Loyalty NewsWire

Loyalty Newswire July 31, 2023

By: Wise Marketer Staff |

Posted on July 31, 2023

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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Last chance to join the Loyalty Academy in Bengaluru, India

The second India CLMP™ workshop is coming to Bengaluru, India this week. The workshop runs August 2-3, 2023, and there are only a few seats remaining. The workshop will be led by Bill Hanifin, CEO Wise Marketer Group and Brian Almeida, CEO Strategic Caravan. Capillary Technologies, a leading customer loyalty and engagement technology solutions provider, is the Platinum sponsor for the event.

Earning your Certified Loyalty Marketing Professional™ designation in this interactive workshop means you join a global community of 739 professionals in 46 countries. Register here.

Credit Card Competition Act of 2023 poised to change the credit card rewards landscape

The Credit Card Competition Act of 2023 seeks to provide network choice for processing credit card transactions. The act would require banks to name an additional network, besides Visa or Mastercard, to process credit card transactions. It would also require the largest credit-card issuing financial institutions to enable at least two credit card networks to be used on their credit cards.

Proponents of the legislation say the act would foster competition and transparency in the credit card market so that card networks would have to compete for business on fees and terms. It would also give small business owners choices between credit card networks. In the United States, banks that issue Visa and Mastercard credit cards charge a swipe fee that averages 2.25 percent of the purchase price when the cards are processed over Visa or Mastercard's networks, a rate that is significantly higher than in other countries. American businesses pay seven times more in swipe fees than businesses in Europe and five times more than businesses in China.

Much is being written about the potential death of credit card rewards in the US as result of this legislation, but this research from CMSPI shows the impact will be small. What do you think? Write to us and let us know your opinion.

Tanger Outlets has launched a refreshed TangerClub guest loyalty program

Tanger® Outlets (NYSE: SKT), a leading operator of upscale, open-air shopping centers, announced the launch of its refreshed TangerClub guest loyalty program and all-new consumer mobile app. The program is designed to provide a digital-first experience and optimize the guest experience. The program includes all Gold member perks plus elevated everyday deals, faster bonus offer qualification, VIP parking, and $5 off next year's membership. The program also adds a tiered subscription model. You can read the full press release here.

Supermarket Countdown (New Zealand) to rebrand as Woolworths from 2024

Countdown Supermarkets, the New Zealand business of Woolworths, will be rebranded as Woolworths Supermarkets New Zealand from 2024. The business initially operated as Woolworths but was rebranded as Countdown in 2011. Countdown is promising a new customer loyalty programme to replace its current Onecard programme, which it says will provide “more value and a materially improved fresh offer” along with its announced $400 million rebranding and refurbishment. The supermarket announced last week it was ending its partnership with AA Smartfuel, meaning shoppers would no longer get points for fuel discounts with every spend.

Kura Sushi Drives Rewards Membership through merchandise partnerships

Kura Sushi is a Japan-based revolving sushi chain with more than 500 locations across Japan, Taiwan, and the United States. The self-described tech-focused restaurant chain has 47 locations in 14 states across the US and operates Kura Rewards, a loyalty program that the company reports gained about 120,000 members (more than 2,500 new members per location) with the help of its campaigns to offer exclusive merchandise from different entertainment brands including animated series “We Bare Bears” and manga/anime “Demon Slayer.” Kura Sushi president and CEO Jimmy Uba told analysts in an earnings call “Our ability to attract rewards members materially is a much larger number than we've seen in past quarters, and certainly, this would be something that we put into our strategic toolbox

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.

Yum! Brands Advances Ongoing Data Strategy to Enhance Customers’ Digital Experiences

Yum! Brands, Inc. announced the latest step in the Company’s strategy to enhance the digital experiences of customers by selecting Treasure Data™ as its Customer Data Platform provider to help drive customer acquisition, growth, and retention. Many Quick Service Restaurants (QSRs) have unknown diners in their customer base, and being able to personalize marketing to them is important to increase brand loyalty and frequency. The company press release said Yum! Brands is investing in technologies that enable easy experiences for customers, easy operations for restaurant teams and easy insights to drive outsized growth. The Company’s strategy is to build in-house, acquire or partner on technologies that provide a strategic advantage.

