Evolving loyalty for 59 million consumers, from transactional to emotional
I designed a consumer vision for restaurant loyalty, then built toward it on both restaurant and guest sides. The Local by Toast app's value prop today — "support local, get rewarded" — carries that vision forward.
Toast / 1 designer (me), 2 PMs, 4 eng, 1 UX researcher / 3 months
42%
of app downloads are from Loyalty
5.8%
increase in avg visit frequency
Evolving loyalty for 59 million consumers, from transactional to emotional
I designed a consumer vision for restaurant loyalty, then built toward it on both restaurant and guest sides. The Local by Toast app's value prop today — "support local, get rewarded" — carries that vision forward.
Toast / 1 designer (me), 2 PMs, 4 eng, 1 UX researcher / 3 months
42%
of app downloads are from Loyalty
5.8%
increase in avg visit frequency
(A little context before we start.)
Toast helps 164,000+ restaurants run their businesses. Local by Toast is its consumer food ordering app.
Its other products span point of sale, operations, digital ordering, marketing, and payroll. I work on the Marketing Suite, which helps restaurants turn guests into regulars.
(A little context before we start.)
Toast helps 164,000+ restaurants run their businesses. Local by Toast is its consumer food ordering app.
Its other products span point of sale, operations, digital ordering, marketing, and payroll. I work on the Marketing Suite, which helps restaurants turn guests into regulars.
Problem
Toast had millions more loyalty members than Starbucks, but most had never opened the Local by Toast app.
Consumers with loyalty accounts transact 41% more frequently than those without, with 14 million transactions a week across Toast restaurants. But we weren't converting that volume into app growth: rewards were too limited and the experience was too disjointed.
Problem
Toast had millions more loyalty members than Starbucks, but most had never opened the Local by Toast app.
Consumers with loyalty accounts transact 41% more frequently than those without, with 14 million transactions a week across Toast restaurants. But we weren't converting that volume into app growth: rewards were too limited and the experience was too disjointed.
Restaurants could only offer one reward, and there was little delight in the disjointed experience
Restaurants could only offer one reward, and there was little delight in the disjointed experience
Restaurants could only offer one reward, and there was little delight in the disjointed experience
Insight
Value brings consumers in. Choice and community keep them coming back.
I co-led research sprints with 30 consumers and restaurant operators, combining foundational interviews with concept testing. The findings mapped to a clear progression: momentum toward rewards as table stakes, flexibility as the unlock, community as the differentiator.
Insight
Value brings consumers in. Choice and community keep them coming back.
I co-led research sprints with 30 consumers and restaurant operators, combining foundational interviews with concept testing. The findings mapped to a clear progression: momentum toward rewards as table stakes, flexibility as the unlock, community as the differentiator.
“
In a world where no one is a regular anymore, [a good loyalty program] makes you feel like you matter.
Harley, consumer
“
In a world where no one is a regular anymore, [a good loyalty program] makes you feel like you matter.
Harley, consumer
We tested different loyalty concepts — tiers, subscriptions, challenges — solo and with social aspects
We tested different loyalty concepts — tiers, subscriptions, challenges — solo and with social aspects
We tested different loyalty concepts — tiers, subscriptions, challenges — solo and with social aspects
The best loyalty programs win with what Toast's local restaurants are uniquely positioned to do: make consumers feel like regulars.
The best loyalty programs win with what Toast's local restaurants are uniquely positioned to do: make consumers feel like regulars.
“
Giving choice gains buy-in. Just a free coffee every time just seems transactional. Giving them something they truly love has a little more emotion involved.
Craig, restaurant operator
“
Giving choice gains buy-in. Just a free coffee every time just seems transactional. Giving them something they truly love has a little more emotion involved.
Craig, restaurant operator
Solution
I designed the full consumer experience to turn casual diners into regulars, then built toward it: first for restaurants, then for consumers.
Across digital and physical touchpoints, the app vision is anchored in momentum, flexibility, and emotional connection. Designed in the new consumer design system.
Solution
I designed the full consumer experience to turn casual diners into regulars, then built toward it: first for restaurants, then for consumers.
Across digital and physical touchpoints, the app vision is anchored in momentum, flexibility, and emotional connection. Designed in the new consumer design system.
Before consumers could choose their rewards, restaurants had to be able to offer more than one.
Any changes to loyalty touch 10+ products owned by different teams, so the vision needed a scoped first step. I designed a restaurant-facing beta program that introduced multiple rewards (#1 most requested feature), including options like free items. It became the most-joined pilot at Toast that year, with 500+ restaurants participating.
Before consumers could choose their rewards, restaurants had to be able to offer more than one.
Any changes to loyalty touch 10+ products owned by different teams, so the vision needed a scoped first step. I designed a restaurant-facing beta program that introduced multiple rewards (#1 most requested feature), including options like free items. It became the most-joined pilot at Toast that year, with 500+ restaurants participating.
From there, I redesigned the consumer entry point: the web tracking page responsible for the majority of app downloads.
Linked directly from every loyalty email and SMS, the web page is where most consumers start before they're ready to commit to a download. I brought it to consumer standard by making it easier to complete key tasks like checking in, completing your profile, and seeing your rewards history.
From there, I redesigned the consumer entry point: the web tracking page responsible for the majority of app downloads.
Linked directly from every loyalty email and SMS, the web page is where most consumers start before they're ready to commit to a download. I brought it to consumer standard by making it easier to complete key tasks like checking in, completing your profile, and seeing your rewards history.
Impact
Multiple rewards is driving more engagement on both sides, and the consumer vision I designed is still shaping the app today.
Impact
Multiple rewards is driving more engagement on both sides, and the consumer vision I designed is still shaping the app today.
Restaurant impact
Multiple rewards led to a 5.8% increase in avg visit frequency.
Zooming into the first restaurant on the alpha: loyalty program engagement up 29%, member retention up 311% in 30 days.
Restaurant impact
Multiple rewards led to a 5.8% increase in avg visit frequency.
Zooming into the first restaurant on the alpha: loyalty program engagement up 29%, member retention up 311% in 30 days.
“
[Our staff is feeling] so much relief. They actually hated the system before [of working around the reward limit], and now they like it!
Jim, restaurant operator (first Alpha customer)
“
[Our staff is feeling] so much relief. They actually hated the system before [of working around the reward limit], and now they like it!
Jim, restaurant operator (first Alpha customer)
Consumer impact
Loyalty now drives 42% of app downloads.
The web tracking page has become the top acquisition channel for the app. A subsequent app download CTA update, made possible by the redesign, pushed click-through rates from 3% to 9%.
Consumer impact
Loyalty now drives 42% of app downloads.
The web tracking page has become the top acquisition channel for the app. A subsequent app download CTA update, made possible by the redesign, pushed click-through rates from 3% to 9%.
Strategic impact
The app team is now targeting growing monthly active users more than 3x through loyalty, with positioning and features inspired by this work.
Strategic impact
The app team is now targeting growing monthly active users more than 3x through loyalty, with positioning and features inspired by this work.
Top reasons power users stay with the Local by Toast app
45%
financial value (offers, rewards)
22%
supporting local businesses
Top reasons power users stay with the Local by Toast app
45%
financial value (offers, rewards)
22%
supporting local businesses
Toast's current in-app loyalty experience
Toast's current in-app loyalty experience
Toast's current in-app loyalty experience
Keep reading
Keep reading
Keep reading