Birdzi, a provider of personalized digital customer engagement solutions for grocery retailers, has successfully deployed a mobile rewards app with Harps Food Stores. Harps Rewards was launched in February, following a six-month implementation, and enables the grocer to offer shoppers digital savings, personalization and enhanced shopping experiences, both in store and online. 
Faced with a new audience of online shoppers amid COVID-19, the rewards program gives Harps a platform to digitally engage shoppers and maintain loyalty amongst new and existing customers. With Harps Rewards, Birdzi arms the retailer with several tools to engage customers, including personalized ad flyers, shoppable recipes and digital coupons. As well, more targeted promotions make advertising campaigns more appealing to brands, helping to increase brands’ investment in Harps.
After evaluating solution providers, Harps selected Birdzi in February 2020 to help drive its marketing efforts through AI and personalization. In addition to Harps Rewards, Birdzi’s platform provides a roadmap for expansion as Harps’ program matures, ensuring the grocer is prepared to grow and adapt its digital initiatives with personalized ad flyers, strategic targeting and advanced shopper insights.
“There are many options out there, but with Birdzi we’re confident that we will see the best return on our investment amid the changing grocery landscape,” said David Ganoung, VP of marketing for Harps Food Stores. “After thorough conversations during the decision-making process, Birdzi felt like the natural choice to transform our digital strategies and accelerate our ongoing growth. We’re excited about the flexibility that Birdzi gives us across marketing, merchandising, pricing and beyond.”
Birdzi also helped Harps navigate local challenges the grocer was facing. This included utilizing personalized, targeted shoppable flyers and digital coupons in response to local newspapers ceasing the printing of grocery ads. As well, superstores in the area provide a high level of competition that makes a personalized, customer-centric shopping experience a must for a regional brand like Harps.
The data collected via Harps Rewards leads to the customer intelligence necessary to building and sustaining a successful digital program.
Harps can enjoy more effective marketing, curated shopper experiences and higher overall ROI. The data also helps power informed decisions in multiple areas of the organization including stealth marketing, merchandising and pricing.
“With the launch of Harps Reward, we’re excited to help empower the brand’s digital experience,” said Shekar Raman, co-founder and CEO of Birdzi. “With our platform, we strive to create value for retailers anywhere on the loyalty spectrum, be it just beginning or mature programs. Harps has had great success in attracting the newly engaged digital audience brought on by COVID-19. With a rewards program that offers shoppers a personalized experience, Harps will have the tools to maintain and grow this new audience into a highly loyal audience.”
Harps Food Stores Inc. is a 100 percent employee-owned company, which operates 114 stores across Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Kansas. Headquartered in Springdale, Arkansas, since 1930, Harps continues to grow and employs more than 5,500 associates.
