Popular Tea Shop Boba Guys Taps Solana for On-Chain Loyalty Rewards Program

California- and New York-based drink retailer Boba Guys is tapping the Solana ecosystem to build its on-chain loyalty program.

Boba Guys, a popular retail chain that opened in 2011 to sell bubble tea, will further deepen its community and give back to its customers through its Web3 rewards initiative. Utilizing Solana’s high-speed, low-cost network, Boba Guys plans to integrate non-fungible tokens (NFT) and token-gated experiences to help bolster its consumer engagement.

Bin Chen, co-founder of Boba Guys, told CoinDesk that the growing market of Web3 technologies has prompted the retailer to offer its customers unique experiences utilizing on-chain technology. He also hopes to onboard as many customers – whether they be new to Boba or Web3 – in the process.

“People that come into our stores may not know a single thing about Web3, Solana, blockchain or any of those things, just the same way that people that come into Boba Guys may not know anything about boba,” said Chen. “We have that same approach with how we’re doing Web3.”

Josh Fried, head of commerce business development at the Solana Foundation, said in a press release that its partnership with Boba Guys will help accelerate the development of Web3 loyalty programs across the Solana ecosystem.

“Their vision for the future of cafes and retail is a model that could become the standard in the years to come,” said Fried. “This collaboration will show how loyalty programs can be improved for both customers and retailers and create a path for other organizations to follow.”

Fried told CoinDesk the Solana Foundation recently invested $100,000 into Boba Guys to help the company grow its business into Web3.

Other retailers have embraced Web3 loyalty programs to deepen their consumer relationships. In December, Starbucks launched the beta for its Odyssey program, the gamified Web3 loyalty experience. And last month, Web3 community management platform Try Your Best, which helped grow customer loyalty programs for retail brands JuneShine and Topicals, joined the Shopify App Store.