Pepco Mobile App - a data-driven loyalty ecosystem

Project background: Although a market leader, Pepco had yet to launch a mobile-first touchpoint. Faced with the challenge of executing one of Europe's largest retail digital transformations, Pepco approached Future Mind to define a roadmap and deliver a robust software solution bridging the gap between its physical stores and digital consumers. The goal was clear: design a comprehensive, data-driven loyalty mobile app capable of sustaining long-term growth and customer engagement across all 18 Pepco markets - launched first in Poland, the group's largest and most digitally mature market, as the blueprint for the rest of Europe.

Challenges faced: develop a mobile strategy roadmap for one of Europe's largest retail digital transformations; engineer a solution able to handle massive traffic volume; orchestrate complex integrations with multiple vendors and critical systems; design an intuitive, gamified user experience that maximizes engagement.

Project execution process: first things first, we defined a comprehensive mobile strategy through extensive market research, user research and competitive benchmarking to establish a robust product roadmap - deep-diving into customer behaviors to determine optimal registration flows and the app's purpose, and advising Pepco on team structure and digital transformation goals. With the strategic foundation laid, there was no time to waste: we built the Pepco app from scratch in just six months. Our team created a comprehensive design system balancing modern UI with Pepco's established branding, testing the loyalty-card layout, bottom navigation and onboarding flows directly with users, and optimizing the registration process (weighing SMS against email verification) for a streamlined, high-conversion sign-up.

Because Pepco has millions of fans, our technical implementation prioritized scalability and high-performance native development: we engineered a Python backend and native iOS/Android frontends built to withstand massive traffic, delivering core loyalty features - the digital club card, the weekly "Tap the Heart" game, and personalized discount vouchers - while leading direct implementation of Synerise, a behavioral AI infrastructure, as the CDP, automation and personalization layer, and supporting Pepco's partner vendors on PIM and CMS integrations. To drive grassroots adoption, we devised a gamified leaderboard for store employees, using Synerise to track unique QR codes and referral links and turn Pepco's own workforce into an active, marketing channel.

Tools and frameworks used: native iOS and Android; Python backend; Synerise (behavioral AI / CDP); PIM and CMS integrations.

Project results and achievements: the app now serves as a powerful engine for customer retention and sales growth, anchored by the Pepco Club loyalty programme. Customers scan their phones at checkout to unlock exclusive benefits, play the "Tap the Heart" game, and receive personalized discount vouchers that incentivize repeat visits and higher basket values - all backed by a rich product catalog, wishlist, and store-locator features. Poland was launched first, as the debut market and blueprint for the rest of Europe, with Pepco targeting several million app users in Poland alone by the end of 2026. This is just the first chapter of a mobile-first transformation set to eventually reach all 18 Pepco markets.

Lessons learned: pairing rigorous UX research with a scalable technical architecture (Python backend, native apps, a CDP like Synerise) let Pepco launch a first mobile product that is simultaneously customer-facing and a strategic data asset - proving out the model in its home market, Poland, with further scaling across Europe planned as the next step.