CosMc’s is launching a loyalty app, a spokesperson for the company wrote in an email to Restaurant Dive. The app is currently available for download and offers consumers a variety of discounts and promotions at the snack-based McDonald’s subsidiary.
CosMc’s loyalty members earn 10 points for every dollar spent, with 400 points amounting to a $2 discount — an effective 5% discount — which the company says are stackable. Members also receive a free drink upon signing up and a free menu item on their birthdays.
The app, launched while the initial phase of CosMc’s testing continues, may indicate McDonald’s confidence in the drink-forward concept, despite its long wait times. The Golden Arches is looking for a way to compete with the customized, caffeinated beverages offered by coffee chains like Dutch Bros, Starbucks and Dunkin’.
As the brand is only available in four locations, with about five more slated to follow during this phase of testing, the loyalty app may be intended to generate buzz and help CosMc’s identify any technical issues with its digital ordering systems.
Digital ordering, particularly through loyalty apps, is especially important for QSRs. McDonald’s, for instance, is changing the funding structure of its marketing efforts to emphasize its digital channels, while Starbucks’ mobile-order-and-pay platform accounted for nearly one-third of its U.S. transactions in the most recent quarter.
CosMc’s said customers can choose to pick up orders at the drive-thru, or from an internal counter at locations that have a counter. While geofencing technology enables McDonald’s to reduce its wait times, it’s not clear how the small, drive-thru-focused CosMc’s units will adapt to advance orders.
