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Loyalty Newswire – June 29th, 2020

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By: Wise Marketer Staff |

Posted on June 29, 2020

Enjoy our curated list of loyalty-related news:

  • 7-Eleven is piloting new fuel rewards component as part of 7-Rewards
  • Lincoln Access Rewards has added experiences to drive customer loyalty
  • Sephora's Beauty Insider members can redeem points as donations to the National Black Justice Coalition
  • Square officially launches online delivery option for merchants
  • Customer Loyalty doesn't have to be won at the expense of Employee Wellbeing
  • Online shoppers will still earn Sephora's Beauty Insider points when checking out on Instagram
  • Microsoft to close all but four brick and mortar retail locations
  • American Airlines (and United) will resume booking flights to full capacity ditching social distancing

LOYALTY PROGRAM NEWS:

7-Eleven Adds Fuel Loyalty Component to 7Rewards Program

Quotable: “Just in time for summer road trips, 7-Eleven Inc. is piloting a loyalty program aimed at motorists. The convenience store retailer is testing Fuel Loyalty at participating 7-Eleven stores in Orlando, Fla., and Woodbridge, Va. The program provides contactless payment options to reduce touch and drives instantaneous savings at the pump, according to the company.”

Lincoln Expands Loyalty Program To Include Experiences

Quotable: “The program now offers a collection of culinary, entertainment, health and wellness and travel experiences in major cities like Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville and New York. Among the new rewards are stays at partner hotels like the Mondrian Los Angeles, Dream Hollywood and Dream Nashville; complimentary dinner for two at one of over 50 Culinary Collection Restaurants, such as Scarpetta – New York; a leather shopper tote from fellow Detroit-based luxury brand, Shinola; or a Zingerman’s Bread Club six-month membership.”

PAYMENTS NEWS:

Sephora is letting its Beauty Insider members redeem their points as donations to the National Black Justice Coalition

Quotable: “On Monday, Twitter users began posting about a new feature they discovered on the retailer's website: a section of the Beauty Insider Rewards Bazaar that allows you to turn your earned points into donations towards the National Black Justice Coalition.”

Square launches on demand delivery for online merchants

Quotable: “Square has officially launched On-Demand Delivery sellers on the Square Online Store, which include participating restaurants and retailers. Following a recent beta test, the program allows sellers to dispatch deliveries through their own websites instead of having to use third-party delivery platforms.”

CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE NEWS:

Customer Loyalty Doesn’t Have to Be Won at the Expense of Employee Wellbeing

Quotable: “Customers no longer base their loyalty on price or product. Instead, they stay loyal with businesses that deliver a personalized customer experience that meets their specific needs. If businesses can’t deliver, customers won’t hesitate to walk away. The need for personalizing the customer experience is just as important in the current climate, where online meetings are the only option. So how can employees personalize the customer experience? If one of your clients is soft-spoken and prefers to listen during meetings, try to coax them out of their shell and engage them.”

RETAIL NEWS:

Sephora and Instagram Make Social Shopping Even Simpler

Quotable: “Today, Sephora revealed its new digital collaboration with Instagram, bringing beauty inspiration and shopping together for one seamless client experience. Together, the leading prestige beauty retailer and social platform are building the best online shopping experience for the @sephora community of 20 million followers. In this new digital storefront, you can buy a product available with checkout right from your feed or stories at the moment of inspiration.”

Microsoft shuts down retail chain, takes $450M charge

Quotable: “The stores – Microsoft had 82 worldwide, all but 10 of them located in the U.S. – have been padlocked since mid-March, when the Redmond, Wash. company closed them because of the coronavirus pandemic. None had reopened before Microsoft slid them into the "really dead" category. Four outlets – one of the New York City stores, those in London and Sydney, and an on-campus location in Redmond – will be repurposed as "Microsoft Experience Centers" where products will presumably be shown if not sold, highlighted if not hawked.”

AIRLINE NEWS:

American Airlines will resume booking flights to capacity, as COVID-19 cases soar

Quotable: “American Airlines will resume booking its flights to capacity starting July 1st, the company has announced. The policy is similar to that of United Airlines, which ABC News reports has never blocked out seats or put a cap on the capacity of its flights. However, the approach contrasts sharply with other airlines, who are continuing to enforce capacity caps in order to allow for in-plane social distancing as the number of coronavirus cases in the United States is on the rise.”

Read last week's newswire if you missed it: Loyalty Newswire – June 22nd, 2020

The Loyalty Newswire is compiled and edited by the staff at The Wise Marketer.