Nando's speeds up mobile takeout

According to Brandon Meszaros, managing director of DigitalMobile, “Having established a good working relationship with Nando's over the years and having known them to be a brand that is on the forefront of innovative methods in engaging their customers, we presented them with the idea of creating a Nando's ‘MobiZone'. This concept allows customers to find their nearest franchise, download menu's and even enter and participate in competitions all via a mobile phone.”

The application created by DigitalMobile is focused on delivering a single platform that allows users to access Nando's content on the Internet. Meszaros continues, “The DigitalMobile solution for Nando's is based on a push strategy, whereby users need to SMS the word ‘Nandos' to 32141 and from here they are sent a website link that allows them to download relevant Nando's information directly onto their mobile phones. This approach ensures that no matter where a customer is based, whether there is an Internet connection or not, they can access up-to-date information on the franchise.

“Furthermore, the strength of this solution is that our technology allows us to see what model of phone the customer is using, no matter how new or old, and then deliver the content in the appropriate format so that it is completely customised. So any Nando's customer can use this innovative mobile platform.”

According to Tracey Catania, National CRM Manager at Nando's: “With the proliferation of mobile phones in South Africa it makes sense to utilise this technology to further engage customers and allow them to interact with our brand. Certainly, the fact that a mobile phone is not hindered by location or cables ensures that our customer base is able to remain in contact with us anywhere and at anytime.”

“The DigitalMobile Solution created for us is now in its second version and over the last eight months we have seen a good uptake of this service from our customer base, who appreciate the ability to interact with us when they choose and on their terms. Nando's has seen the value of mobile marketing, which allows us to engage with a very large base in a cost effective manner, using our customer's communication device of choice - their mobile phone - in a focused and personalised manner,” adds Catania.

Continues Meszaros: “Mobile applications are certainly a key driver for many business and technology strategy decisions in 2008. With the uptake and acceptance of Web 2.0 we are now seeing the market move towards developing mobile solutions that can be used across platforms and can offer flexible personalised communication with users/customers and this trend will continue to dominate both the marketing and technology space in the coming years.”

“There is no doubt that today the mobile platform has created a strong mechanism for interacting with customers and certainly our experience has shown that the 18-35 year old age group is very receptive to most forms of mobile communication. Companies that are not using this communication device to engage with their customers and drive greater loyalty or brand connection need to strongly consider what the impact of ignoring this channel will be for them in the future.”