Happy New Year! Welcome back to the Wise Marketer! That is, if you've been here before! Each week, our team of editors curate a list of the latest customer loyalty, technology, and other relevant marketing news. Our goal is to make it simple for busy professionals to quickly digest important news and trending topics. Show your support by joining our mailing list to gain access to exclusive content, events, promotions, and more. Or simply enjoy today's newswire!
- Dutch Bros rewards program gained 3.2 million members in its first year, accounting for 60% of sales
- Zinrelo's loyalty rewards platform increased KPS Essentials repeat purchase revenue by 46.54%
- Instacart's Ready Meals Hub offers an alternative to restaurant takeout with prepared meals from supermarkets
- Survey results reveal consumers are interested in loyalty programs, rely more on DTC brands, and gravitate towards Buy Now, Pay Later financing options
- Tender Retail and Blackhawk Network expand partnership to help retailers diversify their in-store payment options
- Entries to the International Loyalty Awards 2022 will be accepted until 14 February 2022
- Ford and Stripe sign five-year agreement to overhaul the automaker's e-commerce and payments infrastructure
- Coinbase partners with Mastercard to enable card payments on upcoming NFT marketplace
- EU data regulators levied roughly $1.3 billion in GDPR fines throughout 2021
- Get paid to travel as a TikTok correspondent as part of Marriott Bonvoy's new promotion
LOYALTY PROGRAM NEWS
Dutch Bros Loyalty Program Exceeds Expectations
Highlight: In its first year, the 538-unit coffee chain’s Dutch Rewards gained 3.2 million members, with 500,000 coming in the fourth quarter alone. The digital tool helped systemwide same-store sales grow 10.1 percent in Q4 and 15.3 percent on a two-year basis. Company-operated comps increased 11.5 percent in the fourth quarter and 17.3 percent on a two-year stack... “Our rewards program is engaging,” said CEO Joth Ricci. “It almost enhances the experience at the drive-thru versus replacing it. We want to make sure that we don’t over-digitize the experience. We want to balance it and make sure the rewards program is additive to what we do.” Dutch Bros adjusted the rewards program so that points expire after six months instead of a year, based off the theory that “three months is too soon and 12 months doesn’t create enough urgency,” Jemley noted. He added that “six months is a nice sweet spot that people will understand and appreciate.”
Zinrelo’s Loyalty Rewards Platform Helps KPS Essentials Increase Repeat Purchase Revenues by 46.54%
Highlight: KPS Essentials had very clear business objectives - improving customer retention and repeat purchase revenue. They launched the Essentials Rewards program with Zinrelo’s platform to systematically achieve these objectives. While evaluating loyalty rewards platforms, KPS Essentials was looking for a solution that had a data centric approach for optimization and could be customized to suit their needs. Zinrelo’s platform was the ideal fit. KPS Essentials found it simple to install and easy to customize as per their requirements… “Zinrelo identified potential areas to boost the revenues and suggested strategies to achieve it,” commented Natalie Novak-Bauss, Owner of KPS Essentials. “I loved their methodical approach to achieve our business objectives.”
RETAIL NEWS
Instacart introduces Ready Meals Hub as another way to shop smart
Highlight: While many people have become accustomed to ordering a delivery from their favorite restaurant, the Instacart Ready Meals Hub looks to be an “alternative to restaurant takeout.” Fulfilled by grocers, the “ready-made meals” looks to fill a gap in “fresh, healthy and cost-effective” space. According to Daniel Danker, Head of Product of Instacart, this program looks “to give busy people and families across the U.S. more ways to shop smart, eat healthy and feed their cravings faster than ever before.” From soups to take-and-bake items, various grocery stores, like “Publix, GIANT, Food Lion, Hannaford, Stop & Shop, Martin’s, and Kroger,” can fill a need for the hungry consumer.
New Treasure Data Survey Reveals Consumers are Motivated by Loyalty Programs and Relying More on DTC Brands, BNPL Options
Highlight: The new study identifies consumer behavior trends that point to deeper, more direct connections between retailers, brands and their customers, including the hearty embrace of loyalty rewards programs, a growing reliance on direct-to-consumer (DTC) channels, and an increasing preference towards flexible financing options, such as buy now, pay later (BNPL)… “Retail brands and stores are using innovative, data-driven strategies to keep up with customers as they navigate the pandemic, supply chain disruption, and a period of high inflation,” said Tom Treanor, CMO at Treasure Data. “Our new survey strongly suggests that investments in the customer experience are paying off. With the customer journey extending beyond the point of sale, marketers require data management strategies and solutions that help brands maintain ongoing, productive conversations with consumers.”
