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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- Panera Bread introduces Grocery Rewards
- Denny’s centers loyalty program relaunch on gamification
- Instacart upgrades shopper rewards program
- Loyalty Academy™ workshops are coming to Bengaluru and London in 2023
- Cencosud add to e-commerce strategy with new digital wallet
- Petco Mexico deploys Teamwork Commerce omnichannel retail technology in Latin American stores
- Ukheshe says Scan to Pay is largest QR ecosystem in South Africa
- LIDL changes loyalty reward scheme and faces customer criticism
- Silversea announces revamped trade recognition program
- PressOne Africa announces new AI driven technology to build loyalty with Nigerian small businesses
Panera Bread introduces Grocery Rewards
Panera Grocery Rewards is a time-limited promotional addition to MyPanera and offers customers who spend $20 on Panera goods in the grocery store a $5 electronic gift card for use at the fast-casual’s restaurants. The objective of the campaign is to create awareness and drive long-term loyalty with Panera’s grocery products and encourage shoppers to visit the café. To get the reward, consumers must scan their receipts to prove they’ve purchased Panera products.
Denny’s centers loyalty program relaunch on gamification
Denny’s, known as “America's Diner”, has launched its revamped Denny's Rewards program with an emphasis on personalized challenges that unlock a bevy of new rewards. Members who join the program at Dennys.com or with the Denny's App, will be able to partake in this new experience. John Dillon, Denny's President, said in the official press release "At a time when guests place a premium on value, we are excited about this game-changing summer launch. The fact that it's also fun is the icing on the proverbial pancake."
Instacart upgrades shopper rewards program
Instacart launched Cart Star, a rewards program for its shoppers in July 2022. In the Instacart ecosystem, “shoppers” is the term they use referring to workers who fulfill online customer orders at partner brick-and-mortar stores. After studying data and collecting shopper feedback for the past 12 months, Instacart is now updating rewards for its three existing Cart Star tiers and introducing a new feature for its most experienced delivery personnel. In its corporate announcement, Instacart stated “Shoppers are a vital component of our Instacart Community. Last June we announced our Cart Star program as part of our commitment to recognize the care and effort of top shoppers. Today, we’re excited to announce that we’re investing further into Cart Star rewards.”
Loyalty Academy™ workshops are coming to Bengaluru and London in 2023
Gaining professional certification in Loyalty Marketing and the Digital Arts is sure to advance your career aspirations. The Loyalty Academy™ offers the only professional certification for Loyalty Marketers in the world - the Certified Loyalty Marketing Professional™ - and you can gain your certification by participating in one of public workshops scheduled for two new locations.
- The second India workshop is coming to Bengaluru, India August 2-3, 2023. Bill Hanifin will join Brian Almeida of Strategic Caravan to lead this workshop. You can count on a lively mix of interactive exercises, discussion, and networking as only the Loyalty Academy can deliver.
- UK’s first Loyalty Academy™ workshop will be held 19-21 September in London. This event is being sponsored by global loyalty leader Epsilon and hosted by Zenith Marketing, the same organization which brings you the Irish Loyalty Awards in Dublin and the International Loyalty Awards in London. Discounted registration rates are available courtesy of our sponsors while supplies last. Registration information can be found here.
Cencosud add to e-commerce strategy with new digital wallet
Cencosud S.A. is the largest retail company in Chile and the third largest listed retail company in Latin America, operating more than 1,000 stores in 6 countries with more than 116,000 employees. Cencosud is in full reinvention, accelerating its e-commerce strategy to offer customers a complete, efficient omnichannel experience and has just launched CencoPay, a mobile application that will allow its customers to store their cards in one place and make payments directly from their cell phones in a simple, safe and convenient way.
Petco Mexico deploys Teamwork Commerce omnichannel retail technology in Latin American stores
Petco Mexico has implemented Teamwork Commerce’s omnichannel solution to manage its more than 118 stores in Mexico and Chile. The project includes Point of Sale (PoS), loyalty program and inventory control, all integrated with its CRM and online store. Petco offers Club Petco, a program where customers receive coupons based on their purchase accumulation, whether they bought in-store or online. "Teamwork Commerce has become one of the key pillars in achieving omnichannel capabilities at Petco. It has reinforced Club Petco, our successful loyalty programme, and we have been able to implement real-time targeted experiences to pamper our customers both in physical stores and on the e-commerce platform," says Guillermo Prieto Cortes, CIO at Petco Mexico.
Ukheshe says Scan to Pay is largest QR ecosystem in South Africa
Ukheshe (Africa) has announced details of the brand evolution of Masterpass to Scan to Pay. Scan to Pay, powered by Ukheshe is now the largest QR ecosystem in South Africa - serving more than six acquirers, 94 PSPs, 14 banks and fintechs, three MNOs and more than 500,000 merchants. Scan to Pay services 3 million Direct App Downloads and is included in 16 million Banking Apps. Scan to Pay enables seamless QR code transactions between merchants and consumers. Merchants benefit from effortlessly creating and managing static or dynamic QR codes to receive payments, while consumers enjoy the convenience, safety, and security of making payments using their mobile devices, without the need for cash or physical cards.
LIDL changes loyalty reward scheme and faces customer criticism
Even when you think that a small change to your loyalty program might go unnoticed, be prepared as customers today are ready to dissect every change and voice their opinions quickly on social media. LIDL, Germany based grocery chain that now operates in 32 countries including more than 150 stores on the eastern states in the US, has experienced this reality of late. The grocery chain made changes to its reward program as of July 1 and you can read the details and some of the customer reactions here.
Silversea announces revamped trade recognition program
Campioni di Silversea (Italian for ‘Champions of Silversea’) is an exclusive trade recognition program for the cruise line’s top-selling travel agencies in Australia and New Zealand. The revamped 2023 program will be even more exclusive to provide extra rewards to the agencies that support the luxury cruise company. Each winning agency will receive a luxury, all-inclusive getaway for the owner/manager plus a travel companion on a secret trip plus a personalised glass trophy and a Pommery Champagne magnum for the team.
PressOne Africa announces new AI driven technology to build loyalty with Nigerian small businesses
Founded by Mayowa Okegbenle and Opeyemi Shokunbi, PressOne Africa delivers reporting and call monitoring to enable entrepreneurs get the maximum value from every customer call. With the PressOne app, business owners can monitor all customer phone conversations made by staff or team members from anywhere. The company recently announced the closing of a $600,000 pre-seed round. The round was led by Ventures Platform, along with participation from Voltron Capital and a set of stellar angels. Now, PressOne has is introducing PressOne Call AI, a tool designed to revolutionize customer engagement for Nigerian small businesses. PressOne Call AI enables businesses to swiftly address customer grievances, foster loyalty, and drive sustainable revenue growth.