The Loyalty Newswire November 26, 2025

The Loyalty Newswire from The Wise Marketer

From the Editor

This week’s Newswire comes to you just before the Thanksgiving Holiday in the US and Black Friday, now a globally recognized retail event. In the midst of the activity, don’t forget to give as well as get, by taking part in World Loyalty Giving Day on December 2.

We’ve got resources for you as you embark on the holiday season:

A webinar featuring Hibbett’s Kayla Brown, and Baesman’s Kim Welther on Wednesday December 3, 1pm ET. Strategies to Build Loyalty & Maximize Revenue will benefit you whether you have an existing loyalty program or are in the planning stages for something new.
Tips on how to optimize your customer loyalty and engagement efforts during the holiday season, maximizing loyalty enrollments and reducing cart abandonment.

We also highlight big news as Capillary Technologies has completed an initial public offering and Flight Centre Travel Group launched a new loyalty program with support of Ellipsis (Aus).

Please remember to enter your brand for recognition as part of the International Loyalty Awards. Entries close on December 12, 2025.

If you have any questions or would like more details, please feel free to reach out.

We are here to help you succeed. Let us know how we can help.

Bill Hanifin, Managing Editor, The Wise Marketer

Short Takes

New Webinar Coming Next week: Strategies to Build Loyalty & Maximize Revenue, with Hibbett & Baesman

Hibbett, Inc. is an American sporting goods retailer headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, operating over 1,169 retail stores, including 960 Hibbett Sports stores, 193 City Gear stores, and 16 Sports Additions athletic shoe stores across 36 states.

Customer loyalty isn’t built by chance. Join Hibbett’s Kayla Brown, and Baesman’s Kim Welther on Wednesday December 3, 1pm ET as they explore how brands can harness customer data to identify opportunities that strengthen brand loyalty. This session uncovers how to set clear KPIs, such as repeat purchase rates, customer lifetime value, and redemption engagement, then tie those metrics back to actionable customer touchpoints. Register Now.

World Loyalty Giving Day (WLGD) is Coming on 2 December

The 2^nd Annual World Loyalty Giving Day is coming on Dec 2 and it’s going to be bigger than ever. Taking place on Giving Tuesday, World Loyalty Giving Day is the capstone of the Black Friday / Cyber Monday / Giving Tuesday trilogy of events that mark the official kickoff of the holiday shopping season.

WLGD is a day where loyalty points can literally change lives. Visit this link to learn more about WLGD and how you can participate. Please support the cause by posting about it on LinkedIn using this link and sharing across your network using #PointsForGoodChallenge.

Capillary Technologies Completes IPO

Capillary Technologies, a global customer engagement and loyalty SaaS company, has completed its Initial Public Offering (IPO), which was open for subscription from November 14 to 18, 2025. The IPO successfully raised ₹877.50 crore, was subscribed 52.95 times, and the shares began trading on November 21, 2025.

The event represents the second IPO from the portfolio of Avataar Venture Partners, reaffirming the firm’s reputation as a VC that backs global technology businesses from India. Avataar first partnered with Capillary in 2019. Capillary works with 19 of the Fortune 500 clients/brands (data as of June 2025).

[AUS] Flight Centre Travel Group Launches World360 Rewards Loyalty Program

Flight Centre Travel Group unveiled World360 Rewards, an Australian loyalty program designed to make travel more rewarding and accessible. Full details from the official press release can be found here.

Flight Centre Travel Group (FCTG) is an Australian-based, global travel company that provides both leisure and corporate travel services. It is one of the world’s largest travel agencies, with a network of businesses and stores in countries across multiple regions, including Australia, New Zealand, the Americas, and EMEA.

[LAC] Mastercard and L’Oréal to transform the future of beauty commerce and empower entrepreneurs

Mastercard and L’Oréal joined forces to empower thousands of beauty professionals and entrepreneurs through the launch of the L’Oréal Mastercard BusinessCard. The L’Oréal Mastercard BusinessCard, issued first in Mexico by Clara – a leading Latin American spend management solution – is the region’s only credit card designed specifically for the beauty industry.

The card is currently available for salon owners, independent stylists, beauty creators, and distributors within L’Oréal’s professional network in Mexico. Expansion across other markets in the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region is also planned with additional financial partners.

