Denny’s is working with Olo and Sparkfly to launch a new customer engagement suite, according to a press release issued Wednesday. Denny’s framed the partnership as a way to improve the personalization and specificity of its rewards and LTOs.
The partnership combines Sparkfly’s offer and rewards management platforms with Olo's marketing and guest data tools. Sparkfly will be the primary source of Denny’s coupons and promo codes, both in-store and online, a Denny’s spokesperson wrote in an email.
“Denny’s will be able to utilize real-time insights to cultivate unique and engaging customer experiences. The new ecosystem will provide a frictionless and digital-first user experience,” the press release states.
The partnership means Denny’s existing rewards program will now be powered by Olo, which will serve as the brand’s customer relationship management platform and customer data platform, with Sparkfly “serving as the brand's offer engine of record,” according to the spokesperson. It’s unclear quite how this will change the operations of Denny’s rewards program. Denny’s rewards program has about 5.5 million members, according to the spokesperson.
Denny’s new rewards partnership comes as brands try to improve their loyalty programs to draw more customers. Denny’s cited the hypercompetitive business environment in restaurants as a motivating factor in the partnerships. The diner chain has recently undertaken a menu overhaul, complete with a mobile “augmented reality” experience, and has been modernizing its kitchens to improve its competitiveness.