Helping businesses to reward loyalty

Mumbai: If you have ever felt that you are being ignored by your favourite cafe or shopping mall in favour of new comers who are being wooed with incentives there is now an app, Loyalie, where you can get rewards. Behind this app is 23-year-old Akhil Saraf CEO & founder.

“I was inspired to start this venture when I noticed how various promotions were offered to new users whereas loyal users and early adaptors were ignored. “This is what happened to me in a cafe where I was regular for a few years,” he said.

Asked how his app would be different from loyalty schemes of existing brands, pat comes his answer “It's very annoying for customers who have 1,000 points to claim that against Rs 10. It makes the process cumbersome and irates customers who were loyal to the brand.

“My app is a simple and very unique stamp system of loyalty which is delivered through an app and SMS. I have tied up with restaurants, cafes, hookah and beauty parlours, auto dealers, real estate dealers and educational institutions, malls etc., and have created and maintain their end platforms.  All that the customers need to do is provide their phone number. Our model is based on repeat visits where after every few visits, there is a freebie to be enjoyed. It could be like after two visits you get a free brownie or  after seven or ten visits to a hookah parlour you  may get a free hookah.”  

For 23, Akhil has a lot of experience. As he says “After my 12th exam we all went to Goa and in two to three days I realised that this was not for me and returned. I passed my inter in accountancy in 2012 and B.Com from St Xavier’s College, Kolkata in 2014. I was also an avid investor in the stock market. I made a gain of 80 per cent on one rupees lakh in the first year and my father was so impressed that he gave me a few lakhs and I more than doubled the returns.

“I go out at a good time. With the money I had, after returning his money, I created Loyalie in September 2015. “We are presently in 150 stores in 3 cities — in Kolkata since 9 months and recently launched Hyderabad and Bengaluru. I have only one challenge, educating the customer as to how simple our loyalty scheme is. Last week, I released a video called TujheSalaam  which garnered 6 million views on Facebook organically and one keeps having activities with users to re-engage them.”