Between the tech wonders unveiled last week at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and the early reporting from this week’s NRF Retail’s Big Show, today’s loyalty newswire has as much to do with innovation as it does with strategy. Plus, we may have found out just how far is “too far” to go with GDPR compliance. Here is what we’re following in loyalty news:
CX
Riverbed Retail Digital Trends Survey 2019 Reveals Positive Digital Shopping Experience Just as Important as Great Prices.
There’s a lot to digest in these few data nuggets and it’s worth taking a moment or two and think about the implications for loyalty practitioners and how we might leverage DX. “89% of global consumers agree that having a positive digital shopping experience is just as important to their loyalty to a retailer/store as their prices”. There’s more where that came from.
XXX
The new face of customer loyalty
“A loyalty programme doesn’t equate to a reward programme. They are actually slightly different,” is a perspective offered by Paul Smitton, CEO of Asia Miles. “Loyalty programmes are about, ‘How do we understand our customers?’ How to engage with them in a holistic way, through the CRM. While a reward programme is just a mechanic, bait on the hook that makes customers want to form a relationship with you.” Smitton’s point of view on loyalty and rewards was expressed at a recent Collinson event, synopsized here.
XXX
LOYALTY STRATEGY
With 800,000 members, The Sun’s loyalty program is driving other revenue streams
The publisher’s smart loyalty strategy and a deep understanding of their customer has helped stem the decline in print circulation by 5 percentage points year-on-year, which is pretty astonishing in the newspaper world. Bravo!
XXX
Fast grocery delivery can win customer loyalty, but executing on it can be costly
Capgemini’s recent study foreshadows something close to a revolution in the way consumers do their grocery shopping. Start with this one little data point: “40% of consumers order groceries online at least once a week and that number is expected to reach 55% by 2021.” This growth cannot be only attributed to Amazon’s push into grocery. There’s more to it.
XXX
AiFi markets NanoStore, a tiny white-label cashierless store
This entry, from CES, brings a new level of agility to the fight against Amazon’s brick-and-mortar incursion. Think, a “movable, modular Amazon Go”.
XXX
CONSUMER PSYCHOLOGY
What is the Service Recovery Paradox? And is it real?
There is a common-held notion that “recovering” after delivering a poor experience will establish stronger customer loyalty than if a company delivered an excellent experience in the first place. This recent study adds some needed context to that assumption.
XXX
AIRLINES
Airline Loyalty Shifts, Morphs, Grows
Keeping up with the incremental changes and improvements in the shifting world of frequent flyer programs is an exercise in minutiae and nuance. On the other hand, two of the largest carriers in the USA appear to be making moves that may, in fact, be significant. United Airlines added a roster of high-utility / high-perceived value reward partners to its program and Southwest just re-shaped its member perks portfolio to now include companion passes. It remains to be seen, however, if either of these moves are true game-changers.
XXX
CONSUMER DATA
36% Of Shoppers Want Better Personalization, But Hesitate to Share Personal Info
Live from NRF, Sucharita Kodali, VP and Principal Analyst at Forrester Research sheds light on the current state of consumer sentiment as it relates to their personal data and the perceived value thereof.
XXX
Customers informed when their gifts are being returned due to GDPR
For the record, we believe that the principles behind GDPR are sound and necessary. But perhaps this time they went a bit too far.
XXX
Loyalty Newswire is compiled and edited by the staff at The Wise Marketer.
