Loyalty NewswireJuly 15, 2024

Here’s a Roundup of this week’s Loyalty and Digital Marketing News

When you read the news this week, you will see how loyalty marketing can be well-positioned as an integral part of enterprise operations.

Data from 7-Rewards informs a refreshment of its food and private label strategy.
Paytronix reports on the impact of loyalty programs on sales and customer retention.
Fred Reichheld has new thoughts on the impact of generative AI.
And Giving USA Foundation releases its annual report on the State of Philanthropy. How do you think that customer loyalty could have more impact in charitable giving?

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Quick Global News Roundup

Domino’s Pizza Q2 Preview: Loyalty Program Progress and Uber Partnership

Domino’s Pizza is scheduled to release Q2 earnings on 18 July. The company has teased that Q1 results will beat expectations of forecasted revenue growth of 7.3%. Among the highlights in the report supporting the strong performance are the continued success of Domino’s Rewards program and the growth of the partnership with Uber Eats.

According to analysts, the new-look Domino’s Rewards program saw more customer engagement, which led to improved profitability growth. The management sees Domino’s Rewards as a “meaningful sales driver,” in 2024 and beyond. Listen to the earnings call or read the results in next week’s Newswire.

Brown Thomas Arnotts Overhauls Customer Loyalty with Aptos Technology

Brown Thomas Arnotts announced it will use technology from US firm Aptos to help upgrade its customer loyalty and engagement systems. Selfridges-owned Brown Thomas Arnotts will also use Aptos’ customer relationship management (CRM) system to improve the consumer shopping experience in-store and across its online channels.

The luxury retailer will employ the Aptos’ ‘Sales Audit’ technology solution to consolidate, validate and processes all transaction data to be fed into various systems and functions across the wider enterprise.

Mastercard and Global Hotel Alliance partner to launch new cobrand credit card

Mastercard and Global Hotel Alliance (GHA) announced a multimarket agreement to introduce a co-branded card designed to boost the travel and hospitality experience for discerning travelers. Chris Hartley, CEO, Global Hotel Alliance, said: “Our partnership with Mastercard marks a significant milestone in our ongoing efforts to reward our loyal customers” … and … “the co-branded credit card will not only offer unparalleled rewards and benefits, but also reinforce our position as a leader in the luxury hospitality sector.”

According to Mastercard’s Affluent Travel Report, 34% of affluent travelers in Middle East and North Africa (MENA) are users of loyalty schemes and membership cards, and more than half of the affluent travelers say they are looking for more meaningful experiences rather than shopping and souvenirs.

Chase and Marriott Team for Travel Now, Pay Later Program

Chase and Marriott Bonvoy announced the introduction of a newly enhanced Marriott Bonvoy Bold Credit Card last week. Cardholders can earn more Marriott Bonvoy points toward free stays and Marriott Bonvoy Moments experiences on a variety of popular everyday spend categories.

The new product includes a Travel Now, Pay Later benefit, where cardmembers can break up qualifying travel purchases into equal monthly payments, with no interest and no plan fees. The benefit is available on purchases between $100 to $5,000 made directly with an airline or at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy. Cardmembers earn points on these purchases, like usual. Full press release here.

Paytronix releases Loyalty Trend Report 2024

The Loyalty Trend Report 2024 is available for download and there are plenty of findings to support the efficacy of loyalty programs. As reported, top loyalty program sponsors in the convenience and casual dining sectors are reporting higher penetration of sales and retention rates as high as 85 percent.

In this report, you can discover how real-time data, industry-leading engagement strategies, and key growth drivers can help you outperform competitors and maximize customer retention. The report offers insights and actionable restaurant and c-store data to elevate your loyalty program.

7-Eleven Is Reinventing Its $17B Food Business to Be More Japanese

Sales in convenience stores have historically been led by tobacco and gas. Widely known is that tobacco use is declining, and fuel is low margin business compared to products sold inside the store. To combat the trends, 7-Eleven is focused on building its proportion of overall sales from store brands and food.

