Loyalty NewsWire

Loyalty Newswire - Sept. 11, 2023

By: Wise Marketer Staff |

Posted on September 12, 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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Smith Oil and Liquid Barcodes Team up to Deliver ACH Fuel Discounts via Mobile App

Smith Oil Co. tapped Liquid Barcodes Inc. to develop a branded mobile application that allows customers to use their smartphone to pay at the fuel pump via ACH debit, as well as receive an instant discount through price rollback. An extension of the Smith Rewards program, customers can drive into any of Smith Oil's fueling stations, swipe to choose the fuel pump number in the app, then link their bank account on their first visit in just five steps to activate the pump and fuel up. Drivers can save 10 cents off per gallon every time they fuel up with the app. More details here.

Under Armour Launches UA Loyalty Rewards Program

Under Armour, the athletic apparel brand, is now playing the customer loyalty game. They have just announced a new program awarding U.S. consumer 16 and older for online purchases on UA.com and the UA App or in-store purchases at Under Armour Brand House and Factory House stores. Enrollment is available on the website and through the brand's app. Later this year, UA Rewards will roll out in Under Armour retail stores.

"We are thrilled to launch Under Armour's first ever loyalty program. Our consumers are incredibly engaged with our brand and UA Rewards will enable a deeper connection, delivering the value and benefits they've been craving," Stephanie Linnartz, CEO and president at Under Armour, said in the press release. "UA Rewards is a diverse program offering value to consumers, including celebrity athlete experiences and exclusive wellness content."

Want to know “What the Brits Want from Loyalty Programmes”? Here’s Where You Get the Info

Mando-Connect, one of the premier UK digital and loyalty agencies, has updated findings from its joint research with YouGov “What the Brits Want from Loyalty Programmes”. Data indicates that 74% of Brits think loyalty programmes are a terrific way for brands to reward their customers, up 4% from the 2022 report. Additionally, 53% think all brands should offer loyalty programmes, also up 4% from 2022. To get the full set of results, register for the Loyalty Academy London Workshop, coming up 19 – 21 September. For more great white papers and loyalty insight on the British and European markets, you can visit Mando Connect anytime.

How to Build Winning Stores in a Digital World

The 2nd edition of the best-selling retail handbook, Omnichannel Retail: How to Build Winning Stores in a Digital World, is now available in the UK and for pre-order in the U.S., Canada and other markets. Written by Eagle Eye CEO Tim Mason, former Tesco executive and the originator of the first grocery loyalty program, and retail expert Sarah Jarvis, the new and completely updated edition explores the value of digital customer connection, how to harness it online and in-store using the latest tools and proven strategies from omnichannel leaders. You might want to add this to your bookshelf.

Connect with Wise Marketer and Loyalty Academy in London Next Week

Wise Marketer Group will be all over London next week and there are multiple opportunities to connect.

The Loyalty Academy™ and Zenith Marketing are hosting the first CLMP™ workshop in the UK, scheduled 19-21 September in London. Epsilon is the premier sponsor for the event. To unlock a special last-minute discount on registration, please contact Bill Hanifin (Teri, please link to my email)
We’ll also be attending the Loyalty Summit Europe on 21 September. Aaron Dauphinee will be on site and invites anyone in the London area to join him AND the “Mr. Fabulous” of Customer Loyalty, Rick Fergusion at this stellar event.

If you are US based and can’t get over to London, please visit with Bill Hanifin at the CO-BRAND & TRAVEL REWARDS 2023 event in Wilmington, Delaware on 18-19 October.

Expanding your Loyalty Vocabulary

As journalists guiding a website designed to serve the customer loyalty industry, you won’t be surprised to learn that words mean a lot to us. We just came across a few words that made us smile and wanted to share them with you.

If you noticed, we recently published an article describing the concept of Loyalty as a Business. In the article we coined the acronym LaaB. Later that week we published an article on the same topic from Jubin Mehta, Capillary Technologies. In the process we learned that the word “Laabh” in Hindi means benefit. Coincidence? We think not.
Another source shared a “Word of the Day” – Guerdon. We were not familiar with the word but found that it means “Give a reward to (someone)” or a “reward or recompense”. Which of you budding keynote speakers will be the first to use that one
Finally, the mind of Seth Godin never disappoints. In his blog last week, he wrote about the Le Guin precepts and noted that fabled author Ursula Le Guin had a sign over her desk with three questions to ask oneself when considering courses of action: Is it true?, Is it necessary or at least useful?, Is it compassionate or at least unharmful? We thought that would be a just starting point for anyone planning a customer strategy. Agree?

You are Invited to Contribute to Antavo’s Global Customer Loyalty Survey 2024

Hear the calling! Antavo’s annual customer loyalty survey is open, and you can submit your responses anytime before September 29. The survey gathers valuable industry insights and yields information on the hottest loyalty trends, including micro-targeting in the industry, popular reward types and paid loyalty programs. Complete the 4-minute survey by September 29th and receive your advanced copy!

