Welcome back to the Wise Marketer! That is, if you've been here before! Each week, our team of editors curate a list of the latest customer loyalty, technology, and other relevant marketing news. Our goal is to make it simple for busy professionals to quickly digest important industry news and trending topics. Show your support by joining our mailing list to gain access to exclusive content, events, promotions, and more. Or simply enjoy today's newswire!
- In partnership with Fever, Accor plans to enhance its loyalty experiences
- The hotel industry taps technology to enhance consumer offerings
- Carl's Jr and Hardee's roll out Punchh customer loyalty solution
- Loyalty Marketing events return to India after pandemic
- Amazon collaborates with Houston Astros to bring checkout-free shopping experience to Minute Maid Park
- Uber announces new partnership with Japan's Rakuten Group as food delivery competition intensifies
- FTC Chair proposes crackdown on confusing privacy policies
LOYALTY
Accor Updates Loyalty Program With New Local Experiences
Highlight: Accor is enhancing its ALL–Accor Live Limitless loyalty program with a range of new experiences in partnership with Fever, a live-entertainment discovery platform. The new experiences are currently available in 50 cities but will be soon expanded to 100; they will be available to members whether they are in their local city or while traveling. According to Mehdi Hemici, Accor’s chief loyalty and partnership officer, “We want to give our loyalty members—whether during their day-to-day lives or during vacations – the chance to easily reserve experiences at any time in the heart of the city they’re in. As well as accessing numerous events and enjoying life to the full, they will be able to use their points to make reservations earning even more in the process.”
Tech is powering the new look of hotel loyalty programs
Highlight: The travel sector has seen countless schemes designed to establish customer loyalty. After all, at least in the case of InterContinental Hotels Group: “Loyalty members stay more and spend more,” said the hospitality company’s CEO, Keith Barr, in February. “They are also nine times more likely to book direct, which is the most profitable channel for our owners.” Amid the pandemic, Barr said loyalty members also proved the most resilient. In turn, IHG Hotels & Resorts underwent “the biggest loyalty transformation in our history” in an effort to retain its loyal customers and attract those making their way back out onto the road.
Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s upgrade digital loyalty program
Highlight: The parent company of two quick-serve brands is overhauling its customer engagement and loyalty efforts across all stores. CKE Restaurants Holdings Inc., the owner, operator and franchisor of the Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s chains, is utilizing the Par Technology Punchh customer loyalty, offers and engagement solution to introduce an upgraded digital loyalty program to all of its stores... "We are very excited about how this partnership with PAR will elevate our guest experience even further,” said Phil Crawford, CKE CTO. “Punchh provides a convenient solution to engage customers with their seamless in-store and online interfaces, making it easier than ever to reach our guests through multiple interconnected touchpoints.
EVENTS
Loyalty Marketing in-person events returning to India!
Highlight: The 15th Edition of The Customer FEST Show is scheduled physically in-person on 11th – 12th May 2022 at JW Marriott, Mumbai. This is a 2-day event which will have 2 parallel tracks and a gala awards ceremony on day 1 in the evening. Close to 100+ speakers would contribute over 2 days of keynotes, curated panels, leadership conversations and deep dives.
Highlight: The Loyalty Academy will be holding its Inaugural Certified Loyalty Marketing Professional™ workshop in Mumbai on 28-30 June 2022 at the Taj Lands’ End. Sponsored by Epsilon and hosted by Strategic Caravan, the workshop will enable delegates to earn their full credentials as a CLMP™! Details available here.
RETAIL
Astros collaborate with Amazon to bring Just Walk Out technology to Minute Maid Park
Highlight: The Astros have collaborated with Amazon to equip two food and beverage stores at Minute Maid Park with Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology, providing fans a faster and easier shopping experience during the 2022 Major League Baseball season and beyond... “The Astros are proud to collaborate with Amazon to bring their Just Walk Out shopping experience to Minute Maid Park in 2022,” said Marcel Braithwaite, Senior Vice President, Business Operations for the Astros. “We wanted to provide this state-of-the-art technology to our fans, giving them a more streamlined and convenient shopping experience so they can spend more time enjoying baseball.”
Uber teams up with Japan's Rakuten as food delivery war heats up
Highlight: Uber Technologies on Monday said it will partner with Japanese e-commerce company Rakuten Group in Uber's food delivery business, a move that will likely intensify the delivery battle in Japan... "Today is exciting, but it's only our first step," Khosrowshahi said. "We look forward to the beginning that we're celebrating today, as well as the journey that we are going to take with Rakuten in partnership both in Japan [and] beyond." The move comes amid intensifying competition in Japan's food delivery market.
PAYMENTS
FTC Chair Signals Crackdown on Confusing Privacy Policies
Highlight: At the International Association of Privacy Professionals Global Privacy Summit earlier this week, FTC Chair Lina Khan rounded out her first year on the job by calling out “overwhelming” consumer privacy policies. While nearly every company online must post a privacy policy, many of these policies are written in dense legal jargon that the average consumer either can’t understand or read all the way through... In the same keynote address, Khan also called on Congress to pass legislation to “help usher in” a new era of federal and industry privacy regulations.
Did you miss the previous newswire? Stay informed: Loyalty Newswire – April 11th, 2022
The Loyalty Newswire is compiled and edited by the staff at The Wise Marketer.
