News

US Bank launches loyalty app pilot

April 29, 2016

U.S. Bank has launched Deal Local, a mobile app designed to help local businesses attract new customers and build loyalty with existing customers through deals and rewards, according to a press release.

Retailers in Lawrence, Kansas, now have exclusive access to the app, which is now available in the Apple and Google Play stores, according to the announcement. The bank said it selected Lawrence, home of the University of Kansas, as a test market for its size, civic pride and numerous local businesses.

"We designed Deal Local to help locally owned small businesses grow and connect with their customers," said Dominic Venturo, chief innovation officer for U.S. Bank. "The key for their customers is that Deal Local is a tremendously simple way to sign up for and take advantage of deals all from one place right on their phone. It gets rid of the need to carry around often-misplaced coupons or bulky key fobs."

Local retailers and restaurants that enroll in the program can load deals into the Deal Local app. The deals will be presented at the point-of-sale terminal when customers check out. A shopper can scroll through deals on the app, as well as set up their phone number or payment card info so that they're automatically recognized at checkout.

The app was developed at the Grove, the Atlanta-based innovation lab of Elavon, a U.S. Bank subsidiary. Deal Local is powered by Elavon's Fanfare point-of-sale technology and customer loyalty program.

"We drew on our experience and scale as one of the largest small business payment processors in the country in building Deal Local," said Wally Mlynarski, senior vice president of global product and innovation at Elavon Inc. "It's a sophisticated yet easy-to-use app that will help entrepreneurs build customer relationships and steal market share from the big guys."