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Loyalty NewswireJanuary 2, 2024

This Week’s News

The weekly Loyalty Newswire from The Wise Marketer delivers a curated list of the latest news and announcements from around the globe on all topics related to customer loyalty. We share news on a spectrum of topics, all with the intention of giving you an “info boost” to start your week.

The Loyalty Newswire makes it simple for busy professionals (that means YOU) to quickly digest important industry news and to *maybe even* enable you to star in your next big meeting.

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Bilt Rewards announces major updates to its elite status program

Effective Jan. 1, 2024, Bilt Rewards, the leading consumer brand for renters, changed how its members can earn elite status. Bilt Rewards offers three elite status tiers, Platinum, Gold, and Silver, plus a non-elite tier called Blue. Previously, Platinum required 100,000, Gold 50,000 and Silver 25,000 points.

Bilt Rewards now offers two paths to achieve tier status, through collection of Qualifying Points or based on Qualifying spend. The point accumulation method doubled the previous requirements with Platinum requiring 200,000, Gold 125,000 and Silver 50,000. In a statement to The Points Guy, Bilt stated “Tier adjustments were necessary because of all the ways to earn Bilt Points that didn’t exist 2.5 years ago. Today, we now have double points on Rent Day, earning 10X points on fitness classes, up to 2X on the Bilt Rewards travel portal, up to 10X on Bilt Dining and up to 5X points on Lyft rides.”

As a footnote (a big one), Bilt Rewards was valued at $1.5 billion this past October as result of $150 million in new capital raised through Left Lane Capital with investment from Smash Capital, Wells Fargo, Greystar, Camber Creek, Fifth Wall, and Prosus Ventures.

Mobivity announces corporate milestone with Connected Rewards

Mobivity, a tech provider connecting mobile gaming audiences to real-world brands and products, announced it has reached 30+ million consumers through its Connected Rewards product. In 2023, two of the largest fuel brands, several top 10 convenience stores, and 20+ major restaurant chains have used Mobivity’s Connected Rewards™ technology to connect their brand offers to the 200 million U.S. consumers who download and play mobile games monthly. Mobivity shared success metrics with The Wise Marketer:

  • A top three C-store exceeded its loyalty acquisition goal, reducing acquisition costs 82%.
  • A national restaurant chain drove 54% of offer redemptions from lapsed customers.

A major retail brand saw 57% larger basket sizes by adding mobile games to their offers.

KIB expands KIB Rewards

Kuwait International Bank (KIB) has expanded its all-inclusive digital loyalty program, KIB Rewards. The updated program will reward customers for every banking transaction and has added new partnerships, digital rewards, and e-vouchers. In this release, Ms. Laila Naserallah, Products Manager of the Digital Transformation and Innovation Department at KIB, said “KIB’s Rewards Program has been a game-changer in the country’s banking scene, changing the way customers interact with their financial institution through the introduction of an interactive digital loyalty program.

Fisker (FSR) Enhances Loyalty Program

Customers with an existing order or reservation for any Fisker vehicle are now automatically enrolled into Fisker’s Loyalty Program. Enrolled customers gain immediate access to unlock and redeem digital and physical rewards. Fisker’s Loyalty Program offers customers an opportunity to earn “quick and easy” points by Referring Fisker’s newsletter, visiting a Fisker Lounge, scheduling a test drive, referring a reservation holder, referring an order holder, and referring a delivery. Fisker’s Loyalty Program is available to customers in North America and Europe.

Royal Caribbean Group explores linking loyalty programs across two cruise brands

Royal Caribbean Group, the parent company of Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises, is exploring a potential unification of its two loyalty programs. Currently, Royal Caribbean Cruises operates the Club Royale rewards program, while Celebrity Cruises runs the Blue Chip Club.

From a “best practices” point of view, the unification is worth exploring as cruise customers would benefit from the opportunity to seamlessly transition between cruises under the Royal Caribbean umbrella, utilizing their loyalty benefits across both brands.

Autoflow’s Rewards and Referrals equips auto repair shops to recognize and reward customer loyalty

Autoflow’s Rewards and Referrals program was created to recognize customer loyalty and give meaningful rewards for referrals. The program enables shops to determine the actual monetary value of their customers along with identifying top customers.

