Brewing with Chaayos:
India’s First Dine-in App For Meri Wali Chai
Since 2012, Chaayos has become synonymous with personalized and everyday beverage experiences. Over the years, the company has grown to become a top food & beverage brand in India. It offers more than 15,000 fresh and unique blends of desi (local) tea in 200+ stores nationwide.
Having Chai is a personal experience for most Asians and English people. Some treat it as a ritual, others as an irresistible daily habit. Sparklin and Chaayos started the collaboration in 2019 to create a dine-in app that can cater to an audience who are very particular about their morning and evening chai. When the pandemic hit, Chaayos had to revamp their
dine-in services.
Chaayos needed to create a seamless omni-channel experience between their dine-in app and physical stores
Since Indians consume 20 cups of tea for every cup of coffee, we dove right into carefully designing and experimenting with a solution that would allow customers to continue enjoying Chaayos' tea conveniently and, above all, safely on the premises.
The Challenge
In the wake of the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, there was an immediate need to go completely contactless. Customers, wary of stepping outside their homes, needed to feel safe in public spaces. Chaayos and Sparklin had to successfully transition and onboard an already devoted customer base to a digital platform. The real challenge was to integrate a self-initiated digital experience within cafes, without compromising the familiarity and satisfaction users enjoyed.
Our Solution
An unseen-before contactless solution for Chaayos’ regular cafe customers, who know exactly how they like their beloved hot beverage. We believe there’s nothing that should get in the way of someone’s chai. That’s why customers get to choose and order, leaving no room for unavoidable misunderstanding or miscommunication. With their newfound ability to customize drinks from a curated selection, Chaayos’ loyal patrons can now order the perfect cup of tea while en route to the cafe.
Additionally, our implementation of the single-most, game-changing element on the app—the ‘no-checkout Express Order’ turned out to be a resounding success. It is a single swipe feature that recalls previous orders and replaces the hassle of a separate checkout. The combination of personalized ordering and efficient order management elevated Chaayos' digital offering, marking its position as a leader in the Indian beverage industry.
The team slashed the wait time down from over 4 minutes to 3 seconds, making it 80 times faster with Chaayos wallet. Along with ‘no-checkout Express Order’, Chaayos Wallet, a cashless payment feature that allows users to easily add funds and make purchases, drove operational efficiency to great new heights.
With the successful launch of the in-store app, Chaayos continues to provide an exceptional Meri Wali Chai experience to millions across its cafes with over 95% customer retention.