Debuting a new logo and look, Paytronix, a loyalty technology provider, signals to the industry that loyalty has changed, and that brands need to think differently on how to keep guests engaged.  

The company, which launched its restaurant loyalty program more than 20 years ago, said it’s positioned to help clients better align all of the parts that make up the digital customer engagement ecosystem, to power the industry into the future.

“We introduced digital loyalty to the restaurant industry more than 20 years ago. Then, in 2019, we entered online ordering, as it was still a small part of the market,” Paytronix CEO Andrew Robbin said in a statement. “Now, technologies such as loyalty and online ordering are key pieces of the technology stack for any brand. The question is: How do you best use the data these tools provide to keep guests engaged and returning? To do that, brands must align all components of their digital guest engagement platform, and that’s what our teams of experts are doing.”

Tools such as loyalty, online ordering, marketplace management and mobile apps became lifelines early in the pandemic. Today, brands are working to get more out of their investments, focusing on interacting personally with guests, at scale, by providing the right incentives at the right time through the right channels to drive engagement and revenue, according to the release.

“Loyalty programs need to continue to evolve to ensure that we are meeting our core guest expectations so that they want to continue engagement with us via our surprise and delight model,” Darin Dugan, CMO of Jimmy John’s said in the release. “That means gamification programs such as badges that give us, at the brand level, the opportunity to encourage deeper engagement.”

Jimmy Johns recently updated its Freaky Fast Rewards program to be more gamified and experiential by launching achievement badges. One badge, The Gauntlet, is earned when a member purchases all 25 of Jimmy John’s core menu sandwiches by March 15. Those that complete the challenge could earn a Jimmy Chips beanbag chair.

“We’re developing a truly fun relationship with our guests, and we could only do that by using the right technology and having a great team behind us,” said Dugan.