Indigo (Canada) growth fueled by Indigo loyalty program

Indigo Books & Music was created in August 2001 upon the merger with Chapters Inc. Indigo has evolved to become the “world’s first cultural department store” and is now Canada's “largest purveyor of ideas and inspirations”. The Company’s plum rewards program reflects the strong focus placed on generating long term engagement from its best customers. Indigo’s plum rewards program includes two tiers: plum, a free points-based tier; and plum PLUS, a fee-based tier that allows members to collect points, save an extra 10% on almost everything and enjoy free shipping every day. Among other exclusive offers, members can take advantage of invitations to special events, early access to sales and inspirational book and product recommendations.

Visa invests in Thunes and TerraPay to serve unbanked remittance market

Unbanked populations in fast-developing regions represent a huge untapped market for financial services. According to this article, there are 800 million people around the world receiving remittances, and while the originators may be sending money from an area with high bank penetration, the recipients generally don't have a convenient way to receive money. The race to close this gap is taking shape between U.K.-based TerraPay and Singapore-based Thunes. Visa has aligned itself with Thunes and recently raised $72 million in new capital to fuel additional growth. At the same time, TerraPay announced a partnership with Kenya-based Safaricom, creating a connection between Safaricom's 30 million mobile TerraPay wallets across Bangladesh and Pakistan, with India and Nepal to be added soon. Visa is also an investor in TerraPay. Read more here.

Epsilon announced as key sponsor for Loyalty Academy™ London

The Loyalty Academy™ announced that Epsilon has joined Zenith Marketing as a key sponsor of the first CLMP™ workshop in the UK, scheduled for 19-21 September in London. 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. The firm is well established in the loyalty marketing discipline and has more CLMP™s on staff than any other company in the world. For more information visit Epsilon here and go here to get more information and register for the workshop.

GNC relaunches MyGNC Rewards program

GNC Holdings, retailers of performance supplements, weight management supplements, vitamins, herbs and greens, wellness supplements, health and beauty, food and drink, and other general merchandise, operates a network of approximately 9,000 locations under the GNC brand worldwide. In July 2023, GNC relaunched its myGNC Rewards program. The new program combines popular elements from the previous program and adds new perks. The program is supported by a new GNC mobile app, which helps customers track purchases and earn points. Get all the details here.

News Snippets for YOU

Amazon One technology will soon be in use at Whole Foods, meaning customers can pay with their palms
Canada’s Globe and Mail regularly covers customer loyalty programs in Canada and you can find a nice summary of programs including Tim Hortons and Canadian Tire here
Chipotle loses Digital Marketing VP to Yahoo
Reaction to Expedia’s new One Key Rewards program is mixed. It is comprehensive but diminishes the value proposition for Hotels.com members
Digital deposit return scheme trialed by UK supermarket Ocado
Gap names Chris Blakeslee president to lead Athleta
Mastercard moves to ban cannabis purchases on its debit cards. The antiquated debate about legalization of marijuana in the US continues. Read more here.
Playa Bowls, the nation's (US) leading superfruit bowl shop specializing in bowls such as acai and pitaya, oatmeal, chia, smoothies, juices, cold brew and more, announced the appointment of Dan Harmon as the company's new Chief Executive Officer. Harmon has worked in leadership positions with Smoothie King, Papa Murphy's, Potbelly Sandwich Works, Blockbuster, and McDonald's. Sounds like a great match for this growing franchise.
Here’s an overview of the top online payment methods in the APAC markets
We recommend downloading this report from Retail Dive on How Personalization shapes the retail industry
Mr Cooper, Truist, Bread – so much rebranding in the market. Here’s what you need to know about Bread Financial, rebranded from Alliance Data in March 2022