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!
- Sweetgreen begins piloting its new subscription service, Sweetpass
- Will the success of Nike's Member Days event influence the global loyalty industry?
- According to KPMG's recent survey, groceries will cost 14% more in 2022
- Holiday retail sales increased 8.5%, according to Mastercard Spending Pulse
- Entries to the International Loyalty Awards 2022 will be accepted until 14 February 2022
- Tap-based vertical cards offer more than a new design style
- A review of data privacy and security in 2021 plus predictions for the upcoming year
- American Airlines releases its list of official partners where you can earn Loyalty Points
LOYALTY PROGRAM NEWS
Sweetgreen Starts Piloting Subscription Service
Highlight: Sweetgreen on Monday began the New Year with a new subscription pilot it’s calling “sweetpass.” The pass will be available for purchase from January 3 through January 16. Passes will be valid for customers for 30 days after their sweetpass purchase, with the pilot program expiring on Tuesday, February 15. It’s not available on third-party delivery marketplaces, such as DoorDash, UberEats, Postmates or GrubHub. “When thinking about how to roll out a loyalty program authentic to the brand, sweetgreen wanted to put the customer at the center and pivot from a ‘one-size-fits-all” approach into something that allows them to connect with customers every step of the way,” a company spokesperson said.
Are Nike’s Member Days loyalty’s future?
Highlight: Nike in November set member engagement records with the launch of its first globally coordinated Member Days event. The event, started in 2019, offers loyalty members special access, offers and rewards over five themed days… Nike attributes its strong member engagement to the options it gives customers to connect digitally. Forty percent of Nike’s online sales this year came from the brand’s mobile apps. “Not every brand in our industry or other industries is able to have that direct connection with consumers,” said John Donahoe, Nike’s president and CEO. “That’s why we’re putting so much focus on our full consumer funnel, bringing new members into the top of the funnel, engaging the mid-funnel and then obviously, translating that into strong and deep relationships.”
RETAIL NEWS
Groceries Will Cost 14% More This Year, KPMG Survey Reveals
Highlight: The arrival of 2022 is turning out to be a boom for grocers but a bust for shoppers. According to a consumer survey conducted by accounting firm KPMG, consumers are now facing a 22% increase in their grocery bill compared to pre-COVID-19 prices. The forecast report is based on a survey of more than 1,000 U.S. consumers. Last year, COVID-19 and its ripple effects across the economy produced large shifts in consumer behaviors around food shopping and eating. And this year, shoppers will spend $79 more each month on their groceries. Consumers are expecting to “spend $611 on average in 2022, compared to $532 in 2021,” the report said.
Holiday Retail Sales Jumped 8.5%, Led by Clothes, Jewelry
Highlight: Holiday spending jumped 8.5% this year, with retail sales up both in-store and online compared with 2020, according to Mastercard Spending Pulse, which tracks purchases across all forms of payment. Retail sales rose 10.7% over prepandemic spending figures in 2019. Mastercard’s figures, released Sunday, include retailers and food services merchants, but not automotive purchases, airline travel or lodging… “Shoppers were eager to secure their gifts ahead of the retail rush, with conversations surrounding supply chain and labor supply issues sending consumers online and to stores in droves,” said Steve Sadove, senior advisor for Mastercard and former CEO and chairman of Saks Inc., in a statement.
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
Credit cards go vertical, ditching classic look and magnetic strip
Highlight: Instagram-style portrait-mode orientation for cards may add a dash of design pizzazz, but the real reason for the shift is what's happening on the back end, where tap-based vertical cards go a step beyond what's possible on older systems. Unlike swipe cards, tap-enabled cards are backed by a technology that Suhkmani Dev calls "tokenization" because the identifying information being exchanged in a transaction is unique for just that one transaction, making it much harder for a fraudster to intercept any data that would allow them to compromise an account and use it again and again. “If you lose your card, instead of your Netflix being cancelled, we replace that sensitive 16-digit card information with a unique identifier, which the merchant can still use to do a transaction on, but it's not your actual 16 digit number," she said, “it's dynamic.”
DATA & PRIVACY NEWS
A Look Back at the Year in Data Security – and Predictions for 2022
Highlight: As 2021 comes to a close, this article recounts some of the biggest trends in data privacy and cybersecurity from the past year and looks ahead at what we anticipate will come to workplaces in 2022. Employers across the nation need to review what happened this past year when it comes to ransomware attacks, consumer privacy legislation, biometric privacy, and the Biden administration’s cybersecurity efforts – and need to prepare for the year to come.
TRAVEL & HOSPITALITY NEWS
American Airlines unveils its list of Loyalty Point-qualifying partners
Highlight: If you’re planning on earning American Airlines AAdvantage elite status next year, there’s now a list of partners where you can earn those coveted Loyalty Points. Loyalty Points is the new elite status-qualifying currency that’s being rolled out next year that completely changes the way you earn AAdvantage status. Generally speaking, one AAdvantage mile equals one Loyalty Point. The list of partners should look familiar to any AAdvantage loyalist. While there are no significant changes from this year’s AAdvantage partners, you will notice two notable exceptions.
Did you miss the previous newswire? Stay informed: Loyalty Newswire – December 28th, 2021
The Loyalty Newswire is compiled and edited by the staff at The Wise Marketer.
