods

When building an app designed for mass usage, especially during peak shopping times, scalability is crucial.

Musgrave's loyalty system often faces spikes during holidays, sales, and promotional periods. To avoid server bottlenecks or crashes, Laposa’s team designed the app to dynamically adjust server resources. The auto-scaling of infrastructure made sure that:

  • High traffic didn’t slow down response times.
  • Resources were distributed based on peak demand periods.

This allowed the Real Rewards app to sustain reliability even during promotional events, avoiding downtime and delays for over 100K daily users.

6. Tackling Offline and Low-Reception Mode

A significant challenge was ensuring the app remained usable even when offline or in low-reception areas, as many customers frequently experienced poor mobile network coverage during shopping trips. To address this, we implemented several innovative solutions:

  • Data Caching: Critical elements such as voucher details, coupons, loyalty points, and the user's lotalty card are cached locally on the device. This ensures that even without internet connectivity, users can view their latest offers, scan their loyalty card, and see recent transactions.
  • Offline-Mode User Interface: The app intelligently switches to offline mode when a weak signal is detected, notifying users that they can still access all cached content.

    • This solution enabled users to continue benefiting from the app's features without worrying about patchy network coverage, especially in-store, where mobile reception can often be weak.

Real Rewards App on mobile

User-Centric App Features

The Real Rewards app was designed with a feature-rich interface to provide users with an intuitive and dynamic loyalty experience. Key features included:

  • Dynamic Home Screen: The most relevant components, like vouchers, coupons, and deals, are presented on the home screen, making navigation quick and intuitive.
  • Virtual Loyalty Card: Users can scan their loyalty card directly from the app at checkout, eliminating the need for physical cards.
  • Weekly Vouchers: New vouchers are automatically added every Thursday, ensuring users consistently benefit from savings.
  • Coupons Screen: Regular, product-specific coupons are available and easy to activate within the app.
  • Scan to Win: A unique feature where users can enter monthly competitions simply by scanning their loyalty card during purchases.
  • Deals Overview: Users can see all available offers, such as exclusive member prices and breakaway promotions.
  • Message Centre: A centralized location where all communications, including offers, deals, and reminders, are easily accessible.
  • My Receipts: Digital receipts are stored directly in the app, reducing the need for paper receipts while providing an easy reference for past transactions.
  • Personal Details Update: Users can edit and update their personal information inside the app.
  • My Card Integration: Users can save coupons and vouchers directly to their loyalty card, allowing them to be automatically applied during their next purchase.
  • Apple Wallet & Google Wallet Integration: Seamlessly add the Real Rewards card to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet for fast scanning at the checkout.
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Results

A significant challenge involved ensuring seamless interoperability among the different services, each with its own set of APIs and data formats.

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Increased Engagement

Over 1 million downloads to date, #9 in Shopping on the App Store and a significant increase in active users, with over 100k users engaging daily demonstrating an improved user experience.

01.

Seamless Integration and Efficiency

Seamless data synchronization between the loyalty provider, identity management, and other integral systems. Reduced transaction times at the till due to the instant activation of coupons and vouchers via the app’s wallet

02.

High Availability & Performance

Zero downtimes during peak periods thanks to dynamic autoscaling and strategic alerting systems. Rapid detection and resolution of anomalies through proactive monitoring, reducing support queries.

03.

Enhanced Customer Loyalty Features

Users have access to exclusive deals, weekly savings, and vouchers tailored to their shopping behavior, increasing their loyalty to the SuperValu brand.

04.

Conclusion

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Laposa's expertise helped SuperValu transform their Real Rewards program with a future-proof mobile app, boosting performance, efficiency, and customer satisfaction by offering instant, engaging purchasing incentives.

With a robust infrastructure and user-friendly interface, SuperValu was able to affirm its position as an industry leader in retail innovation, delivering a better shopping experience for millions of customers. Laposa’s strategic blend of advanced technology, smart integration, and dynamic scaling ensured that the Real Rewards app remains powerful, scalable, and customer-centric—delivering tangible business outcomes for Musgrave Limited.

 

Next Step

If you're looking to develop a cross-platform mobile app that delivers a smooth, user-friendly experience, while ensuring a robust backend that can handle high traffic and peak times, Laposa has the expertise to help.

From seamless third-party integrations to auto-scaling backend services, we specialize in creating apps that drive engagement and can scale with your business. Contact us today to discuss how we can bring your vision to life!


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