Graeter’s Ice Cream, family owned craft ice cream maker since 1870, has announced plans to go digital with a loyalty program partnership with Punchh. This year, the brand will roll out its digital rewards program, allowing Graeter’s and scoop shop guests the ability to enjoy seamless customer engagement via mobile, web, POS, email and SMS platforms. The new app will be available for download in the Apple app store and Google Pay beginning February 2019.

With the new app, Graeter’s can improve the appeal of the brand’s rewards program to cross-generational Graeter’s fans. The new app was designed to be exceptionally user-friendly, and is accepted at all scoop shop locations.

“We’re excited to take our traditional rewards program into the 21st century,” says Chip Graeter, fourth-generation owner of Graeter’s Ice Cream. “The transition will help scoop shop guests manage their rewards at the touch of a fingertip. It’s a streamlined way for us to celebrate our fans and their special days more consistently.”

The Graeter’s team selected Punchh because of its on-demand, best-in-class cloud technology, which will help Graeter’s transform its digital rewards program into winning opportunities across the guest lifecycle. Graeter’s will use Punchh’s Marketing Cloud, which offers machine-learning capabilities for segmentation and personalization, enabling the company to better engage customers with tailored coupons, promotions and other relevant, timely communication. Moreover, Punchh’s secure data collection and rich behavioral analytics will help Graeter’s better understand their customers and nurture key relationships.

While the Graeter’s reward card will become inactive within Q1 of 2019, scoop shop guests will be able to migrate their current rewards account to maintain point balances and banked rewards. Following the migration, scoop shop guests will still be able to access their rewards in store with the phone number linked to their new accounts.

“Graeter’s is an iconic ice cream brand beloved by many, and using our technology will allow them to form even deeper connections with existing customers by truly understanding the way each guest relates to the brand,” says Shyam Rao, Punchh CEO. “This allows Graeter’s to add tangible value to every customer visit, and consequently turn sporadic guests into loyalists with meaningful lifetime value.”