Caffè Nero App

Over the past two years I have acquired a taste for coffee. Well, I say coffee when what I really mean is a calm and comfortable environment to go and read my book in, which usually comes in the form of a cafe.

Being a huge fan of apps (surprising, I know), when I saw that Starbucks had one which acts as a loyalty card as well as a way to pay for your drink, I had to try it. I found myself in a constant battle with it and some mystery password I had set. Every time I went to reset the password I realised why I couldn't remember it. 10 uppercase letters, one special character and an entry fee of a small elephant was needed for an acceptable password. You can also only load 'chunks' of money onto the app, like you would do with a gift card. These two sticking points caused me to revert back to just using my bank card to pay and to not bother collecting any loyalty points. 

Fortunately for me I had an excellent experience with the Caffè Nero app. So much so that Caffè Nero is now my cafe of choice, it makes my purchases so convenient and generously awards me for my loyalty. The experience is smooth, it directly links to my bank card so no separate loading of money as it just takes the money required from my bank. I can choose if I am using the app to pay and collect a loyalty stamp, or just collect stamps, giving me flexibility in my purchase method.

I want to call out how they have not reinvented their loyalty card but made a digital representation of it, and have done this very well. The stamps that adorn my digital loyalty card sit slightly off centre and at different angles as if a human has stamped it rather than a computer. By keeping the visuals of the card itself, it gels the physical and digital versions together. This makes conversion from using a physical card to the app incredibly smooth and clear for the user.

In terms of hierarchy the app understands that my main function is to pay or collect a stamp from an external payment, so this is the first screen I am put on - not the loyalty card itself. Caffè Nero has observed that their users get their wallet out and then their loyalty card, you can tell that they have properly studied their customer journey. On this first panel, there is a handy reminder of how many stamps I have collected on my active loyalty card, so you don't need to switch to the next panel to check, everything you need to know is in one place.

On payment you are moved over to the next panel where your loyalty card lives to watch your stamps being applied. The animation of the stamp is well timed, allowing you to register that you are receiving something. The user goes from scanning a barcode/QR code in the app and their screen pointing away from them to bringing it back to face them, which has been accounted for.

It isn't just about you. When you have filled a loyalty card Caffè Nero give you the option to gift it to a friend, what a wonderful idea and a fantastic way to get more people through the door. This could be gifted to someone you see everyday or someone hundreds of miles away. With the loyalty card being digital you can treat someone regardless of their proximity to you, it just depends on if they have access to the app and a Caffè Nero itself.

Sourced from: https://caffenero.com/uk/the-app/

Seasonal events are celebrated in the Caffè Nero app. At both Christmas and Easter something a bit extra was introduced into the app. Taking Christmas as an example, after each purchase (that includes a hot drink) a cracker appears on your screen. To open this cracker you can either shake your phone (which was my chosen option as it is much more fun) or you can tap the screen. On opening, a cute animation of the cracker splitting plays and you either receive a cracker joke, or what you were really after - a prize. The prizes range from a bonus stamp for your loyalty card to a trip for two to Milan!

Caffè Nero have done a fabulous job with this app. They have delivered a robust, smooth and exciting experience which couldn't have been done without a deep understanding of their user.