How Using Technology To Solve Problems Can Lead To Brand Loyalty

Today I am Kate Middleton. And after a few jabs of my finger, I have three people running around after me making my breakfast—and I couldn't be happier. I'm not at the Palace or one of the Royal country retreats, but in a Tossed store downstairs from the office. It's been the third time in a row I've been there and all because they identified and solved their biggest problem—ordering my food.

For those who haven't been to a Tossed before, it's a place that sells healthy food that isn’t boring. Or so that brand tells you. But the way you buy the food is a little more complicated. Let me explain.

• To start, you join a (usually large) queue.
• You can then order from a board full of options featuring all kinds of ways to choose individual ingredients and 'personalize your meal.'
• Once you have placed your order, they give you a celebrity name—so they can shout out your order. And this actually gives you a fun opportunity to share something on social media—even if it is a picture of a receipt.
• You then queue up again (in another queue) while you await your celebrity given name to be shouted. Which can be pretty embarrassing (‘JUSTIN BIEBER!’) or rather flattering (‘Here’s your wrap, Mr. Clooney.’)

The food is good, but ordering always felt like a hassle with the celeb-naming-queue-system. I did it once and enjoyed my food, but never went back. Until they filled the store with iPads (that do the hard bit for you.) So I tried again. The store was empty, due to efficiency, not a lack of interest. So I curiously popped inside. It was a dream. Everything was laid out very simply. The user experience was faultless and I could find exactly what I wanted without pressure of someone tutting behind me or not seeing my favorite ingredients on a board full of everything they did. I ordered a salad, which I could choose exactly what went in it. I was on a roll. So I also decided to have a smoothie. Crazy I know, but it was right there and again, I could choose my own ingredients. One tap of the finger, and another tap of my card, and I was ready to collect my order. Within seconds I was positively responding to a cry for ‘Ryan Gosling!' And left to eat my lunch.

What I love about the experience now is that technology has transformed it into something that helps me get what I want quicker, while removing any pressure or feeling of being in fairly confusing queues. It’ll keep me going back way more than a stamped card to get a free coffee. Where most brands use technology to bring some theatre to the in-store experience, Tossed used it to a much greater effect as an integral part of the ordering system—taking the familiarity and ease of buying online directly into the store. Not only does it help efficiency, but it also says a lot about the brand and how it embraces technology to offer you a true benefit. It’s a brave move on their part, but goes to show if you identify the barriers to buying, you can find innovative ways to transform how people connect with your brand and buy it more often too.

Contributed by: Martin Homet, Integer London

Image Source: ShopPic^TM