In the UK, O2 leads in its sector with its loyalty programme – Priority. The programme boasts over 2.5 million active users, and is the only loyalty programme with a 5*-rated app in the iPhone’s App Store (and a healthy 4* in the Google Play Store).

Equal Experts was O2’s delivery partner for Priority’s current, well-loved incarnation. It’s an engagement that’s seen our responsibilities grow as we have successfully delivered at every step of our relationship.

How we helped

The success of the Priority programme relies on its ability to make users feel properly rewarded. To achieve this, offer management and the ability to successfully target users with those offers is key. Equal Experts’ initial involvement on the project was to deliver these components, within tight timelines.

To meet the deadline and to avoid any issues around scaling or performance, we opted for a cloud hosting platform and an open-source NoSQL database (MongoDB). This meant we could keep a number of deployment options on the table, as well as keeping deployment costs down. Our chosen solution included Geographic Information System (GIS) features straight out of the box, too, making it ideal for delivering offers by location – a key aspect of Priority’s appeal.

Our initial commitment was met, and our involvement has grown to cover Priority’s mobile implementation. Our co-located team developed the highly-rated native mobile apps (for both iOS and Android), as well as the mobile web app.

The team we put together with O2 continues to work on Priority, and was a finalist in the Best Internal Agile Team category in the 2015 Agile Awards. It’s currently responsible for delivering a programme of continuous enhancements for Priority, including an initiative during the 2015 Rugby World Cup. We trialled new location-based technology – developed by Equal Experts – allowing O2 customers to tap their phone on a reader device to redeem exclusive offers.