Personalization and Loyalty in Mobility: Lessons from Fuel Retail, QSR, and Hospitality

In today’s rapidly evolving mobility landscape, businesses across fuel retail, quick service restaurants (QSR), airlines, and hospitality are redefining how they engage customers. The secret to their success? Advanced personalization and loyalty strategies that leverage real-time data, predictive analytics, and seamless digital experiences. By examining best practices and transformative case studies from these sectors, we uncover actionable insights for organizations seeking to drive engagement, loyalty, and incremental sales through tailored digital journeys.

The Power of Personalization: The Pilot Flying J Example

As the largest operator of travel centers in North America, Pilot Company’s Pilot Flying J app stands as a benchmark for digital transformation in fuel retail. The app was designed to fundamentally enhance one-to-one relationships with guests, anticipating needs and delivering value before, during, and after each visit. Key features include:

Dynamic, segment-based dashboards that adapt to the unique needs of professional drivers, RVers, and auto travelers.
Predictive analytics to help drivers make smarter parking and fueling decisions, saving time and reducing friction.
A fully revamped loyalty system and direct, in-app communications for offers, alerts, and rewards.
Real-time business analytics that empower decision-makers and lay the foundation for ongoing personalization and innovation.

The results speak volumes: a 127% increase in app installs, 170% growth in unique users, 40% more offers redeemed, and a 25% increase in sales. This transformation demonstrates how a customer-centric, data-driven approach can deliver both guest value and business impact.

Cross-Industry Innovation: QSR, Airlines, and Hospitality

Quick Service Restaurants (QSR)

Global QSR brands are harnessing the power of customer data platforms (CDPs) and real-time analytics to deliver hyper-personalized experiences at scale. By integrating CRM, POS, and digital channels, these brands can:

Serve tailored offers and content based on individual preferences and behaviors.
Run test-and-learn campaigns that optimize segmentation and offer performance in real time.
Drive loyalty program participation and repeat visits through seamless, mobile-first experiences.

One global QSR chain, for example, implemented a full-featured CDP that collects data from 18 different touchpoints, enabling AI-driven segmentation and real-time offer delivery. The impact: a 14% increase in sales, a fivefold boost in testing velocity, and a 500% ROI.

Airlines

Airlines are leveraging personalization to exceed sales targets and deepen customer loyalty. By consolidating data across channels and building unified customer profiles, airlines can:

Identify and target high-value customers with relevant, cross-channel campaigns.
Deliver real-time, personalized experiences during booking, check-in, and travel.
Increase conversion rates and average order value through behavioral segmentation and look-alike modeling.

A leading airline’s holiday campaign, powered by a data management platform, achieved significant lifts in conversion and average order value by targeting audiences with the highest propensity to purchase.

Hospitality

In hospitality, mobile-first and omnichannel strategies are transforming the guest experience. From mobile ordering and waitlist registration in restaurants to seamless check-in and personalized offers in hotels, the focus is on:

Reducing friction and enhancing convenience through intuitive, user-centric design.
Integrating loyalty programs across digital and physical touchpoints.
Using real-time data to anticipate guest needs and deliver relevant services.

A U.S.-based restaurant and gift store chain, for instance, reimagined its mobile app to target younger demographics, resulting in a 50% reduction in checkout steps and $1 million in incremental food sales within six months.

Technology Enablers: The Backbone of Personalization

The success of these strategies hinges on robust technology foundations:

Customer Data Platforms (CDPs): Centralize and unify customer data from multiple sources, enabling real-time segmentation and personalized engagement.
Real-Time Analytics: Provide actionable insights into customer behavior, campaign performance, and operational efficiency.
Agile Delivery and Integration: Rapidly iterate and deploy new features, ensuring the digital experience evolves with customer expectations.
AI and Machine Learning: Power predictive models for offer optimization, churn prediction, and lifetime value analysis.

Best Practices for Driving Engagement and Loyalty

Start with the Customer Journey: Map out key moments that matter and design digital experiences that anticipate and address customer needs.
Leverage Data for Personalization: Use behavioral, transactional, and contextual data to deliver relevant offers and content in real time.
Integrate Loyalty Across Channels: Ensure loyalty programs are accessible and rewarding across mobile, web, and in-person interactions.
Adopt Agile, Test-and-Learn Approaches: Continuously optimize campaigns and features based on real-world feedback and analytics.
Invest in Scalable, Flexible Platforms: Build technology ecosystems that can adapt to new business models, channels, and customer segments.

The Publicis Sapient Advantage

Publicis Sapient’s experience across fuel retail, QSR, airlines, and hospitality demonstrates that advanced personalization and loyalty are not just industry trends—they are proven drivers of growth and customer satisfaction. By combining strategy, design, technology, and data, we help organizations unlock the full potential of digital transformation, delivering measurable results and sustainable competitive advantage.

Ready to reimagine your personalization and loyalty strategy? Let’s start a conversation about how your business can lead the next wave of customer-centric innovation in mobility and beyond.