In this week's Loyalty Newswire we share news from Australia, India, Ireland, and Singapore. The pursuit of customer growth is an effort embraced by brands all over the world and we do our best to cover it all. We also include 4 significant research reports delivering findings on consumer preference, customer experience, and shopping trends - also with multiple "geos" represented.
If you think we've missed an important news item or want coverage for an announcement from your brand, please send us an email in the contact us form on The Wise Marketer website. We'll appreciate the head's up and will put you in the running for special surprises during 2023.
If you haven't taken advantage of a free subscription to our weekly Newsletter each Thursday, please do it today! You'll unlock access to exclusive content, events, promotions, and more.
Stay. Loyal. Always.
- Clarus Commerce + Prizelogic to rebrand as ebbo
- SNIPP releases new research on inflation and shopping habits
- Merkle UK releases 2022 Customer Experience Report
- Sunnyside Cannabis Dispensary pilots new patient loyalty program
- Marketforce research on QSR industry shows McDonald’s, Burger King lag in customer loyalty
- Learn how to create top-shelf Customer Experiences with Comarch and The Wise Marketer
- Spotify launches new rewards program in India
- City of Dublin launches shopping rewards program for local merchants
- Australia plans to reform mobile wallet, cross-border payments
- Kneaders refreshes loyalty program
- Singapore Retail Report 2022 from Adyen sheds light on consumer preferences
Clarus Commerce + Prizelogic rebrand as ebbo
Clarus Commerce, a leading provider of end-to-end loyalty solutions, and widely known for its leadership in subscription membership programs, has announced its rebranding as ebbo. The rebrand comes after Clarus Commerce’s acquisition of PrizeLogic in late 2021. In the official press release, Tyler Haskins, EVP of Marketing, ebbo said “ebbo presents us a remarkable opportunity to invest further in proprietary technology, offer a wider array of services to our clients, bring in fantastic domain expertise and continue to accelerate growth. ebbo is uniquely positioned to continually grow and take our solutions to the next level and drive value for our clients.”
SNIPP releases research on “Inflation and the Ever-Evolving Shopper”
Snipp Interactive, a Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) company in the global loyalty and promotions sector, has just released its latest US consumer survey and insights, "Inflation and the Ever-Evolving Shopper". Snipp conducted the survey to better understand American consumer behaviors and shopping preferences during these inflationary times. The survey validates many recognized behaviors including shoppers' return to physical retail, but reveals surprising insights about their brand loyalty, store choices and price sensitivities. You can download the full report here, but for now, take note of these key behavioral insights from the report:
- 60 percent of those surveyed reported they shop in physical stores more than they did compared to the same time last year
- 57 percent have switched to a new retailer to save money, 51 percent choose similar items from a different brand when their favorite item is out of stock
- Compared to the same time last year, 32 percent shopped more at Walmart and 39 percent shopped less at Target
Merkle UK releases 2022 Customer Experience Report
As inflation figures remain high at 10.7%, brands are truly going through the ringer. A new UK research report from Merkle sheds light on what is impacting consumer purchasing decisions amid the cost-of-living crisis. The report reveals that more than half (51%) of consumers say that businesses should be prioritizing cost-of-living offers and nearly two-fifths (39%) would appreciate strong loyalty schemes. 77% understand that brands need to increase their costs because of the crisis. Nevertheless, 76% still expect businesses to work hard to retain their loyalty once it is over, showing that their loyalty during a crisis must be rewarded. You can find the entire report here.
Sunnyside Cannabis Dispensary Launches Patient Loyalty Program in Florida
Sunnyside, the national cannabis dispensary brand operated by multistate cannabis operator Cresco Labs, announced the launch of Sunnyside Rewards, a new loyalty program available now on Sunnyside.shop for medical patients in Florida. Patients can join Sunnyside Rewards through their existing Sunnyside.shop account page where they can view earning history, point balances and redemptions. Patients will earn 1 point per $1 spent (post discounts, pre-tax), and can redeem points in any whole dollar amount up to $100 on a single transaction. Points can be redeemed after a patient has accumulated 40 points, equivalent to a $1 reward. Rewards are stackable with most discounts.
Marketforce research on QSR industry shows McDonald’s, Burger King lag in customer loyalty
Marketforce has released its 2022 QSR Research report featuring 53 brands scored on a spectrum of factors across the entire customer journey. The study found that food quality, restaurant atmosphere, service time, employee friendliness, and cost were the driving factors behind customer loyalty. Some of the largest brands in the group, including McDonald’s and Burger King scored in the mid-range of the survey. You can find the report here to review results and rankings including overall brand sentiment, customer loyalty, menu satisfaction, and value measures.