Start the survey here.

Shell and PDI Collaborate to Elevate the Customer Experience in Fuel Rewards

Following the recent announcement of their newest Fuel Rewards® tier in July, Shell and PDI are further elevating the loyalty experience with exclusive new offers for Fuel Rewards® members with Platinum status this fall. Fuel Rewards® members can unlock Platinum Status with 12 fill-ups of fuel over three months. Also, in support of the new Shell V-Power® NiTRO+ Premium Gasoline, one fill-up of the latest performance fuel will count as two fill-ups toward Platinum Status, enabling customers to achieve Platinum Status faster.

Members with Platinum Status can access tickets to major sports events, nationally televised stock car races and professional hockey games plus capitalize on offers for Advance Auto Parts® Speed Perks members and double their savings on select convenience store items. Fuel Rewards® members with Platinum Status will continue to save 10 cents/gallon on every fill-up at participating Shell locations around the country.

The BIG Handshake - Loyalty set for Amsterdam on 16th and 17th October '23

The Gift Club and The Loyalty People are to deliver "The BIG Handshake - Loyalty'' in Amsterdam on 16th and 17th October '23 - a one and a half day networking and learning event that brings together the brightest from the industry. Loyalty Practitioners, Heads of Loyalty and Retention and Engagement personnel from all over the world will come together for a meeting of minds to learn and network through workshops, panels, and debates. Join THE loyalty event that you definitely need to shake hands with.

Open invitation to Participate in a new Loyalty Science Lab study

The Loyalty Science Lab is developing a global benchmarking survey and invites loyalty program managers worldwide to participate. The survey will be administered by the Loyalty Science Lab, an academic research unit based at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. The study is presented by Epsilon and the Customer Strategy Network.

The survey includes questions needed to calculate program performance metrics on financial, member, and program health that will be filtered by program type such as points, punch-card, and subscription. Please know that individual results will NOT be shared with any party and only aggregated results will be made available to the sponsors. The study is now open and you can participate through this link.

Do you know Where the Data Breaches with the Most Compromised Records have Occurred?

Patch management software company NinjaOne analyzed the data breaches with the greatest number of records compromised to see which companies have had the largest data breaches. The new study revealed that Yahoo’s data breach in 2013 had the greatest number of compromised data records, with three billion records exposed.

Interesting to loyalty marketers may be that Marriott International tied fourth largest known data breach, with 500 million records compromised in a 2018 attack. Hackers suspected of working on behalf of the Chinese government were behind the attack on Marriott’s reservation database. A spokesperson for NinjaOne commented on the findings “Data is one of the most valuable commodities in our interconnected world, and it pays dividends to keep it safe with proper security practices.”

Curefoods (India) Announces 70 Percent Customer Retention Rate Tied to Subscription Loyalty

Founded in 2020 by Ankit Nagori, Curefoods operates more than seven food factories and 150+ multi-brand cloud kitchens to service 200+ locations in 15 cities. Besides Eatfit, the startup houses brands such as CakeZone, Nomad Pizza, Frozen Bottle, and Sharief Bhai, among others. The founder credits its membership and subscription programmes tied to its flagship brand Eatfit with a 70% customer retention rate.

Speaking at the fourth edition of Inc42’s The D2C Summit, Ankit Nagori, the founder of Curefoods, said “70% of people who subscribe to Eatfit never leave the platform. Either they will continue as subscribers, or they will move back into the membership programme”. He advocated adopting membership programmes for D2C brands with high-frequency products.

Lufthansa to Offer NFT Rewards Program

Lufthansa and partner Uptrip announced the expansion of the German air carrier’s NFT trading card program as part of its Miles & More frequent flyer program. Now, all Lufthansa passengers can receive a Polygon-based NFT by simply scanning their boarding pass in the Uptrip app. That NFT can then be stored in their crypto wallet of choice. Lufthansa told customers in a press release that if a frequent flyer completes a NFT collection, they can be redeemed for “airport lounge access, flight upgrades, or for status and award miles.”

Job Opportunity

A large financial services provider in the US is seeking a Loyalty Strategy Contractor for 20-30 hours a week. The person will be part of the team to create the development and optimization of customer loyalty, rewards and engagement strategies for clients and prospects. The candidate should be prepared to provide customer and industry insights, rewards best practices, thought leadership and expertise to clients to support and lead the development of comprehensive loyalty strategies supporting credit and non-credit loyalty programs. A bachelor’s degree is required or, in lieu of a degree, a high school diploma and 8+ years of work experience in business strategy development, loyalty strategy or customer experience.

Interested parties should contact BillH@TheWiseMarketer.com for more information.