The Loyalty Newswire October 06, 2025

The Loyalty Newswire from The Wise Marketer

From the Editor

Happy Monday!

This is “back to business” Monday after two weeks on the road delivering a Wiser Forum in Mexico City and a Loyalty Academy Certified Loyalty Marketing Professional™ workshop in Austin, Texas.

Collectively, we had the support of event sponsors Comarch, Bond Brand Loyalty, and Loyalty Methods, as well as the participation of nearly 100 people across these two events.

As we turn our eyes to the news this week, we found meaningful metrics to share on the size of the global loyalty program software market, the impact of Kroger’s Precision Marketing group, and satisfaction trends by US consumers on their favorite credit card rewards programs.

We also announce a new CRMC webinar featuring Canadian home improvement retailer, RONA, sponsored by Exchange Solutions.

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

Bill Hanifin, Managing Editor, The Wise Marketer

Short Takes

New CRMC Webinar: Anonymous Shoppers: Goldmine or Blind Spot?

Anonymous shoppers are one of retail’s largest untapped opportunities, yet most brands struggle to engage them. Join us on November 6, 2025, 1pm ET for this discussion moderated by The Wise Marketer with Marie-Helene Cusson, Senior Director, Digital Merchandising & Analytics at RONA. Marie-Helene will share how RONA turned unknown browsers into loyal, high-value buyers with a simple, personalized, in-session approach.

RONA is a leading Canadian retailer of home improvement and construction products and services, owned by U.S.-based private equity firm Sycamore Partners. This webinar is part of the ongoing CRMC Webinar series and is sponsored by Exchange Solutions. Register here.

Customer Loyalty Program Software Market Projected to Reach USD 10.3 Billion by 2033

The Customer Loyalty Program Software Market was valued at USD 4.5 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach USD 10.3 billion by 2033, registering a CAGR of 12.8% from 2026 to 2033.

The market’s growth is fueled by increasing digital adoption, rising demand for personalized customer experiences, and the integration of AI and analytics in loyalty programs. Details here.

Kroger Precision Marketing Expands Managed-Service Capabilities

Kroger Precision Marketing (KPM), powered by 84.51°, has launched a suite of new managed-service offsite programmatic capabilities. An expert in-house team will now activate across programmatic audio, programmatic CTV, and dynamic creative optimization (DCO) for display.

The move comes as more brands are applying purchase-based audiences across streaming media.

“CPG brands are under increasing pressure to deliver relevant messages at scale,” said Christine Foster, Senior Vice President at Kroger Precision Marketing. “These programmatic solutions enable more marketers to build emotional connections with new households.”

Zeta Global to Acquire Marigold’s Enterprise Business

Zeta Global (NYSE: ZETA), the AI Marketing Cloud, announced earlier this week it had entered into a definitive agreement with Marigold to acquire Marigold’s enterprise software business, including Marigold Loyalty, Cheetah Digital, Selligent, Sailthru, Liveclicker, and Grow.

“Marigold’s world-class team has built technologies with a reputation for helping leading brands create meaningful, data-driven customer experiences,” said Michael Gordon, CEO of Marigold. “Zeta, a company with significant resources that shares our commitment to innovation and measurable results, is an ideal home for our products, strategy, and team, and we expect this transaction will result in greater value for Marigold’s customers. I look forward to continuing to lead Marigold’s SMB businesses while I root for the continued growth and success of our enterprise software business as part of Zeta.”

United and Instacart Partner to Bring Loyalty Members More Benefits

United and Instacart launched a new collaboration that gives the airline’s loyalty members even more ways to save time, earn rewards, and unlock exclusive benefits when they shop with Instacart. In a first for an airline, Instacart is offering United MileagePlus members $0 delivery fees* on orders placed right before, during or shortly after they take a domestic flight.

Additionally, MileagePlus members who link their United MileagePlus and Instacart accounts can also enjoy mileage rewards across a variety of offers found at United.com/Instacart. This new suite of benefits builds on United’s existing relationship with Instacart. Earlier this year United and Chase refreshed their portfolio of co-branded credit cards and announced Instacart benefits for eligible Chase United Cardmembers.

New Strategy Brief: Solving the Loyalty Marketing Attribution Riddle

In the latest of our Wise Marketer Strategy Brief series, From Vision to Reality – How Loyalty Data Powers the AI Marketing Revolution, explores how loyalty programs can be the ultimate drivers to transform competitive advantages into salient returns and evolve into an enterprise-wide asset.

Our valued thought partner in the creation of this eBook is Kobie – the perfect fit for The Wise Marketer to address this heady topic. Here are some excerpts that will make you want to download this resource as fast as possible:

  • “In many organizations, loyalty programs still live in a shadow. This shadow is called the “cost center.” And it can blind even the best of intentions.”
  • “Attribution is often the Achilles’ heel of loyalty marketing.”
  • “AI turns loyalty from a fabled story into a verifiable dataset – one that improves with every swipe, click, or scan.”

Program Highlight: Home Depot Pro Xtra

The Home Depot is celebrating “Pro Xtra” week and provides a summary of program benefits here as well as outlines 5 benefits of being a Home Depot Pro. The program is designed to give members access to a full suite of benefits designed to streamline workflows and reward their loyalty.

Through Pro Xtra, THD seeks to make it easier for renovators, remodelers and specialty trades to save time, reduce costs and keep jobs moving forward. Through October 12, Pro Xtra members can enjoy in-store only vendor demos, giveaways and discounts. Read about the program and its benefits here.

Devaluation Alert: Dunkin’ Changes Its Rewards Redemption Rates

According to this analysis from Restaurant Dive, Dunkin’ changed its loyalty program, again, making most items more expensive to redeem, but increasing discounts on bagels and bites, and adding a new bakery category. The overall analysis of new discount rates shows the coffee chain has largely made it more expensive to redeem items.

Dunkin’s shift to reduce most discounts in its loyalty program comes as other coffee chains, most notably Starbucks, have started to move away from using their loyalty systems as pure discount plays. Want to do your own analysis? You can find the new program details here.

Co-Brand & Travel Rewards 2025 is in NYC, 28-29 October 2025

Loyalty revenues have grown significantly important to airlines, hotels and travel companies and the biggest part of that comes from co-brands. Travel continues to grow – with some domestic weaknesses in some markets – but there are other headwinds emerging. Whether it’s the tax man, regulators or increasing competition from non-card payments there is plenty to learn and prepare for.

The Co-Brand and Travel Rewards event, presented by AI Connect, is a one stop shop, whether you are a loyalty program, an issuer or one of the many other players in a complex ecosystem, to connect with top presenters and industry peers. Register here.

What Does Media Say About the Real Price of Retail Loyalty Programs?

It’s important to understand the way loyalty programs are perceived by mainstream media. This Consumer Reports investigation highlights how Kroger collects and analyzes shopper data in highly sophisticated ways by tracking purchases, building detailed profiles, and turning that data into profit.

No surprise to those of us in the trade, but it is interesting to learn that Kroger’s Precision Marketing arm generated an estimated $527 million in 2024. The company’s “alternative profit” ventures are said to compose more than 35% of its net income.

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.

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Stay. Loyal. Always.