Entries Due December 12 – International Loyalty Awards 2026

The International Loyalty Awards (ILA) has announced that entries are now officially open for its 17th annual celebration. Entries are due by 12 December 2025. For the first time, the awards ceremony will take place in the United States, with Atlanta, Georgia, confirmed as the host city for 2026.

The ILA recognizes outstanding achievements across industries, from retail and travel to financial services and digital innovation. A new category has also been introduced for 2026 – Best Supplier / Vendor – highlighting the essential role of solution providers and technology innovators within the loyalty ecosystem. Full details of categories and entry requirements can be found in the official information pack, available to download here.

Cashless America? Not Quite Yet

New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed into law Assembly Bill A7929A in New York, banning grocery stores and other retail outlets from refusing cash payments. The state of New York now joins New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York City, San Francisco, and Philadelphia in banning cashless stores.

The new law was celebrated by the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), America’s largest private sector union representing 1.2 million workers in meatpacking, food processing, grocery, retail, and other essential industries across North America.

When the Shopping Experience Breeds Loyalty: The Target App in ChatGPT

Imagine that you can query Target directly in ChatGPT about gift options and receive curated, affordable options to help you quickly purchase all your favorites and get them in a way that fits your needs and schedule. The new Target app in ChatGPT experience makes it happen.

“We wanted to make it easier to shop by taking the pressure off needing to know exactly what you want or having to sift through an endless number of search results,” said Purvi Shah, vice president, UX design, research and accessibility, Target. “So now a guest can ask a broad conversational question, and Target will respond with those curated, relevant, on-point ideas, and we might even suggest things that you didn’t even know that you needed.”

Black Friday 2025 – Retailers urged to act as mobile and loyalty trends surge

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are set to break records again, with more than half of purchases expected to take place on mobile and loyalty sign-ups predicted to exceed last year’s surge. For retailers, this is a pivotal moment, but according to Jonathan Keighley, Chief Revenue Officer at SaleCycle, the real opportunity lies in execution.

Brands that fail to recognize anonymous visitors or engage across channels will miss out. Retailers need to give attention to these key issues:

Cart abandonment – it spikes dramatically during Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
Loyalty sign-ups – last year saw a 119% surge in new loyalty program registrations and brands don’t want to miss out, leaving lifetime value on the table.
Mobile channel – more than 50% of Black Friday purchases were made on mobile devices.
SMS – with a 98% open rate, SMS is a powerful channel for urgent offers.

Canadian Fast Casual Chain Chopped Leaf Launches Feel Good Rewards

Chopped Leaf, a Canadian fast casual restaurant chain specializing in fresh salads, wraps and bowls, rolled out the Feel Good Rewards Program.

“Our guests have supported this brand for years, and the Feel Good Rewards Program is our way of giving back,” Karen Paradine, Head of Marketing for Chopped Leaf, said in a company press release. “We want people to feel appreciated every time they visit. This program rewards loyalty in a way that’s simple, meaningful, and true to who we are.”

AMC Theatres® Launching AMC Popcorn Pass

AMC Theatres® (NYSE: AMC), the largest theatrical exhibitor in the United States and the world, announced the launch of the AMC Popcorn Pass, a new annual benefit that lets AMC Stubs members enjoy 50% off a large AMC Perfectly Popcorn™ every day, for just $29.99+tax per year.

With the AMC Popcorn Pass, AMC Stubs members can enjoy 50% off a large popcorn every day, along with the AMC Stubs membership benefit of one free refill per day. The AMC Popcorn Pass is available to purchase and use starting Dec. 1, 2025, and runs through December 31, 2026.

Rotana Rewards Select becomes Rotana DISCOVERY, part of GHA DISCOVERY

Rotana, one of the leading hotel management companies in the Middle East, Africa, Eastern Europe, and Türkiye, announced the upcoming launch of Rotana DISCOVERY on 1 December 2025, its new global loyalty programme developed under the framework of its membership in the Global Hotel Alliance (GHA) and integrated into the award-winning GHA DISCOVERY platform.

Through this partnership, Rotana’s loyalty members gain access to 950 hotels across 100 countries and join a global community of over 32 million travelers. This milestone reinforces Rotana’s long-term commitment to delivering on its brand promise of Treasured Time while expanding its international recognition and loyalty reach.

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