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- Newsweek partnered with research firm Statista to compile a 2021 ranking of America's best loyalty programs
- PDI has expanded its CStore Essentials tobacco loyalty solution to single-site and independently operated convenient stores
- Tehachapi City Council has approved the "Small Business Loyalty Program" to incentivize purchases at local businesses around the city
- Walmart has removed its $35 minimum purchase price for its two-hour Express delivery service
- Retail developers are negotiating early lease terminations for struggling tenants with an uncertain future
- Tokyo retail giant Rakuten enables users to load up on Rakuten Cash using a variety of cryptocurrencies
- Virginia lawmakers introduce the CDPA, and although inspired by California's CCPA, it gives consumers GDPR-like rights
- WhatsApp's new privacy policy has exposed major legal loopholes in India's Data Protection Laws
- On March 11th, United Airlines will begin to offer a direct bus service from Denver International to Colorado's ski slopes
- Airline stocks rise after Boris Johnson releases government roadmap for ending the lockdown in England
LOYALTY PROGRAM NEWS:
The best U.S. retail loyalty programs are…
Quotable: “A mixture of national and regional retail chains take top honors in a new ranking of the top retail loyalty programs across a wide range of verticals. Partnering with global research firm Statista, Newsweek has compiled the 2021 ranking of America's best loyalty programs based on the results of an independent survey of more than 4,000 U.S. customers who are members of loyalty programs of retailers or service providers in the U.S.”
PDI Expands Tobacco Loyalty Offering for Independent C-Store Operators
Quotable: “For thousands of single-site c-stores in the U.S., access to the latest technology, including store operating systems, loyalty functionality, and mobile apps, is out of reach. CStore Essentials is designed to meet their needs and provide a single supplier to deliver a competitive edge. The expansion of CStore Essentials’ tobacco loyalty solution goes beyond tobacco scan data and leverages PDI Marketing Cloud Solutions' loyalty capabilities to give independently operated c-stores all the tools they need to run their business and deliver offers to the end-consumer.”
Tehachapi City Council approve small business loyalty program
Quotable: “The Tehachapi City Council unanimously approved the ‘Small Business Loyalty Program’ aimed at incentivizing purchases at small businesses in the City of Tehachapi. Customers who purchase over $100 of goods/services at any small business within the City of Tehachapi can bring those receipts to City Hall from March 1 through March 30 and received a $20 gift card.”
RETAIL NEWS:
Walmart drops $35 minimum purchase for 2-hour delivery
Quotable: “Walmart+ gives Walmart a Prime-like loyalty program based around shipping, though it doesn't come with the extensive exclusive media offering of Prime Video and some of the other goodies attached to Amazon's membership. Even so, Walmart+ has gained potentially more than 8 million subscribers since officially launching last fall, according to a Consumer Intelligence Research Partners analysis.”
Retail Owners Strategically Negotiate Lease Terminations
Quotable: “Retail owners are strategically negotiating lease terminations with struggling tenants. During the pandemic, tenants that have faced challenges in the last year and don’t show signs of recovery are often happy to exit the lease. Simultaneously, landlords are able to reclaim retail units and backfill them with better fitting tenants—and potentially higher rents. 'Some retail developers are being proactive in dealing with existing space by negotiating early lease terminations with struggling tenants who do not see things turning around anytime soon,' Dan Villalpando, a partner at Cox, Castle & Nicholson...”
PAYMENTS NEWS:
Online Retail Giant Rakuten Allows People to Load Payment App With Cryptocurrencies
Quotable: “The massive Japanese electronic commerce and online retail company based in Tokyo is now allowing crypto users to leverage the company’s Rakuten Pay service in order to load up on Rakuten Cash. The payment service with crypto asset support provides clients with access to a wide range of Rakuten’s services and products including the firm’s travel services, Kobo e-books, and mobile. Moreover, users can load their Rakuten app with BCH, BTC, or ETH in order to purchase items at Familymart, McDonald’s, 7-11, and Mister Donut to name a few.”
DATA & PRIVACY NEWS:
CCPA On The East Coast? Meet CDPA, Virginia’s Consumer Data Protection Act
Quotable: “Although Virginia lawmakers were clearly inspired by California, CDPA is an opt-in law and uses similar language to GDPR to define consent, which needs to be clear, affirmative, freely given, specific, informed and unambiguous. This standard is higher than what’s called for under CCPA and the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), which requires that consumers are given the opportunity to opt out of data collection. CDPA gives consumers GDPR-like rights.”
Modifying the Personal Data Protection (PDP) Bill to Deal with Rising Privacy Concerns
Quotable: “The recent advent of WhatsApp’s updated privacy policy has brought to light the legal loopholes that the Indian Data Protection Laws are laced with. A revised and updated change in Data Protection Laws in India could have prevented the possible infringements that may take place with WhatsApp’s new privacy policy. The European Region has been able to circumvent this issue due to its updated Data Privacy Laws that successfully provide users with protection from such policies.”
TRAVEL & HOSPITALITY NEWS:
United Airlines starts offering bus service straight to Colorado ski slopes from Denver
Quotable: “The Chicago-based airline on March 11 will start offering three-times-a-day bus service from its Denver International Airport hub to Breckenridge, Colorado and four-times-a-day to Fort Collins on April 1. Checked bags — and skis — will be transferred directly to the bus, provided by Landline, which will depart from a gate at the airport. Landline says seating capacity will be limited because of the Covid-19 pandemic.”
Shares in UK travel and hospitality firms surge in response to roadmap
Quotable: “UK travel and hospitality companies set to benefit from the easing of Covid restrictions rallied on the London stock market after Boris Johnson set out the government’s roadmap for ending lockdown in England...Shares in airlines and travel firms rose after a surge in holiday bookings on Monday night following Johnson’s announcement of a possible return to international travel from 17 May, subject to a government review.”
Did you miss last week's news? Catch up here: Loyalty Newswire – February 22nd, 2021
The Loyalty Newswire is compiled and edited by the staff at The Wise Marketer.
