Retail technology innovation of the week: Wow Bao Hot Buns Club rewards programme hits the metaverse
Retail Technology Innovation of the Week is a new series brought to you by RTIH and sponsored by 3D Cloud by Marxent, highlighting stand out deployments, launches, and initiatives by retailers and tech suppliers.
Every week, we will showcase forward thinking tech plays that have impressed our Editor and the Retail Technology Innovations Report judging panel, in the run up to the publication of the 2024 report in April.
So far, we’ve flagged up sterling work being done by Ocado Retail, Decathlon, Lacoste, Downtown Spirits, TalkShopLive, Huck’s, Rovertown, Wing, Nobody’s Child, IKI, Pixevia, Walmart, A.L.C., Archive, Therabody, Outform, Kingfisher, PMC, Żabka Polska, Boots UK, Ocula Technologies, Grace O'Malley Irish Whiskey, Metacask, Ikea, Carrefour Belgium, HMV, Worldpay from FIS, and FreedomPay, Matalan, and McDonald’s.
And this week we’re focusing on Wow Bao, which has announced a full integration of its Hot Buns Club rewards programme in the metaverse.
In doing so, it lays claim to being the first fast casual restaurant to integrate a rewards programme and in real life perks in the metaverse.
US-based Roblox players who visit its virtual experience, Dim Sum Palace, can search for clues to unlock a free Bao themed head UGC accessory, free Wow Bao product, and a chance to win Wow Bao for a year.
After they join the Hot Buns Club to claim the limited supply UGC items, they will receive a link via email for a free box of Wow Bao at their local grocer and be enrolled for a chance to win free bao for a year.
Additionally, as a member of the Hot Buns Club they are eligible for exclusive rewards and benefits.
“Wow Bao has never shied away from being a trailblazer in technology and innovation,” says Geoff Alexander, President and CEO at Wow Bao.
“By connecting gamers with our online ordering channels and rewards programme, we are inviting new customers to experience our brand, rewarding our most frequent guests, and embarking on something that has never been done.”
How it works:
Upon entering the experience, players will be greeted by a DJ spinning beats and a dancefloor that is pumping with NPC’s (non-playable characters). Signature Wow Bao paraphernalia is found throughout the club and guests can continue through mysterious doors and hallways into the Steam lounge, Momo’s restaurant, and hidden Hot Buns Club speakeasy.
The free avatar item is hidden within the club, and players can uncover clues throughout as to how to claim the limited edition bao head accessory. Once in the experience, the DJ, head chef, and Wow Bao branded vending machines all hold hints on how to gain access to the free accessory and bao offer.
Upon visiting hbc.wowbao.com, they will be prompted to sign up (or sign in) to the Hot Buns Club rewards programme, connect their Roblox account. Once completed, users will head back to Roblox to claim the item.
Players who have claimed their free UGC bao head accessory, will be entered to win free Wow Bao for a year and receive a free box of Wow Bao. As newly minted VIP members of the Hot Buns Club, they will earn exclusive benefits and a one of a kind digital CollectaBao.
Beyond the initial launch, Wow Bao has plans for continued updates to the experience.
Wow Bao has partnered on this with Flaunt and Paytronix to power the integration between the Hot Buns Club rewards programme and Wow Bao’s virtual experience on Roblox.
Dim Sum Palace was built by LA-based production studio, Sawhorse Productions.
Wow Bao, a fast casual Asian concept started in 2003 in Chicago and now in nearly 700 locations across the US. as well as more than 6,000 grocery stores, has chosen DevourGo as its exclusive Web3 ordering partner.
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