Tender Retail and Blackhawk Network Announce Expansion of Solution-Oriented Partnership
Highlight: Tender Retail, a leader in middleware payment solutions for enterprise retail and quick-service restaurant chains, and Blackhawk Network, a global financial technology company, announced a new commercial relationship to help retailers expand their in-store payment options as well as modernize promotional offers and discounts, while streamlining in-store operations and lowering the cost of payment acceptance. The expanded agreement with Blackhawk Network enables Tender Retail to diversify its existing features and payment options for merchants looking for ways to provide better buying experiences and reach untapped spending power. The two market leaders will combine their expertise to develop solutions around features like Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) and integrate alternative payment methods, such as digital wallets from global providers.
EVENTS
Entries to the International Loyalty Awards 2022 Are Now Open
Highlight: The Loyalty Magazine Awards has rebranded for 2022 as the International Loyalty Awards in recognition of its global scope and stature as the most influential awards event in the customer loyalty industry. The International Loyalty Awards celebrate the world’s most innovative and memorable loyalty initiatives from across six continents. The awards recognise brands that are building lasting and profitable customer relationships and bring together the global leaders of loyalty, to celebrate innovation, creativity, and sheer brilliance. The Wise Marketer is a media partner for this event and Managing Editor Bill Hanifin will be participating as a judge for the competition. Entries are open and we encourage submissions as quickly as possible, submitted here. The closing date for entries is 14 February 2022 a mere 8 weeks away!
PAYMENTS NEWS
Ford-Stripe agreement to accelerate easy payment experiences for customers, dealers
Highlight: Together, Stripe and Ford will grow the online payments infrastructure serving customers and dealers in markets across North America and Europe. Their work will deliver enhanced, reliable online commerce experiences for users, dealers and the company… “As part of the Ford+ plan for growth and value creation, we are making strategic decisions about where to bring in providers with robust expertise and where to build the differentiated, always-on experiences our customers will value,” Harris said. “Stripe has developed strong expertise in user experiences that will help provide easy, intuitive and secure payment processes for our customers.” As Ford develops e-commerce offerings across the product and service spectrum, Stripe’s platform will be a key part of the tech stack.
Mastercard strikes NFT payments deal with Coinbase amid a wave of recent crypto partnerships
Highlight: Coinbase is partnering with Mastercard to allow card payments on its upcoming NFT marketplace. This means you’ll be able to directly purchase an NFT with fiat currency (also known as a government-issued currency, such as the USD) using your Mastercard credit or debit card, all without having to buy cryptocurrency first. Most NFT marketplaces require that you purchase cryptocurrency first, add it to a secure wallet, and then connect that wallet to the marketplace, a process that obviously isn’t as simple as your typical online purchase. “Expanding the audience for NFTs allows this burgeoning market to support more creators and could spark the next evolution of digital commerce,” says Raj Dhamodharan, Mastercard’s executive vice president of digital asset and blockchain products, in an announcement on Mastercard’s site. “Getting more people involved safely and securely is perhaps the best way to help the NFT market thrive.” Dhamodharan also notes that Mastercard will use its acquisition of CipherTrace, a cryptocurrency intelligence company, to help bolster the safety of NFT purchases.
DATA & PRIVACY NEWS
EU’s Tough Data Privacy Rules Rake in Biggest Annual Fines
Highlight: Luxembourg’s data protection authority last year slapped Amazon with its biggest fine since the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation took effect almost four years ago. The U.S. online retailer is challenging the 746 million-euro ($851 million) penalty. The Irish watchdog followed with the second-highest EU fine against WhatsApp, ordering it to pay 225 million euros for failing to be transparent about how it handled personal data. The two record fines make up a large proportion of all GDPR fines in 2021, according to a report released by law firm DLA Piper on Tuesday. Total penalties rose sevenfold to 1.1 billion euros compared to 158.5 million euros in 2020.
TRAVEL & HOSPITALITY NEWS
Get Paid To Visit 30 Hotel Brands In 300 Days As Marriott Bonvoy TikTok Correspondent
Highlight: Three lucky travelers could hit the jackpot in 2022 thanks to Marriott Bonvoy. The loyalty program, which counts 30 hotel brands and a whole home rental collection within its portfolio, is giving away a 300-day global adventure to visit all 30 of its hotel brands and moonlight as a social media ambassador… To become one of its “Marriott Bonvoy TikTok correspondents,” TikTok users should create a video using the hashtags #30stays300days and #contest any time between today and March 18. The video should explain why they are the best person for the job and how travel has shaped who they are as a person.
Did you miss the previous newswire? Stay informed: Loyalty Newswire – January 10th, 2022
The Loyalty Newswire is compiled and edited by the staff at The Wise Marketer.
