Mobivity and Subway to Showcase Blockchain-Powered Mobile Ordering Via RCS Messaging at Mobile World Congress
PHOENIX, Feb. 22, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mobivity Holdings Corp. (OTCQB:MFON), makers of the award-winning platform that increases customer visits and spend in restaurants, retail, and personal care brands, today announced they would be previewing the next generation of mobile communications and commerce at Mobile World Congress, taking place February 25th through March 1st at Fira Gran Via in Barcelona, Spain. As part of Google’s Early Access Program, long-time Mobivity client and partner Subway, Mobivity will showcase the interactive abilities of the Rich Communications Services (RCS) messaging standard to allow customers to find a store, view, select, refine and order Subway menu items without ever needing to leave a ‘text’ message conversation. This fun, dynamic and interactive technology makes it incredibly easy for customers to get what they want using the conversational simplicity of messaging and tap-to-select actions, while a blockchain ledger lays the foundation for future loyalty and cryptocurrency applications.
Last year, Mobivity joined Google’s Early Access Program and is now among the first to bring RCS experiences to market. RCS, as part of the new GSMA Universal Profile for Advanced Messaging industry standard, represents the next step in the evolution of SMS/MMS, and provides businesses with a new way to engage and serve customers. Unlike mobile apps, many of which are never used shortly after download, RCS reaches customers within their default text-messaging app, an app most customers check hundreds of times a day. For brands like Subway, this technology will open a powerful channel for customers to find the nearest sandwich shop, learn about special offers, prepare an order, and pay by mobile, while getting a truly engaging and personalized Subway experience.
Mobivity built the application showcasing a customer searching for a Subway store by sharing their location with a simple button push, selecting their sandwich with a text reply or by choosing from options on screen, and making selections for a side, beverage, and dessert all with fun images and simple taps to confirm their choices, and all in the conversational dialogue they use to text friends every day. During the month of February, Mobivity has operated a trial of the RCS service with thousands of loyal Subway subscribers. These subscribers received a visually rich version of weekly offers via RCS. This trial will highlight how Mobivity is delivering a richer client experience without any additional apps installed by the user.
“This is a cutting-edge, exciting opportunity to continue to evolve how we serve our customers,” said Carissa Ganelli, Chief Digital Officer of Subway. “Our goal is to make ordering and receiving your favorite Subway meal as easy as possible. We have been using text conversations to engage our guests and now we are taking it to the next level. With RCS technology and real-time conversations, we are delivering a personalized ordering experience in seconds – and in clicks. We are excited to partner with Mobivity and to create a unique on-demand digital experience for our loyal customers.”
“We’re excited to showcase examples of what blockchain and RCS can do for our clients. We’ve been helping brands reach customers through text messages for over a decade, but RCS has the potential to revolutionize commerce by bringing a conversational user interface that’s incredibly simple for the customer,” said Mobivity CEO Dennis Becker. “We’re proud to help Google, the GSMA, global brands, and the wireless carriers bring this new standard to market, and excited to integrate RCS into Mobivity’s core product to serve our restaurant, retail, and personal care brand partners. Our recent work to incorporate blockchain architecture into how we manage merchant transactions also directly integrates with this initiative (which is completely independent of RCS and Google), allowing the secure exchange of rewards (re·currency) in a messaging-based order,” he added. “re·currency is all about bringing customers back and rewarding them for their loyalty, and with the ability to browse, order, pay, and receive rewards courtesy of the blockchain via your mobile phone, we’re confident this will bring even more customers back more often for clients like Subway.”
Visitors to MWC can see this technology at work as part of the Future Networks Program within the GSMA Innovation City. Visitors of Mobile World Congress in Barcelona may schedule a demo here. Restaurants, retailers, and personal care brands interested in putting the power of RCS to work for them can learn more about Mobivity, the re·currency suite, and RCS at mobivity.com.
For more information, or to schedule a briefing on Mobivity solutions, please contact Corey O’Donnell, Senior Vice President of Mobivity, at corey.odonnell@mobivity.com or (480) 588-2470.
About Mobivity
Mobivity provides a platform for intelligent and personalized marketing in the real world. Real world customer activity in national restaurants, retailers and personal care brands is difficult to track and connect to digital footprints. Mobivity leverages detailed purchase data, powerful analytics, and communications platforms to improve business results by understanding, predicting, and influencing consumer behavior. In short, we drive better actions and inform decisions by connecting point of sale outcomes to the events and influences that caused them. Mobivity clients include SUBWAY®, SONIC® Drive-In, Chick-fil-A, and Baskin-Robbins. For more information about Mobivity, visit mobivity.com or call (877) 282-7660.
About Subway® Restaurants
Subway offers a fresh alternative to traditional fast food, serving 7 million made-to-order sandwiches a day. Guests choose from 37 million combinations of quality proteins, fresh vegetables, and bread baked daily. The world’s largest restaurant chain serves nutritious and delicious subs, soups, and salads at more than 44,000 restaurants in 113 countries. The Subway experience is also delivered online at www.Subway.com and through the Subway® App, available in select markets at the Apple App Store1 and Google Play.
Founded by then 17-year-old Fred DeLuca and family friend Dr. Peter Buck more than 52 years ago, Subway is still a family-owned business today working with more than 21,000 dedicated franchisees in communities around the world.
Subway® is a registered trademark of Subway IP Inc.
1Apple and the Apple logo are trademarks of Apple, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. App Store is a service mark of Apple, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.
About the GSMA
The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide, uniting nearly 800 operators with more than 300 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset and device makers, software companies, equipment providers and internet companies, as well as organizations in adjacent industry sectors. The GSMA also produces industry-leading events such as Mobile World Congress, Mobile World Congress Shanghai, Mobile World Congress Americas and the Mobile 360 Series of conferences.
Media Contacts:
Corey O’Donnell • Senior Vice President of Marketing, Mobivity
corey.odonnell@mobivity.com • (480) 588-2470
Released February 22, 2018
