The pace of progress has become more and more rapid in recent years. The world is more interconnected than ever, and the internet is a particularly effective tool for progress. Apps have only started to exist recently but are already heavily competing for people’s attention. Why use one app over another? Why use an app if a physical service already exists?
These are the questions that two apps have answered simply and directly. This is a breath of fresh air when compared to the manipulative tactics many other apps utilize today. These two apps are Sam’s Club and Chick-fil-a. Two businesses which already exist and are massively popular within their market. They’re also two businesses which are the most highly rated in their respective market.
Chick-fil-a, like many other food apps, is trying to get people to buy their food and to come back later. This is harder than it sounds, especially with such an oversaturation of restaurants today. Chick-fil-a does this through a simple strategy, a point system. Of course many apps use points and rewards systems, but Chick-fil-a keeps the system simple.
This is refreshing when compared to other apps which require extensive investment and time. For Chick-fil-a it’s simple, buy food and get points. The more food bought the more points gained, and points lead to free food. It’s a system which very apparently benefits the consumer as well as the business. Other apps fail to reach this balance, typically requiring too much from the consumer.
Sam’s Club takes an entirely different approach. It keeps people using the app through its utility. Specifically, the Sam’s Club app offers the Scan and Go feature. This allows customers to scan their groceries and products as they shop, checking out all at once digitally. Not only does this save time but it saves the headache of dealing with a cashier or self-checkout machine.
The trick is that Scan and Go only works with the app, requiring people to download and use it consistently. It’s this feature alongside Chick-fil-a’s point system that keeps people coming back in a positive way. They’re not overly flashy, not manipulative, and not hard to understand. Instead they just offer something customers want, and for that reason they’re loved by customers.
