News

Sonic sees download surge with mobile messaging pilot

Sonic saw five times as many app downloads with its latest mobile-messaging pilot. (Image of Costa Mesa, California Sonic location in 2015 provided by iStock)

April 23, 2020

Sonic Drive-In said it generated five times as many app downloads in a recent pilot messaging campaign as the brand's previous MMS campaign, while showing a 50% purchase rate from registered customers, according to a news release. 

Customer engagement solutions provider, Mobivity Holdings Corp. worked with the brand on the pilot campaign using Google's RCS Business Messaging and Mobivity's Mobile Messaging to target customers throughout the Inspire Brands' chain's system. In fact, the results were achieved, according to the release without using offers, discounts or other incentives. 

"Our initial results with Mobivity's program were impressive, especially since we were using a new technology and no offers or incentives," said Kim Lewis, vice president of digital strategies at Sonic Drive-In. "We look forward to expanding this digital approach with Mobivity to further drive customer engagement and frequency within our digital channels."

Mobivity joined Google's Early Access Program in 2017 and works with QSRs to implement RCS programs. Sonic is the nation's biggest drive-in restaurant brand with 3,500 locations in 46 states.