One of the largest drinks producers in the world, faced a significant challenge — lack of direct control over consumer transactions. This limitation hindered their ability to influence purchasing decisions and fully leverage the potential of consumer interactions for monetization. SoftServe Business Systems (SSBS) stepped in as a strategic partner to develop a comprehensive solution that would give the company the power to manage their consumers at every stage of their journey — from engagement to purchase and post-sale service. This long-term project involved the development of a series of web-based applications and the implementation of innovative solutions.
The Challenge
Before our collaboration, the company lacked tools for direct interaction with their consumers and control over the purchasing process in bars. Without direct access to consumer behavior data, they struggled to influence purchasing decisions and optimize promotional activities. Additionally, the absence of appropriate infrastructure made it difficult to monetize transactions effectively, resulting in missed opportunities for increased revenue and enhanced brand loyalty.
The Solution
SSBS developed a comprehensive solution that covered both on-trade and off-trade markets, allowing the company to take control of every aspect of consumer transactions. This included creating a web-based menu, a promotion management system for bars, a gamified loyalty program for consumers, and migrating the infrastructure to Microsoft Azure to ensure scalability and reliability. We also developed a custom API that integrated all the necessary solutions into a single platform, enabling the company’s partners to build their own solutions on top of this infrastructure.
Implementation: The Story of Product Development
In 2020, the company invited our team to join a project aimed at improving consumer interaction. At that time, there was an existing platform — a fan application providing team statistics and match results, but it did not allow purchases. We realized that to influence consumers directly in bars, we needed to create something more than just a mobile app.
Mobile Menu
The first version of our solution involved developing a mobile app that provided users with access to a complete list of products available at each bar. This solution allowed consumers to browse menus, select products, and immediately pay through integrated payment providers — a crucial feature that streamlined transactions and ensured user convenience. For bars, the app became a tool that increased the average order size and enhanced customer loyalty. Another important feature was the ability to collect personal data about consumers, which enabled our client to better understand user behavior and interact with them more effectively.
As the product evolved and we gathered more insights into user behavior, it became clear that we needed a more focused approach. While the full product menu served its purpose, we recognized an opportunity to enhance the user experience and make the process even more streamlined. This led to the development of the Coupons platform, the next step in our solution’s evolution.
Coupons
The evolution of our solution led to the creation of a new product — the Coupons platform, which focuses exclusively on promotions. By moving away from a full product menu, we simplified the user experience, allowing consumers to easily order promotional offers in just three clicks. This feature not only enhanced convenience for end-users but also significantly streamlined the process for our client to distribute information about active promotions across all bars worldwide.
The platform also offers a variety of promotional mechanics: consumers can receive free products, percentage discounts, or take advantage of promotions that are active only during specific hours. These promotions automatically activate and deactivate based on predefined schedules, giving the client flexibility in managing campaigns. Additionally, the system easily displays promotions that are scheduled to launch and shows countdowns to the end of current offers.
To boost user engagement, we integrated interactive elements and gamification. Consumers can participate in short surveys and earn additional bonuses in the form of gifts. This not only encourages deeper interaction with the brand but also increases customer loyalty.
Moreover, the system continues to collect personal data, allowing our client to build more effective marketing strategies and gain deeper insights into consumer preferences.
Gamified Loyalty Program
The next phase involved creating a gamified program for the off-trade market. We developed a solution that allowed consumers to scan QR codes on product packaging and participate in instant-win promotions. This not only encouraged repeat purchases but also provided the company with valuable consumer behavior data.
We launched an initiative aimed at engaging users in assessing the quality of service in bars. They could scan a QR code, take a photo of their drink, rate the service, and receive a free beverage in return for their feedback.
Then we introduced a new off-trade mechanism, adding QR codes on products, where users could instantly find out if they had won a prize by completing a survey.
Scaling and Migration
In the fall of 2023, we began scaling the platform to new markets. Simultaneously, we upgraded the functionality of the Consumer Hub, developing a new application that could be quickly adapted to different brands.
Now, it could be “rebranded” in the style of any brand within seconds, significantly improving design and user experience. This was made possible by migrating to Microsoft Azure, which provided stability and flexibility to the infrastructure.
Results and Future Plans
As a result of our product, we fully closed the loop from production to the end consumer. Today, we control all transactions with the ability to quickly scale across multiple countries. Our solutions currently cover 6,000 bars in five countries and approximately half a million users. We expect these numbers to triple by the end of the year.
If your business is looking for a reliable partner to create innovative solutions in the FMCG sector, SSBS is ready to help you reach new heights.
Contact us to learn more about what we can create together!