As this video story explains, 7-Eleven learned that the convenience shopping experience in the US was “just not as appealing” as in other countries. 7-Eleven is making changes based on “Tapin Kanri”, an approach to merchandising and operations which adapts food service and other items to meet the needs of local customers to attract customers. 7 Rewards currently has 95 million members and the data collected will help the chain successfully help all parties participating in its ecosystem.

Convenience Stores Hold an Advantage in Retail Media Network Space

Convenience store operators are always looking for the next big technology initiative to drive customer engagement. Now, the new frontier may very well be retail media networks (RMNs). A retail media network is like an asset, according to Susie Opare-Abetia, founder and CEO of Wovenmedia, an in-store retail media solutions provider based in San Francisco.

This article highlights how a RMN could take the form of a retailer’s website, mobile app or email channel, or it could be the store itself. With a retail media network, retailers are essentially opening up that asset to allow ads to be published, leveraging their first-party data to get the right ad in front of the right consumer.

Issuer-Provided Installment Plans Surge While In-Store BNPL Flattens

Post-purchase issuer-provided installment plans have surged in popularity thanks to offerings like American Express Plan It, My Chase Plan, and Mastercard Installments. Recent data from Auriemma Group’s The Payments Report indicates these plans are now rivaling in-store installment offers.

When asked which option they would prefer, over two-thirds of debit cardholders consistently say they would rather pay with their card at the point-of-sale and later enroll their purchase onto an installment plan with a card provider. The remaining one-third prefer enrolling with a Buy Now, Pay Later provider, like Klarna or Affirm, at the point-of-sale.

“Ethical implications of AI-driven retail customer service” – New eBook from Retail Wire

Retail Wire shares this new eBook from Talkdesk and the guide will help you leverage AI responsibly in your retail strategy. Insights include the impact of biased AI on customer experience and steps retailers can take to harness AI’s potential while ensuring AI systems remain unbiased and inclusive. You can download the eBook here.

The Secret to Mars’s Remarkably Durable Success: Customers Come First

Rising customer expectations, proliferating channels, and new technologies like generative AI are changing what’s required of marketing and customer experience. But these changes, and the next wave after that, won’t alter one truth: Exceptional companies will always focus on delighting customers.

In this article, Fred Reichheld opines about how Mars outperforms on Bain’s Stakeholder Impact Assessment across the critical dimensions of consumer, customer, employee, and planet—all without sacrificing profitable growth. The company is one of an elite group that has broken the carbon curve, growing its business while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Giving USA Foundation release annual report on the State of Philanthropy

The report from the Giving USA Foundation showed that overall giving to charities was up 1.9 percent in 2023, though a decline of 2.1 percent when adjusted for inflation. Gifts from individuals continued to lag other categories, reinforcing a recent report by the Fundraising Effectiveness Project which noted that 80% of the decline in donor participation can be attributed to the loss of the small donors who gave $500 or less. Bonterra provided this news and announced that it will be sharing exciting announcements soon on how it is using from multiple research sources to more easily match donors with doers.

A&D Mortgage revolutionizes Mortgage Broker Industry with ADvantage Loyalty Program

A&D Mortgage, a leading provider of innovative mortgage solutions, announced the launch of its groundbreaking ADvantage Partner Loyalty Program. The program is set to transform the way mortgage brokers operate, providing them with unparalleled benefits and rewards while revolutionizing their businesses.

The ADvantage Partner Loyalty Program is designed to recognize and appreciate the dedication and commitment of our esteemed broker partners.

Singapore FinTech Qashier unveils Treats, a payment-linked loyalty solution

Singapore-based FinTech startup Qashier has announced that it is launching Treats, a unique payment-linked loyalty programme that allows customers to earn points by simply tapping and paying with their linked cards at any merchant under the Treats programme.

Treats is available for QashierPOS and QashierPay merchants, allowing customers to make payments and earn points seamlessly in-store. An industry first, the QashierPay terminals with Treats enabled will allow merchants to view Treats customer profiles and points when accepting payments conveniently.

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