Introducing Boba Guys Passport

We’re excited to unveil our strategic partnership with Boba Guys, the beloved bubble tea brand. Together, we’ve been brewing up a reimagined loyalty program with a gamified, technology-forward twist: Boba Guys Passport.

Boba Guys Passport is a novel way for customers to engage and earn at their favorite café. The program has been meticulously crafted, built to transcend the confines of a standard loyalty program. This is not your typical "buy nine drinks, get one free" program. Instead, members earn points with each purchase, which then unlock and upgrade specialized Mystery Boxes.

Similar to loot boxes in gaming, Mystery Boxes contain a plethora of rewards that customers have the chance to win, such as discounts, free drinks, gift cards, and even a free vacation. For every dollar spent at Boba Guys, customers earn 5 points towards unlocking and upgrading their Mystery Box. Passport members can choose to open their Mystery Boxes immediately or save their points to upgrade their box to a higher level, ensuring higher chances at more valuable rewards.

In addition, Passport members can earn bonus points through exclusive, limited-time Quests available in the Passport portal. Quests range from trying every drink on the seasonal menu to referring friends to the program, and even posting photos of your Boba Guys drink on social media. There are endless ways to engage with the Boba Guys Passport, keeping the experience continually fresh and exciting.

Parallel to Mystery Boxes, points also help customers advance through the status tiers in the Passport program. Earning Mystery Boxes can be quick, but climbing status tiers requires consistent loyalty – and the perks that come with it are definitely worth it! There are five total tiers, each unlocking unique perks, such as access to a secret menu, specialty merchandise, and at the top tier, even access to the Boba Guys founding team.

The Pilot

The pilot program, launched at Boba Guys’ NOPA location, has shown remarkable success since its inception on September 20, 2023. The statistics speak volumes:

The pilot has seen a robust 29% enrollment rate, with orders coming through the loyalty program constituting 31% of total store orders within just a month of the launch. There’s a marked increase in customer visits and spending, with loyalty program members visiting 67% more often and spending 65% more than they were before joining the program. In comparison to non-loyalty members, the members in the Passport program are visiting a monumental 1,400% more frequently and spending 1,023% more on a monthly basis.

Retention rates in the mobile experience are also impressive, with 31% of users revisiting the Passport portal in the week following their enrollment. Furthermore, over 60% of users who added the PWA (progressive web app) to their home screen revisited the portal the subsequent week, well beyond the average 20-30% retention seen in conventional consumer mobile apps.

Feedback from customers has been overwhelmingly positive. We’ve seen enthusiastic customers return to stores to open their mystery boxes alongside baristas, and an active participation in referring friends through unique links, creating a community around the program. Customers continually express that this program offers a unique and delightful experience they haven’t found elsewhere.

Upcoming Launch

The Boba Guys Passport program is set to officially launch across all 26 Boba Guys locations on November 24th, turning Black Friday into Boba Friday! We eagerly anticipate welcoming all Boba Guys customers onto this transformative platform.

Harnessing the power of blockchain technology, the Boba Guys Passport exemplifies the innovative potential of collaboration between Boba Guys, Hang, and Solana, redefining customer experiences and loyalty in today’s dynamic retail landscape.

Bin Chen and Andrew Chau, co-founders of Boba Guys, and Josh Fried, commerce lead at Solana, engaged in a live discussion about the program at Solana Breakpoint on November 1st, 2023. Dive deeper into their conversation here.