Learn how to create top-shelf Customer Experiences with Comarch and The Wise Marketer
Last week, The Wise Marketer hosted a conversation among Ralph Harrington, Group Product Owner of FordPass Rewards at Ford Motor Company, Sara Zagaria, Senior Researcher at Osservatorio Digital Innovation, Christopher Sandstrom, Director of Marketing at Comarch North America, and Katarzyna Kulczycka, Senior Business Strategy Consultant at Comarch. The group explored the key components of a top-shelf customer experience and pinpointed what business decision-makers should consider when building their loyalty program.
As background for the discussion, the group reviewed research and personal business perspectives. Research cited in the webinar included a report from Gartner® analyst Michael Chiu dated July 2022 citing a set of Top 10 Customer Experience Metrics based on recent research, the latest research published by Politecnico di Milano on the Omnichannel Customer Experience and quantitative research studies from The Wise Marketer. If you missed this great discussion, you can still find it here.
Spotify launches new rewards program for Indian users
Spotify has introduced a new reward program for its Indian users. Szymon Kopec, a product manager at Spotify, posted on his personal Twitter account (@szymonkopec) about the new rollout in India. The rewards program will be accessible by subscribers to the Spotify Premium Mini subscription. The new Spotify Rewards program is tailored to the needs of Asian users and sources suggest the program will spread to the rest of Asia soon.
City of Dublin launches shopping rewards program for local merchants
Dublin shoppers will soon be able to earn incentives and connect with local merchants through a mobile app based loyalty program known as "Dublin Marketplace". Formed through a partnership with Reach, a San Francisco-based tech and commerce company, the program is designed to generate traffic for small businesses while providing shopping incentives to residents. Shoppers can earn cash-back rewards in the form of "Dublin Dollars" when purchasing items at local stores. Mayor Melissa Hernandez said in a press release "This program will provide our businesses with a competitive advantage while rewarding those who shop in Dublin."
Australia to reform mobile wallet, cross-border payments
Australia's central bank wants mobile wallet providers to offer least cost routing options for merchants by the end of 2024, under new regulatory powers set to be granted by the government. Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) Governor Philip Lowe stated "Overall, we are optimistic that least-cost routing will help counter the forces that are adding to merchants' payment costs, particularly for small businesses." The announcement came as the government announced a shakeup of regulations across Australia's financial system that would update payment systems, regulate the Buy Now Pay Later sector, and establish a framework to regulate crypto service providers.
Kneaders Loyalty Program Refreshed
Kneaders, a Utah-based fast casual bakery and cafe chain, has refreshed its Kneaders Rewards program and reports a 50% increase in average weekly enrollment. The program gives guests the flexibility to redeem points for over 30 rewards within the brand's digital rewards marketplace. The large variety of rewards available to members within the rewards marketplace uplevels the loyalty experience, giving guests the option to choose more relevant perks or menu items based on their preferences. Kneaders is working in partnership with Thanx, a loyalty and guest engagement platform.
Singapore Retail Report 2022 from Adyen sheds light on consumer preferences
Adyen provides end-to-end payments capabilities, data-driven insights, and financial products in a single global solution. Headquartered in Amsterdam, the company has 26 offices globally and services clients including Facebook, Uber, H&M, eBay, and Microsoft. Adyen just released its Singapore Retail Report 2022, a study based on a survey of over 10,000 businesses from 23 markets including 502 from Singapore. According to the survey: 63 percent of those surveyed would prefer using self-service kiosks for check-ins and check-outs and 48 percent of hospitality operators find it hard to maintain customer loyalty in the current environment and rely on the quality of their products to attract repeat customers.
Quote of the Week
“In a collaborative landscape, brands need to acknowledge that omnichannel is here to stay. Automation and tech-savvy consumers are here to stay. Loyalty, it seems, is still appreciated on both ends, it just needs to evolve to serve a changing market.” From this article written by Arvindh Yuvaraj.
Stats of the Week
The best elite status and loyalty program enhancements of 2022
If you are a frequent traveler or someone who tracks frequent flyer programs, you should know about The Points Guy Awards 2022. In this year’s edition of the awards, TPG experts picked the winners for the Best U.S. Airline Elite Status, Best Hotel Elite Status and Best Loyalty Program Investment/Enhancement honors in the Editors' Choice Awards. We’ll spill the beans to let you know that IHG One Rewards won the Best Loyalty Program Investment/Enhancement. You can find the rest of the winners here.
Miss the previous newswire? Stay informed: Loyalty Newswire – December 12, 2022
The Loyalty Newswire is compiled and edited by the hard-working, customer-centric, data-driven staff at The Wise Marketer.
