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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Stay. Loyal. Always.
- Two Keys to Determining the Future of your Customer Loyalty Strategy
- Thought Leadership versus Content Marketing for B2B Demand-Gen
- Earn your Certified Loyalty Marketing Professional™ designation in London, 19-21 September
- 7-Eleven Launches Redesigned Mobile App for Enhanced Customer Experience
- CRED (India) unveils RuPay credit card-based UPI payments option
- Submit your nomination for the 2023 Golden Loyalty Awards
- Snapchat introduces a new rewards program for AR Lens Creators
- Who are the biggest retail winners during the first half of 2023?
- Jisp launches industry first wholesale loyalty platform
- Interac (Canada) enables Toronto residents to make Contactless Transit fare payments
- Job Opportunity
Two Keys to Determining the Future of your Customer Loyalty Strategy
Two concepts which we share regularly in our Loyalty Academy CLMP™ workshops are the importance of moving beyond transactional loyalty and gaining enterprise-wide support for your loyalty strategy. We found two resources that support these points and wanted to share them with you.
- This article from Multichannel Merchant begins with the premise that today’s consumers demand a deeper experience to earn their loyalty, one that goes beyond transactional value. They want to engage in a close, personal way with brands they love, building relationships that evolve with their needs. While consumers are setting an ever-higher bar, many companies are getting stuck midstream when looking to take loyalty programs beyond transactional. Here’s what to know if this sounds like your brand.
- In this interview with Chief Marketer, Walgreens CMO Linh Peters, discussed the importance of enterprise-wide buy-in for loyalty programs to ensure long-term success. Among other insights Peters states that “loyalty programs absolutely need to be an enterprise priority, and they need to be thought of as a strategic growth driver. They are not just promotions and discounts, and they’re not just a thing that marketing owns.” Read the full interview here.
Thought Leadership versus Content Marketing for B2B Demand-Gen
Content marketing is acknowledged as a mandatory part of the marketing toolkit these days. But the term is dangerous as it can be defined in one of several ways and the output from “content marketing” plans can vary widely. Outsourcing to writing services can be risky and giving into the temptation to create “advertorials” is simply wasting your time and money.
This article from MarketingProfs contrasts thought leadership with content marketing and postures that "Thought leadership is one of the most effective tools an organization can use to demonstrate its value to customers during a tough economy." Forrester, Gartner, Harris, and FT Longitude all tout the value of B2B thought leadership but only 20% of execs say they're any good at it. This article explains the dilemma.
Earn your Certified Loyalty Marketing Professional™ designation in London, 19-21 September
The Loyalty Academy™ and Zenith Marketing are hosting the first CLMP™ workshop in the UK, scheduled 19-21 September in London. Epsilon is the premier sponsor for the event. Mike Capizzi, Dean of the Loyalty Academy, will be leading the workshop. Don’t miss the opportunity to network with your peers as you earn this valuable certification to accelerate your career in loyalty and digital marketing. Epsilon is the leader in outcome-based marketing and has a rich, 50-year heritage in helping marketers anticipate, activate, and prove measurable business outcomes. Epsilon is also a strong supporter of professional loyalty marketing education and has more CLMP™s on staff than any other company in the world. For more information visit Epsilon here and go here to register for the workshop.
7-Eleven Launches Redesigned Mobile App for Enhanced Customer Experience
7-Eleven Inc. has unveiled an updated mobile app to improve the overall 7Rewards customer experience. Available for both iOS and Android, the refreshed app allows for a more seamless, integrated 7Rewards experience both in-store and via 7NOW Delivery. The latest version of the app boasts a series of upgrades that further integrate its best-in-class features and enhance the overall customer experience both in-store at 7-Eleven and via 7NOW® Delivery. From the official press release, Yaqub Baiani, Vice President of Product Management at 7-Eleven shared “The heart of our digital connection with the customer is through the 7-Eleven app … the app serves as a pivotal connection point between the convenience store chain and its customers, providing them with the convenience they desire anytime, anywhere.
