The Loyalty Newswire August 11, 2025

The Loyalty Newswire from The Wise Marketer

From the Editor

Happy Monday!

Alibaba, China’s leading tech and e-commerce company, is launching an innovative cross-service loyalty program in a strategic effort to reclaim its dominance in the country’s highly competitive e-commerce market.

And US merchants are celebrating the ruling of a District Court judge that the Federal Reserve’s longstanding cap on debit card swipe fees is illegal. The ruling is a victory for merchants in their battle with banks and payment networks over the fees.

Launching what appears as a Middle East version of BILT Rewards, Apparel Group’s Club Apparel (UAE) partnered with PRYPCO Blocks to transform shopping rewards into property ownership.

And – in a IYKYK moment – Buc-ee’s ranked #4 in an America’s Best Retailers survey and #1 on Newsweek’s Top Convenience Store list.

Those are just a few headlines and there is much more news to read in this week’s Newswire.

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

Bill Hanifin, Managing Editor, The Wise Marketer

Short Takes

Alibaba Upgrades 88VIP in Bid to Reclaim E-Commerce Leadership

China’s leading tech and e-commerce company Alibaba is launching an innovative cross-service loyalty program in a strategic effort to reclaim its dominance in the country’s highly competitive e-commerce market. The new initiative, centered around its flagship platform Taobao, goes beyond traditional shopping by integrating services like food delivery and travel into a unified user experience.

The company’s existing loyalty program, 88VIP, will serve as the foundation for this expanded service model. As part of this plan, the food delivery service Ele.me and travel booking platform Fliggy have been integrated into Alibaba’s core e-commerce unit.

US District Court Rules in Favor of Merchants in Debit Card Fee Case

A US federal judge has ruled that the Federal Reserve’s longstanding cap on debit card swipe fees is illegal, siding with retailers who had challenged the fee limit as higher than what is allowed under the law. The ruling is a victory for merchants in their battle with banks and payment networks over the fees.

In a press release, The National Retail Federation welcomed the decision, saying “As merchants have argued for 14 years, the Fed’s broad attempt to allow big banks to essentially charge rent-seeking fees for debit card transactions is illegal,” NRF Chief Administrative Officer and General Counsel Stephanie Martz said.

Tide Rewards Launches to Help Small Businesses Save More on Everyday Spending

Tide, the UK’s leading business management platform, has just launched Tide Rewards, a new cashback feature designed to help small businesses save more on everyday spending.

Powered by Valuedynamx, Tide members can now earn cashback with 100+ well-known UK brands, including Apple, Sainsbury’s, Deliveroo, Wickes, and Currys and more, simply by using their Tide card. They also benefit from exclusive, personalised offers aligned to their spending habits and business needs, making rewards more relevant and valuable.

Snipp Launches New Program with Digital Ventures Unit (DVU) of NutriAsia (Philippines)

Snipp Interactive Inc. (“Snipp”) announces the launch of an innovative, multi-brand rewards program for the Digital Ventures Unit (DVU) of NutriAsia Inc., a leading name in food and beverages in the Philippines. Snipp is a global provider of digital marketing promotions, rebates, and loyalty solutions.

The new initiative is designed to drive brand engagement across the company’s extensive portfolio, including household staples like Datu Puti, Silver Swan, UFC, Mang Tomas, and Golden Fiesta, while building lasting customer loyalty and generating powerful consumer intelligence for actionable insights.

Apparel Group’s Club Apparel (UAE) partners with PRYPCO Blocks to transform shopping rewards into property ownership

Apparel Group, a global fashion and lifestyle retail conglomerate based in Dubai, has announced a strategic partnership between its flagship loyalty programme, Club Apparel, and PRYPCO Blocks, the Dubai-based fractional real estate ownership platform. Together, they are introducing Spend to Invest, a new way for shoppers to turn their everyday purchases into a step towards owning a home.

Club Apparel has been more than a platform to collect points. In the UAE alone, it has built a community of almost 4 million members who enjoy personalised rewards, exclusive experiences, and direct access to some of the most loved fashion, footwear, beauty and lifestyle brands in the world. Now, with Spend to Invest, members can shop their favourite Apparel Group brands and use the points they earn to buy a share in Dubai’s vibrant property market through the PRYPCO Blocks app.

Australian fashion retailer SHEIKE has launched its first ever loyalty program

The inaugural loyalty initiative in its 46 year history, SHEIKE Society, features four membership tiers, is designed to reward customers for their purchases and engagement with the brand and connect the digital and physical shopping experience for customers.

“Our new loyalty program marks an exciting first for our brand,” said Mel Grafton, Head of Digital and CRM, SHEIKE. “It goes beyond points and perks – it’s a way to celebrate our community and build deeper, more meaningful connections with our customers.”

