If you are an iPhone/iPad owner and use Apple’s Passbook, you can see the future of coupons and loyalty programs, and even perhaps mobile commerce. A byproduct of this experience is your expectations have now been set for interacting with brands on your phone.
Case in point, Kroger.
I’ve been a loyal customer of Kroger for years. As such, I have one of those little plastic pieces shoved in my wallet that I kindly whip out every time I shop there to ensure I get the best price and to maximize my fuel discount at the Kroger pump.
Recently, I downloaded the Kroger App for the iPhone. My primary intent was to rid my wallet of that darn piece of plastic as it seems all retailers want you to load up your pocketbook with these. Best Buy, Dicks are you listening?
After I installed the Kroger App I cruised through the menus to get acquainted with the features and functions. The tools include a shopping list, weekly ad, reward status, rx refills, store locator and even coupons (which are a bit illusive). To register my existing account with the App, I had to “sign in” using credentials created from use of Kroger’s desktop Web application (that’s a mistake and short sighted on Kroger’s part – i.e. how many people bother to register on Kroger’s Web site? Seems like a big miss and unnecessary).
After signing in, I went to view my “Profile” within the application. Within this section is a place to associate your Kroger Plus Card by scanning the plastic card’s barcode. I did this thinking maybe, just maybe, I can toss the plastic card in the trash (or recycle if so inclined). Nope. After scanning the card, I returned to the main menu in hopes of finding the barcode stored on my phone. No such luck. Frustrated I left the App and deleted off my phone (after writing a review to Kroger asking for the barcode and Passbook integration ,of course).
So here’s the deal. After using Walgreens, American Airlines and Starbucks Apps via Apple’s Passbook, I had the expectation that Kroger would integrate into Passbook. Such integration would be highly convenient as the geolocation feature of Passbook would place my Kroger barcode front and center for use during checkout. And, with that kind of presence, I might even look to see if Kroger has any specials or other offers. At a minimum, I expected the Kroger loyalty barcode to be accessible via its application. As it stands now, I continue to carry that little plastic barcode in my wallet. Perhaps I should just shop at Walmart and show my loyalty another way.
