In this week's Newswire you can enjoy a curated list of the latest customer loyalty, technology, payments, and other relevant marketing news. We include a spectrum of topics, all with the intention of keeping you informed and enabling you to star in your next big meeting.
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- Grace Kennedy Value Rewards (GKVR) announces GK ONE mobile app
- Punchh launches subscription solution for restaurants and convenience stores
- Wawa brings back Free Coffee Tuesdays for the holiday season
- Checkers celebrates Black Friday with unique promotion
- Webinar Announcement: Future-Proof Customer Experience Strategies
- South African payment facilitator Revio announces $1.1 Million capital raise
- Trucker Tools Driver Loyalty Program aims to strengthen driver / broker relationships
- Netflix documentary Pepsi, Where’s my Jet, covers John Leonard saga with Pepsi Points
Grace Kennedy Value Rewards (GKVR) announces GK ONE mobile app
Grace Kennedy Value Rewards (GKVR) has announced a new mobile app, GK ONE as an enhancement to its customer loyalty program. GK Value Rewards was launched in 2015 as a multi-partner loyalty program designed to reward customer patronage across multiple lines of business including Hi-Lo Grocery, GK Insurance, First Global Bank, Bill Express and Fx Trader. GK ONE serves as a hub for all program activities and supports referrals and householding activities. Grace Kennedy Group is one of the largest conglomerates operating in the Caribbean region and celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2022.
Punchh launches subscription solution for restaurants and convenience stores
Responding to the growing trend in subscription loyalty, Punchh Subscriptions launched in mid-November. The new module works with mobile apps and online ordering solutions. Features include subscription tracking, renewal processing, automated renewal marketing messaging, customer targeting, and custom analytics that track its effect and return on investment.
In the company press release, Punchh noted that US households maintain an average of 10 subscription plans per month, with the food and beverage category one of the fastest growing sectors, increasing 89% year-over-year and totaling over $105 million dollars annually. Punchh is wholly owned by ParTech, Inc., a global restaurant technology company. More than 250 brands, including Yum! Brands, Fazoli’s, TGI Friday’s, and Casey’s, use Punchh to help build customer relationships. More than 100,000 restaurants in more than 110 countries use ParTech’s restaurant point-of-sale (POS), loyalty, payments, digital ordering, and back-office software solutions.
Wawa brings back Free Coffee Tuesdays for the holiday season
Members of Wawa Rewards will receive account bonuses for 8 dates in November and December 2022, unlocking a free cup of JOE. Wawa first introduced the popular promotion in 2020 and ran it again in 2021. The Wawa Rewards Program lets customers earn rewards for every U.S. $50 spent on eligible purchases at Wawa stores using the Wawa App, Wawa Rewards Key Card, or a registered Wawa Gift Card. In the convenience business, eligibility typically excludes purchases of tobacco, alcohol, gift cards, and selected other items determined by the retailer. Wawa operates about 965 convenience stores throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Florida, and Washington, D.C.
Checkers celebrates Black Friday with unique promotion
Checker's & Rally's ran a unique promotion to give away free fries for life to one lucky winner in honor of Black "FryDay," according to its website. The Sweepstakes ran between November 21 - 27, 2022. Contest entries could be earned by posting on the @CheckersRallys Instagram page and then following links provided in direct messages from the QSR retailer. We are irresistible lovers of puns at the Wise Marketer, so we had to share this message from Frances Allen, president & CEO of Checkers Drive-In Restaurants, Inc. "Fry lovers everywhere can fry-nally enjoy nothing but the No. 1 Most Craveable Fries in America for years to come, giving renewed meaning to the biggest 'FryDay' of the holiday season. In 'identi-frying' the importance of the holidays, Checkers & Rally's felt there's no better opportunity or time to celebrate togetherness than to share our Famous Seasoned Fries with everyone — win or lose — and encourage all those who enter to do the same among family and friends." Winners will enjoy one large order of fries each week for the next 25 years, according to the press release.
Webinar Announcement: Future-Proof Customer Experience Strategies
Join The Wise Marketer and customer experience professionals from Ford, Puma Energy, Politecnico Milano, and Comarch for a lively discussion of what successful brands do to engage customers and build trust. The group will share their insider's view on the strategies and techniques they find most useful in their line of work today.
The webinar will be LIVE on Wednesday December 14 at 9am ET. Please visit here to learn more about the content to be shared and to register for the webinar.
South African payment facilitator Revio announces $1.1 Million capital raise
Payment orchestration is becoming increasingly important in today’s world where businesses operate in multiple countries and need an array of payment methods to survive and grow. In Africa, where 3 of every 10 payments are reported to fail, the impact can be as much as a $14 billion loss in recurring revenue for digital businesses across the continent. Digital payments are projected to grow by 20 percent YOY, so the need for solutions is clear. Revio, a South African API payment and collections company makes it easier for businesses across Africa to connect to multiple payment methods and manage payment failures. The company announced that it has raised $1.1 million in seed funding. You can read all the details here.
Trucker Tools Driver Loyalty Program aims to strengthen driver / broker relationships
Trucker Tools offers a load tracking and digital freight matching solution to the commercial trucking industry. It’s Smart Capacity solutions provides brokerages with improved load visibility, reduced need for driver check-in, and increased overall bookings at higher margins. Trucker tools has now introduced its Driver Loyalty Program to reward drivers for a range of actions taken with its Trucker Tools mobile app. Drivers can now earn rewards while building stronger relationships with load brokers. Earnings in the program are converted into digital gift cards at more than 200 US national retailers. You can learn more about the new Driver Loyalty program through this news analysis.
Netflix documentary Pepsi, Where’s my Jet, covers John Leonard saga with Pepsi Points
An old sage in the loyalty business once said that loyalty programs should be “fast, fun, free and easy.” In our Loyalty Academy workshops, we take careful note of program structure, bonus definition and exit strategies. Some people ask “why bother” to be so detailed in program planning. The legal drama between John Leonard and Pepsi that has endured over 20 years is a good example of why all the details of a program plan need to be carefully evaluated for program sustainability. The article here provides a good overview of the situation that transpired from a 1995 Pepsi Points promotion. This is one Netflix mini-series that should be on every loyalty marketing viewing list.
Quote of the Week
“The Snuggle is Real.” Yes, you read that correctly. Kimpton hotels announced a new secret phrase that customers can use when checking in to a hotel to unlock complimentary breakfast, drinks, free parking, and more surprises. That’s what we would term an effective engagement technique. Only those customers paying attention to the brand and willing to play the secret phrase game will get real-time benefits that enhance their stay. As the @Kimpton twitter account informs, the plan for this winter is that “we’re snuggling, not struggling, this winter.” The promo is clever and runs through Feb 20, 2023.
Trend of the Week
A trend that started with the advent of an inflationary economy could forecast future consumer spending. Most cloud-based point-of-sale systems used by QSR and Fast Casual restaurants prompt the customer to add a gratuity, even when ordering food for takeaway at the counter. According to research from PlayUSA summarized in The State of Tipping in 2022, about 54 percent of Americans surveyed said they feel pressure to leave a tip when checking out on an iPad.
During Covid, consumers were reported to increase tipping as a gesture towards front line workers. Now, with costs rising in every category, the trend seems to be reversing. Americans seemingly have tip fatigue, especially in takeout situations. “Tipping is that first sign towards reduced spending,” said Amanda Belarmino, assistant professor of hospitality at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas who commented on the research.
Miss the previous newswire? Stay informed: Loyalty Newswire – November 21, 2022
The Loyalty Newswire is compiled and edited by the hard-working, customer-centric, data-driven staff at The Wise Marketer.