Founder of Autoflow and co-owner of multi-shop operation Golden Rule Auto Care, Chris Cloutier, explained in the press release what inspired the new program, saying “Many loyalty and rewards programs are backwardly executed. Why burden customers with another card to carry or app to download? For one of my customers to be a part of this program, they have to be just that, a customer. My shops will keep track of their loyalty for them, the way it should be.”

Medal Rewards Program provides incentives for Olympic Athletes

The Papua New Guinea Olympic Committee (PNGOC) board announced a “medal rewards program” to provide monetary incentives for its athletes competing on the world stage as well as officials and national federations based on their contributions to the medal tally. The board earmarked K1 Million (about USD 260,000) for the rewards program. Athletes will receive K5000 (USD 1,300) for earning a Gold medal, K2500 for Silver, and K1000 for Bronze. It’s the ultimate performance marketing program. Run fast, lift heavy, collect cash – you know what to do. #Team PNG, #Medal Rewards Program

Tech issues hamper Sainsbury’s customers during Christmas holidays

According to this report, Sainsbury’s customers are complaining after a technical issue prevented them from redeeming Nectar points during the holiday season. Nectar is the loyalty scheme for Sainsbury’s stores and many customers save their Nectar points all year round in order to enjoy holiday splurges such as tins of chocolates, turkeys, and gifts for others.

Shoppers are barking at the supermarket giant on social media as some have said the problem has ‘wrecked their Christmas budget’.

Denis Huré, CEO: Reward the World™ pointed out in this LinkedIn post why these executional glitches are so dangerous to customer loyalty, “Technical execution is key to the success of any Loyalty program. Bad execution or technical issues can have a reverse effect and make you lose a lot of customers. Up to 50% of the annual redemption of a loyalty program can happen in December alone making the technical challenge even greater. Let’s remember customers are becoming more loyal to a brand as they redeem their points, not when they collect them.”

Loyalty Global Connect announces massive industry event in Dubai, 23-24 April

Loyalty Global Connect has announced Loyalty Connect Global which they describe as the loyalty equivalent of “Gitex” (tech industry), to deliver a ‘flagship’ loyalty event designed specifically for the business needs of all global loyalty stakeholders.

Loyalty Connect Global is poised to deliver a highly focused conference with globally respected industry speakers, 40+ exhibitors showcasing the latest technology and innovations, culminating in an industry recognition celebration of the top 10 global trailblazer brands in loyalty across the world. This awards ceremony is the 2023 version of what was previously known as the International Loyalty Awards.

The event is scheduled for 23-24 April in Dubai. Contact Marian Kelly (marian@loyaltyconnectglobal.com) for more information.

4 ways to foster customer loyalty in 2024 with ethical business practices

The role of business ethics in building customer loyalty doesn’t get talked about enough. As research shows, much of it published on the Wise Marketer including this article from Phil Rubin, founder Grey Space Matters, consumer choices are becoming more influenced by ethical considerations. Adopting and promoting ethical business is not only a moral imperative but can create a strategic advantage. This article from the Better Business Bureau highlights the four keys to building trust with customers through ethical business practice.

  1. Build trust through transparency
  2. Demonstrate consistency through ethical operations
  3. Cultivate customer alignment by promoting shared values
  4. Make a positive impact on your community

EGR Unveils Exciting Preferred Dealer Quarterly Rewards Program

EGR, a leading provider of innovative automotive products, announced the launch of Preferred Dealer Quarterly Rewards Program. The program kicked off January 1, 2024 and the initiative aims to empower brick-and-mortar jobbers by encouraging increased purchases of EGR products through various distribution channels, offering enticing rewards directly from EGR.

Under the Quarterly Rewards Program, brick-and-mortar jobbers are invited to submit purchase invoices to qualify for cash back rebates. Rebates are earned in the form of gift cards or affiliate products, providing flexibility for jobbers to utilize them as they see fit. The program operates on a quarterly basis, with rewards varying each quarter.

Career Opportunities and Jobs in Loyalty Marketing

We’ve gathered some interesting career opportunities across the Loyalty Marketing industry. We share here a partial list of all that is on our desk and there are excellent brands represented. To learn more and express your interest, please click through the individual links below.

We also have a curated concise list of executive level resources and other professionals who are available to support your team. If you are interested in connecting with anyone on the list, please email Bill Hanifin. All inquiries are managed in a confidential manner.

Stay. Loyal. Always.