Loyalty Beyond the Discount
For years, the default answer to “how do we drive more visits?” has been a bigger discount. It works, until it doesn’t. Margins shrink, guests learn to wait for the deal, and the loyalty program starts to feel like a coupon book.
PAR Punchh was built to help brands think differently. Instead of leaning on blanket offers, brands can respond to what guests actually do, like a check-in, a purchase, or a lapse in visits. They can meet guests with something that feels personal and fun.
PAR Games takes that idea further. It turns everyday behavior and loyalty milestones into branded moments, from a spin-to-win tied to a limited-time offer to a VIP game for a tier upgrade. Every play also gives guests a reason to share zero-party data voluntarily. That data flows back into PAR Punchh to sharpen segmentation and personalization.
The result is more visits, more sign-ups, and more reactivation, without discounting away margin.
Built with CataBoom
Over the past year, PAR and CataBoom have worked side by side to build and grow PAR Games. CataBoom brings gamification expertise. PAR Punchh brings the guest data, real-time campaign triggers, and loyalty engine that make every game relevant to the guest playing it.
Together, that means:
- 200+ customizable game templates
- Games served automatically based on guest behavior, such as a check-in, a purchase, or a period of inactivity
- Brand control over rewards, win probabilities, and logic, with no custom development or outside agency support
Proof in Play: Smoothie King
The best case for gamified loyalty is what happens when guests actually play.
Smoothie King added PAR Games to its Healthy Rewards program across more than 1,200 locations. In the first three months, the program:
- Generated more than 2 million game plays
- Increased loyalty sign-ups by over 40%
- Reactivated lapsed guests, without relying on blanket offers or deep discounting
- Delivered a significant lift in average loyalty check among guests who engaged
As Jyoti Lynch, CIO at Smoothie King, put it:
“PAR Games has helped us take loyalty beyond earn-and-burn rewards and create more engaging experiences that motivate guests to return.”
What to Look for in Loyalty Gamification
- Is it native to your loyalty engine, or bolted on after the fact?
- Does it respond to real guest behavior in real time, or just push the same game to everyone?
- Is it proven at scale across a full brand footprint and real results?
- Is the partnership behind it deep and dedicated, or a one-off integration?