Platypus Shoes (Aus) launches new Kicks Club

Platypus Shoes has launched a new loyalty program called “Kicks Club,” partnering with Connect by Live Nation to target Gen Z consumers through music and community-focused experiences. The program offers exclusive perks like early access to product launches and events, as well as opportunities to attend live music events and collaborations. Members can also earn rewards and unlock member-only deals.

Members must opt in for marketing communications and can earn a $10 voucher for every whole $100 spent in a transaction (excludes shipping). The voucher is valid for 90 days before expiring and voucher redemption can only be applied on transactions over $100 (excluding shipping

News From Down Under

Here is a summary of key news items in the Australia and New Zealand loyalty market. News is provided by Simon Rowles at Ellipsis & Co.

Interchange caps are coming

The Reserve Bank of Australia’s proposing to reduce interchange domestically to 0.3% of transaction value. That’s down from 0.8% currently and includes removal of the weighted-average interchange benchmark of 0.5%. Banks warn this could dismantle loyalty and rewards programs and increase cardholder fees.

Trouble at Qantas

Loyalty breach – Lawyers have filed a representative complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner against Qantas over the cyber-attack that compromised the data of 5.7 million customers. It alleges Qantas failed to reasonably protect the data at its Manila call center.
Qantas Frequent Flyer devalues – Qantas Frequent Flyer raised the number of points required for Classic Reward flights by 5% – 20%. Members will also earn up to 25% more points on domestic flights, and more Classic Reward seats are being added across the network.

Cordial Releases ‘Brands Battle for Attention as AI Redefines the Funnel’ Report

Cordial, the leader in messaging for enterprise retail marketing teams, launched a new report uncovering 3 truths reshaping marketing: Brands struggle to break through the noise, personal AI agents are the new gatekeepers, and technology consolidation is accelerating.

Combining the survey results of 1,000 U.S. consumers and 30 marketing executives, Cordial’s report found that Millennials and Gen Z regularly use AI platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity and Claude throughout their shopping journey. Despite this growing trend, nearly half of all brands (47%) maintain minimal or no AI agent presence, while only 7% have developed comprehensive AI optimization strategies.

Work Trends: 6 in 10 Gen Z Workers Are Quiet Vacationing This Summer

ResumeBuilder.com, the premier resource for professional resume templates and career advice, published a new survey report exploring the prevalence of “quiet vacationing” in 2025. The practice occurs when employees take time off without officially requesting it, often continuing to work or maintaining the appearance of working while away.

The survey found that 41% of workers have taken a quiet vacation this year, and 39% have already or plan to do so this summer. The survey also found that 3 in 4 quiet vacationers maintained the appearance of working a full day.

Convenience Retailer Buc-ee’s Ranked #4 on America’s Best Retailers 2025 list

The ranking, compiled by Newsweek and Statista, included 210 brands on the 2025 list. Buc-ee’s landed in the top 10, coming in at No. 4 with a score of 92.78. Buc-ee’s is the only convenience store chain that made the top 10, which also included brands such as Cartier, Golf Galaxy, LEGO, Red Wing Shoes, Russell Stover, Tory Burch, Vera Wang and Von Maur.

In what has become a phenomenon for US road warriors, Buc-ee’s stores are massive inside and out. The average size of a Buc-ee’s travel center is around 50,000 to 75,000 square feet, with about 100 fuel pumps on site. There are currently 54 Buc-ee’s in operation and it has become the equivalent to a tourist attraction for US road warriors, also ranking #1 in Newsweek’s best American convenience store list.

The NEW Bond Loyalty Report™ explores key shifts in loyalty and the brand who win

Bond, a leading insights-driven customer loyalty and engagement company, has released The Bond Loyalty Report 2025 edition in partnership with Visa. Now in its 15th year, the report breaks down the brands that are offering impactful loyalty experiences and showcases new challenges and solutions for brands in a competitive market space.

The report finds that consumer loyalty and engagement programs are more popular than ever but what initially brought customers into a program via points and discounting has changed. Delivering on experiences and access is now becoming more relevant to driving true customer loyalty.

Download an executive summary here.

What is Power and How do we Define it?

Last week Fortune released its second annual 100 Most Powerful People in Business ranking. If you must know, Nvidia’s Jensen Huang replaced Elon Musk on top this year. The article raised an interesting question: what exactly is power and how do we define it for such a list?

The methodology used by Fortune applies six criteria, evaluating the size and health of a leader’s business, along with their innovativeness, influence, and career trajectories, as well as their impact outside their organizations. How would you adapt this question for the global customer loyalty business?

Jobs in Loyalty

There are many talented people looking for full time and contract positions in loyalty marketing. Fortunately, there are opportunities available from both brands and providers. We list a sampling of what we are aware of here.

Please click through the links if provided or contact us here to learn more and apply for these positions.

VP Loyalty with a top 20 Global brand based on the West Coast of the United States. Please send indications of interest immediately to phil@greyspacematters.com.
Loyalty Methods – Project Manager and other positions available.

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