A Smarter Grocery Experience
The Gelson’s Personalized Rewards App
Senior Art Director / Pitch Lead
Verndale
As Senior Art Director at Verndale, I concepted, designed, and pitched a modern mobile rewards experience for Gelson’s — a premium Southern California supermarket known for high-quality products and exceptional service.
Our goal was to create a personalized, location-aware loyalty app that elevated the in-store experience and drove customer engagement beyond the checkout lane.
This concept explored how Gelson’s could use mobile technology to learn customer preferences, surface curated deals, and deliver real-time, geo-located recommendations based on past purchases and local store inventory.
My Role
I led the creative direction from pitch to prototype, including:
App concept development
UX architecture and interaction flows
Visual design and brand expression
Art direction for prototypes and presentation
Collaboration with strategy, experience architects, and leadership to craft a compelling pitch
The work was designed to show Gelson’s how digital personalization could reinforce their in-store hospitality and premium brand position.
Design Goals
1. Hyper-Personalized Shopping
A tailored home screen populated with favorite products, curated offers, and seasonal suggestions based on individual purchase history.
2. Real-Time Store Connection
Geo-location would detect a shopper’s preferred store, surface the weekly flyer automatically, and unlock in-store only offers.
3. Rewards That Feel Premium
A tiered, cleanly designed rewards system that aligns with Gelson’s upscale brand — clear progress, transparent value, and delightful interactions.
4. Seamless In-Store Navigation
A built-in store map and product locator to reduce friction and improve the shopping journey.
The Experience
Personalized Dashboard
A highly visual, easy-to-digest overview showing points, rewards earned, and suggested products — built around warmth, clarity, and elegance.
Dynamic Store Pages
Store-specific content, including local promotions and events, pulling from geo-located triggers.
Shopper Profile + Rewards Tracking
A modern UI system that tracks progress toward rewards with clear visual feedback and personalized messaging.
Location-Aware Product Finder
A mobile-first flow for discovering nearby Gelson’s stores, viewing departments, and navigating directly to products.
Outcome
The pitch successfully showcased how Gelson’s could evolve their digital ecosystem into a premium mobile experience that extended their brand values into everyday utility.
It demonstrated a strategic pathway to:
Increase customer retention
Grow loyalty enrollment
Improve in-store experiences
Deliver targeted marketing with real business impact
This case study represents the power of blending brand, UX, and personalization into one cohesive, future-forward experience.
