David Ashford is a highly respected serial entrepreneur and one of the leading figures in the e-business space within the Middle East. His career spans over 35 years, starting in the United Kingdom, where he began working for a management information and billing company. From there, he advanced to becoming the Head of Information Systems at Publicis. His experience also includes serving as an e-business consultant for a private equity firm, co-founding and investing in multiple startups, and eventually relocating to Abu Dhabi in 2009 to become the General Manager of AppsArabia. Ashford\u2019s most notable role, however, was as CIO at The Entertainer, where he joined in 2012 and was instrumental in the company\u2019s impressive growth and success before leaving in 2020.<\/p>\n
Now, Ashford is the driving force behind mimojo, a company dedicated to revolutionizing the loyalty and rewards technology space. mimojo aims to offer seamless experiences for both consumers and merchants by addressing the common pain points within the rewards and loyalty market, particularly in the UAE. Ashford\u2019s inspiration for mimojo stemmed from identifying key challenges faced by both consumers and merchants. Through direct engagement, he discovered that merchants were frustrated by the lack of flexibility in current loyalty programs. They sought the ability to customize offers, select the tenure of their commitments, and adjust offers during peak and off-peak times. Additionally, the redemption process was cumbersome and required significant staff training. For consumers, the biggest complaint was the inconvenience of the redemption process itself, which was often tedious and socially awkward. Moreover, loyalty programs were still largely manual, which meant many consumers missed out on rewards simply because they forgot to redeem them.<\/p>\n
Ashford and his team at mimojo wanted to build a product that would not only alleviate these pain points but entirely eliminate them. The solution they developed is powered by card-linked technology, which is not a new technology but one that has been around for decades. Card-linked technology allows consumers to link their credit or debit cards to a loyalty program and automatically earn rewards without any manual effort. While some merchants in the UAE had begun experimenting with this technology, they were using it in ways that still created friction for consumers. Ashford\u2019s goal with mimojo was to create a completely frictionless experience where consumers don\u2019t have to do anything beyond making a payment.<\/p>\n
The process is simple. Consumers download the mimojo app and enroll their Visa or Mastercard. They then automatically earn cashback when they pay with their enrolled cards at any participating merchant. There\u2019s no need to manually redeem rewards or use special promo codes\u2014everything happens automatically. A near-real-time push notification informs the consumer when cashback has been earned, and every 15th of the month, the accumulated cashback is deposited directly onto their card. This seamless, automatic cashback process has been designed to encourage consumers to change their behavior, by making them more likely to choose merchants that participate in the mimojo ecosystem.<\/p>\n
Despite being in its early stages, mimojo has already seen great success, boasting a wide variety of participating merchants, including laundrettes, florists, ride-hailing services, and high-end retailers. Ashford emphasizes that mimojo is not just about giving consumers cashback; it\u2019s about influencing their purchasing decisions and encouraging them to choose mimojo\u2019s partner merchants over others. For instance, in a city like Dubai, where residents have many options for services like laundry, mimojo offers cashback incentives that encourage users to choose participating services, thereby helping merchants drive customer loyalty.<\/p>\n
While mimojo has seen positive traction, Ashford acknowledges two primary challenges: attracting more consumers and educating them about the benefits of participating merchants. The more consumers that join the platform, the more attractive it becomes to merchants, and vice versa. Ashford sees e-commerce as mimojo\u2019s sweet spot, where the absence of a redemption process offers a distinct advantage over traditional loyalty programs that require affiliate links, promo codes, or manual redemption.<\/p>\n
One of the hurdles mimojo faces is that many merchants are unfamiliar with card-linked technology, and Ashford often finds himself educating them about its benefits. The technology eliminates the need for staff training on loyalty programs, and it also allows merchants to manage varying cashback values during peak and off-peak hours. For example, by offering higher cashback during slower hours, merchants can boost foot traffic and sales. Additionally, mimojo\u2019s technology enables merchants to use tiered offers, where consumers can earn more cashback if they exceed a certain spending threshold. This flexibility allows merchants to tailor their offers to drive specific behaviors and increase average transaction values.<\/p>\n
Another advantage for mimojo is that it allows merchants to offer uncapped cashback, which is not typically possible with programs funded by banks. Customers can earn cashback from both their card issuer and mimojo, making the rewards even more attractive. This model has proven to be effective in attracting both merchants and consumers, as it offers significant, automatic rewards without any of the friction typically associated with traditional loyalty programs.<\/p>\n
Data plays a key role in mimojo\u2019s strategy. Ashford explains that mimojo drives foot traffic to merchant partners by providing them with access to valuable insights into customer behavior and spending patterns. While mimojo respects consumers\u2019 privacy by not sharing personally identifiable information, it does provide merchants with aggregated demographic data and insights that can help them optimize their offers. To assist merchants in utilizing this data, mimojo has created a data portal that allows them to track transactions in real-time and manage offers. Merchants can review and approve or decline transactions, ensuring they only pay for valid, redeemed rewards.<\/p>\n
Ashford is also looking to the future, with plans to incorporate AI into mimojo\u2019s consumer app and merchant portal. This will enable the platform to provide even more actionable insights and personalized recommendations to both consumers and merchants.<\/p>\n
Mimojo offers flexible payment options for its merchant partners, including float, card-on-file, and direct debit. Ashford stresses that the key to mimojo\u2019s success is maintaining cash flow positivity, which allows the company to focus on adding value to merchants rather than constantly chasing cash. Currently, mimojo\u2019s primary focus is on expanding its ecosystem by onboarding more merchants and acquiring more consumers. Once this foundation is established, Ashford believes that the company will continue to scale rapidly and solidify its position as a household name in Dubai and across the UAE.<\/p>\n
With a seasoned entrepreneur like Ashford at the helm, mimojo\u2019s potential for success seems clear, as the company has the right technology, business model, and consumer appeal to make a significant impact in the region\u2019s loyalty and rewards market.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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