Ideal Collection

Ideal Collection is an exciting group of unique hospitality venues across Hampshire and West Sussex - each with its own individual style and atmosphere. 

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They started looking for a way to level up their old card loyalty scheme and go digital; for customers to be able to order and pay quickly using Apple or Google pay, and for a provider who could integrate with their current till infrastructure. 

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Then along came their partnership with Pepper!

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Since launching their digital solution, Ideal Collection have seen customers spending £2.54 more per transaction via the app on average across their sites, compared to traditional orders, and up to 16% of their total sales via the app.

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A couple of their venues have outdoor seating areas, such as the White Horse, which have always seen a particularly high number of orders via the app. ‘It’s really helpful’, Gen commented, ‘we’ve had feedback that it’s great to come and sit outside, kids can play in the play area, and parents don’t have to leave their table to order. They can just keep ordering drinks and food whilst watching the kids, and it makes it a much better experience that way.’ It also means no more impatient customers queuing to order and pay at the counter, and frees up time for staff to run orders and focus on the customer experience.

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However, the loyalty and marketing side of their app has been the most important aspect for Ideal Collection. 

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With over 1600 active users last month, and almost 5500 customers using the app over the summer, it’s easy to see why the app is so appealing for users. Their generous digital loyalty scheme allows customers to earn great rewards from each and every visit - starting with 10% off after their first visit, to a free afternoon tea after their fifth.

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When it comes to their promotions and offers, Oliver and Gen noted that all of Ideal Collection’s promotions are run via the app, and have seen great success from their most recent one rewarding their existing customer base. Customer that had visited in the last six to twelve months were offered £40 off when spending £100, which was redeemed by a whopping 396 customers; and customers who had visited more than twelve months ago were offered 30% off, being redeemed by over 150 customers - demonstrating the power that their app has in tempting back previous customers and encouraging repeat visits.

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Last year, they ran a festive ‘12 Days of Christmas’ campaign via their app - giving away 12 free gifts in the lead up to Christmas when customers signed up and used an exclusive code. ‘It was great from a brand awareness point of view - it was done well, it looked great, and I think sometimes that’s enough,’ said Oliver. ‘Looking forward, we’ll be doing something that’s going to impact the next quarter, i.e. January, February and March - almost like a bounce back.’

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Hospitality businesses, such as Ideal Collection, are also seeing their app as not just an ordering, loyalty and payment solution - but a powerful marketing platform and opportunity to sell space, because their loyal customer base already frequently use it. They chose to team up with a local garage to advertise via the app, because ‘it’s about trying to give more worth to the app and giving another reason to log onto it, even if you’re not in one of our venues,’ Oliver explained, ‘If you’re an Ideal app customer then it opens up the door to other lifestyle businesses with similar values and beliefs.’

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Oliver concluded by saying ‘I really enjoy working with Pepper, since we joined Tom has been awesome. It’s very good. Out of all of the systems I use, and we’ve got a lot of third party systems, I think it’s the best customer service that we have.’

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The Pepper team love working with a brand as unique and innovative as Ideal Collection, and look forward to continuing our partnership!