Student builds loyalty app to trump Aimia and Microsoft

Microsoft and Aimia might well have spent hundreds of thousands of pounds developing their multi-card loyalty apps but one 24-year-old student from Chester Uni has built the same technology for Loyalty Pro during a six-week work placement, which is now available for download.
Aimia was the first company to test such a service, when in August 2015 it launched trials of the Cardtrix scheme in Ireland – said to be the loyalty card capital of the world, due to its high penetration of schemes. Microsoft followed suit two months later with an upgrade of its Wallet app for Windows 10 Mobile which also allows users to load all of their loyalty cards into the app to scan and collect points.
Now the Loyalty Pro app, which uses Near Field Communication technology, has been developed by Peter William, who secured his work placement while studying Computer Science at nearby Chester University.
The app, available to download free of charge on Android phones via Google Play, allows shoppers to check their point balance, view transactions and vouchers, modify their personal details and view messages set against their cards.
Loyalty Pro technical director Rob Meakin said: “We were delighted with Peter’s work and are proud that the app he built will help transform loyalty both for shoppers and independent retailers.
“Most people have wallets stuffed with a whole variety of loyalty cards and it can be stressful and time-consuming trying to find the right one at the till.
“Our virtual loyalty card app gets rid of this hassle, making it easy for the customer to collect their points – and speeding up the process for the retailer.”
William said: “It was a fantastic opportunity to work with Loyalty Pro and very exciting to develop an app which makes it easy for shoppers to use their loyalty cards.”