Belly Shakes Up Customer Loyalty, Expands to Bay Area

CHICAGO, IL--(Marketwire - Nov 15, 2012) - Belly, the leading digital loyalty company, launched today in the Bay Area giving boring, traditional loyalty concepts a good kick in the pants. Forget the "buy ten sandwiches, get one free" punch cards of the past. Bay area businesses are joining Belly's loyalty network of more than 4,000 merchants across 35 states by enticing loyal customers with rewards they actually want.

Across each of its markets, Belly puts businesses on the map by providing them with a loyalty solution that matches each businesses unique personality. Rewards go well beyond free products to drive sustained engagement and promote advocacy. Instead, customers accumulate points that let them experience more than just monetary rewards at that business, like the ability to design and name a sandwich, get behind the counter to learn to make gelato or drink hand-crafted beers from a personalized stein.

"The Bay Area is fiercely loyal when they find a merchant they love," said Logan LaHive, Founder & CEO of Belly. "Bay Area businesses recognize the Belly platform as a great opportunity to extend the relationship with their customers beyond the visit and to create social advocates in the community."

Bartenders, baristas, and boutique owners, let's get digital
Belly removes the friction in traditional loyalty programs by allowing small businesses to begin a digital relationship with their customers. Belly installs the iPad interface and works with merchants to create a personalized rewards program that leads to increased customer acquisition and deeper levels of engagement seen almost immediately. With repeat customers comes a drive in incremental revenue for merchants -- coffee shops using Belly decreased the time between customer visits by over 20 percent. As one of the first apps integrated into Apple's Passbook™, Belly brings new opportunities for SMBs to transform loyal customers into brand advocates. Belly has already established itself in over ten markets with over 650,000 active users. Belly works, and it's time for the Bay Area to see it in action.

"We were using punch cards and we knew we didn't want to do anything that involved texting or invading our customers' personal space, but beyond that we didn't really know how to get started," said Courtney Lauder, owner of Ground Up in Palo Alto. "The Belly team made it ridiculously easy for us to get up and running and the feedback from our customers has been awesome. They love the unique rewards and the convenience of using a card or their phone to earn points. In the short time since we implemented the Belly rewards system, we've already seen an uptick in repeat customers."

Toss those overstuffed wallets and get ready for a loyalty program that actually makes sense.
Belly replaces a "wallet full of punch cards" with a universal card or an iPhone or Android app that customers can scan at the in-store iPad to earn points. Points are redeemed for rewards that are specific to each Belly business. Belly is unique in that it works with merchants to design and implement lasting rewards that reflect the business's personality and encourage repeat visits. Users and businesses alike are spreading the love. From San Francisco to Palo Alto to the East Bay, local businesses are also showing off their personalities with some unique rewards including:

• You Are What You Eat, Wear What You Drink! Free T-Shirt With Coffee Purchase at Ground Up in Palo Alto
• Name Your Favorite Table Or Booth After Yourself For 1 Month at El Matate in San Francisco
• Create Your Own Flavor And We'll Bake You A Dozen at Mission Minis in San Francisco

"Experiential rewards have been powerful for our merchants," LaHive said. "We have a sub shop in Chicago that allows customers with enough Belly Points to 'Create and Name a Sandwich.' This almost always becomes the best selling sandwich because new customers are finding out about it and ordering it. It's really fun to see. These types of rewards enable merchants to establish much deeper connections with their customers while also increasing sales and frequency of visits."

Since its launch in August 2011, Belly users have checked in or "Belly'd" over 4.5 million times and Belly currently has over 4,000 merchants signed on. With more than 100 merchants signing up in the Bay Area in less than 4 weeks, Belly has its sight set on its one-millionth user. Beyond San Francisco, Belly is available in New York, Boston, Chicago, Austin, Milwaukee, Madison, Washington D.C., Miami, Philadelphia, Phoenix and more. Belly blows traditional loyalty programs out of the water and proves that a growing Belly is definitely a good thing.

About Belly
Belly is the leading loyalty platform in the country. With thousands of merchants, Belly crushes traditional loyalty concepts and works with each business to design interesting, culturally relevant rewards. Using an iPad and single card or iPhone or Android app, Belly unlocks new opportunities for customer engagement and digital advocacy. Belly is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. For more information, see www.bellycard.com.