Bloom becomes UK's first café chain to reward customers for walking.

Bloom Juice Co, the independent juice and brunch spot with locations in Cambridge, Derby and Leeds, has become the first café chain in the UK to reward customers for walking through its own app.

The new feature, BLOOM Steps, lets members turn their daily steps measured by their phone into points that can be redeemed in store for açaí bowls, matcha drinks and Bloom's range of functional smoothies. Customers do not need to make a purchase to earn them.

Steps are rewarded alongside Bloom's existing loyalty scheme, which gives customers points for every pound they spend. Both kinds of points go into the same balance, so a customer can build towards a reward by buying, walking, or both.

Customers earn one point for every 1,000 steps they take, with extra points added for completing milestones and challenges. Rewards can be redeemed as soon as the member achieves the required points.

BLOOM Steps also has a social side. Members can join up with friends and compete on leaderboards to see who has walked the most. In the app, each day's steps fill a virtual smoothie cup and weekly streaks are shown as a growing bouquet of flowers, which customers can share on social media.

Unlike other step-reward schemes, which pay out in gift cards or need a separate app or an insurance membership, BLOOM Steps is run by Bloom itself, and points are redeemed for its own products in store with new ways to spend points, like a charity donation, being made available soon.

Jordan Dodd, Managing Director at Bloom Juice Co, said: "Wellness has always been in our DNA, and while we already reward our loyal customers through their spend, we wanted to reward those who stay and keep active, Bloom Steps is an amazing concept to keep walking and earn rewards on the way!"

To get started, users download the BLOOM Juice Co. app from the App Store and Google Play.