New Carrabba’s Italian Grill Mobile Marketing Campaign Achieves 68% Redemption Rate

The industry average for mobile marketing redemption of mobile coupons is 20%. If you text your offer using our text blast feature to 500 mobile subscribers, you should be prepared for the rush of 100 customers to follow that same day. The redemption rates have caught more than a few of our newer customers off guard the first time they send a blast.

Carrabba’s Italian Grill tested a new mobile campaign in 6 of their Florida stores and achieved a 68 percent redemption rate. They used online geo-targeted ads, billboards and television spots and through their existing email marketing campaign to invite customers to sign up. This lead to 627 subscribers in three weeks. The offer lead to 424 redemptions.

The goal of the program was to increase sales and overall restaurant traffic and it is safe to say goal accomplished. Jamie Miller, marketing manager at Carrabba’s, Tampa, FL said of the mobile campaign, “Our customers are mobile and part of that equation is being where our customers are. The other part of that equation is being there when our customers want us to be and provide them with offers that are meaningful to them.”

“SMS is a powerful channel that resonates with a large segment of our customer base,” he said. “It allows our managing partner the opportunity to test various traffic-driving offers that are location- and time-specific while receiving results quickly.”

This campaign will continue to grow in size and only become more successful at achieving their goals of increased traffic and sales. This is a great example of a restaurant who drove traffic to their mobile marketing text call to action, got opt-in subscribers and then sent relevant offers to subscribers that they wanted to redeem. The premise of SMS marketing is quite simple, reward your customers and they will reward you.