CRED (India) unveils RuPay credit card-based UPI payments option
CRED, an India-based FinTech, is a member only credit card bill payment platform that rewards its members for clearing their credit card bills on time. CRED members get tools to improve and maintain their credit standing while earning CRED coins that convert to exclusive rewards and experiences from premier brands. In collaboration with the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), CRED has launched RuPay credit card-based UPI payments for community members. RuPay credit cards issued by banks such as HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Yes Bank, Axis Bank, BOB Financial Solutions, Canara Bank, Indian Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Punjab National Bank and Union Bank. Kunal Shah, Founder, CRED stated, “India has leaped ahead in global financial innovation through UPI. Enabling credit card transactions on UPI – through the integration of our second homegrown innovation, RuPay – will unleash the next stage of growth for India’s digitization journey.”
Submit your nomination for the 2023 Golden Loyalty Awards
The Loyalty and Awards event is scheduled for 9-11 October in Rio de Janeiro. Not only is this the premier event for the travel loyalty industry, but it is the site of the Golden Loyalty Awards. The gala ceremony will be on 10 October, and you can submit your nominations until 1 September 2023.
This is a great opportunity to associate your company with the best in the business globally at the Gala Dinner. Submit nominations here and please visit here for registration information. Award sponsorships are still available, giving you the potential to get on-stage exposure.
Snapchat introduces a new rewards program for AR Lens Creators
Snapchat is introducing a new Lens Creator Rewards program to give AR creators and developers the chance to earn money for top-performing Lenses. The company will reward up to $7,200 per month to creators if their creation is a top-performing Lens with high engagement in the United States, India, and Mexico. Initially, the company rolled out this reward program in these three countries. It will then expand to 40 eligible countries if its Lens performed well in the United States, India, and Mexico.
Who are the biggest retail winners during the first half of 2023?
Learn about the biggest retail winners of the past six months and read about emerging consumer trends that are likely to shape the retail landscape in the second half of 2023. This is a report from Placer.ai which requires a download form but we have read the report and recommend it if you are tracking the retail landscape in North America. It includes data about the heightened demand for health and wellness impacting the Fitness, Dining, and Grocery categories and tells you what location analytics reveal about recent major retail real estate takeovers.
Jisp Launches Industry First Wholesale Loyalty Platform
Jisp, the tech solutions company behind Scan & Save, has launched an industry first wholesale loyalty and rewards platform. The new platform is based on Jisp’s Scan & Save mobile application (app) solution for retailers to customers but has been reengineered to be applied in a wholesale or cash & carry setting. Instead of shoppers scanning a barcode to activate a discount voucher and build loyalty rewards, a retailer would scan the wholesaler’s product case code to achieve the same outcome.
Interac (Canada) enables Toronto residents to make Contactless Transit fare payments
Interac, Canada’s national debit network, has partnered with the Toronto Transit Commission, Canada’s largest transit agency, to make Interac® Debit available as a contactless payment option as of August 15, 2023. From the official press release stated “Transit riders across Toronto will now have the quick and convenient option to pay for a ride directly from their banking account with Interac Debit,” said William Keliehor, Chief Commercial Officer, Interac Corp. (“Interac”). Wise Marketer speculation: could a loyalty program be the next phase of this rollout? The Hong Kong based Octopus card is a model for others to follow in linking transit, payment and loyalty.
Job Opportunity
A large financial services provider in the US is seeking a Loyalty Strategy Contractor for 20-30 hours a week. The person will be part of the team to create the development and optimization of customer loyalty, rewards and engagement strategies for clients and prospects. The candidate should be prepared to provide customer and industry insights, rewards best practices, thought leadership and expertise to clients to support and lead the development of comprehensive loyalty strategies supporting credit and non-credit loyalty programs. A bachelor’s degree is required or, in lieu of a degree, a high school diploma and 8+ years of work experience in business strategy development, loyalty strategy or customer experience.
Interested parties should contact BillH@TheWiseMarketer.com for more information.
