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Loyalty Newswire – April 5th, 2021

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By: Wise Marketer Staff |

Posted on April 5, 2021

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  • Pilot unveils its revamped loyalty program with a new name and mobile app
  • CEFCO Rewards, powered by Stuzo's Open Commerce platform, rolls out across all retail locations
  • Klosebuy announces new Board of Advisors that are focused on driving sales through resilient leadership
  • Fetch Rewards recently raised more than $210 million in the latest round of funding
  • The incident at the Suez Canal has highlighted the importance of supply chain visibility
  • Dick's Sporting Goods debuted its first "House of Sport" concept in New York this past Friday
  • According to new research from UBS, retail closures will accelerate with over 75,000 stores closing by 2026
  • Bakkt launches its new digital wallet giving consumers the ability to manage their digital assets from cryptocurrencies to loyalty points all in one place
  • The Tattle and Paytronix integration enables restaurant operators to uncover key operational improvements
  • As millions of Americans hand over their personal data to receive vaccinations at pharmacies, concerns for privacy escalate
  • American Airlines celebrated the 40th anniversary of its AAdvantage loyalty program

LOYALTY PROGRAM NEWS:

Pilot Company Unveils New App Name and Rewards Program Made for Drivers with More Points, Savings and Convenience

Quotable: “'Now with myRewards Plus™, we are able to provide drivers with more of what they need and want while on the road,' said Mike Rodgers, chief technology officer at Pilot Company. 'We are always working to enhance the experience for our guests and are introducing the myRewards Plus™ app to simplify how drivers can earn more, save more and make the most of their stops when they visit any of our locations.' Available to be used at more than 1,000 Pilot and Flying J Travel Centers and One9 Fuel Network locations*, the myRewards Plus™ app brings together the award-winning features of the Pilot Flying J app and the company's myRewards card to create an enhanced digital loyalty program that rewards drivers with more when they join the app.”

CEFCO Rewards Launches, Powered by Stuzo’s Open Commerce® Platform, Drives Measurable Outcomes

Quotable: “Today, CEFCO Rewards is live across all CEFCO retail sites and is being powered by Stuzo’s Open Commerce Activate product (for intelligent loyalty management) and Open Commerce Experience product (for SMS-based sign-in and the progressive web-based digital customer experience). CEFCO also engaged Stuzo for its Program Management Services, wherein Stuzo’s team has become an integral extension of CEFCO’s team for program design, implementation, operationalization, and ongoing optimization.”

Klosebuy Announces New Board of Advisors

Quotable: “Klosebuy, founded by industry veteran Frank Fennell delivers an important need in the business community by providing a solution that main-street merchants of all types can use to build their business. This group of Advisors has a rich history of success in a diverse set of industries, passionately leading teams that deliver breakthrough results and cutting-edge technology.”

Fetch Rewards Closes $210 Million Round of Funding led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2

Quotable: “Fetch Rewards, the nation’s No. 1 consumer-loyalty and retail-rewards app, announced today that it has raised more than $210 million in Series D from SoftBank Vision Fund 2*, with participation from existing shareholders ICONIQ, DST, Greycroft and e.ventures. This latest round of funding brings the total amount raised by Fetch Rewards to $328 million.”

RETAIL NEWS:

The Suez Canal incident offered retailers and brands a supply chain lesson

Quotable: “The world learned a tough physics lesson after the 1,312-foot-long container ship, Ever Given, ran aground in the Suez Canal, blocking a shipping lane that handles some 12 percent of the world’s global trade. The global supply chain may absorb some lessons as well. Whether or not wind caused the problem, the six-day ordeal was blamed in part on poor adjustments to the arrival of ever-bigger ships to handle mass consumerism over the past several decades.”

Dick's debuts experiential House of Sport store concept

Quotable: “Dick's Sporting Goods has been on a store concept tear lately. The retailer in June debuted two different clearance-based store concepts, Dick's Sporting Goods Warehouse and Overtime by Dick's Sporting Goods, and has since expanded on its initial plans for them. The House of Sport concept is different from those in a couple of big ways, though. The concept is not focused on selling products at a discount, like Overtime and Warehouse, and it also includes several experiential features meant to deepen its relationship with customers and offer services beyond just shopping.”

More retail pain ahead: UBS predicts 80,000 stores will close in the U.S. by 2026

Quotable: “UBS is estimating that about 80,000 retail stores, which is 9% of total stores, will shut across the country by 2026. That assumes e-commerce sales rise to represent 27% of total retail sales by then, up from 18% today. 'An enduring legacy of the pandemic is that online penetration rose sharply,' Lasser said in a note to clients. 'We expect that it will continue to increase, which will drive further rationalization of retail stores, especially as some of the unique support measures from the government subside.'”

PAYMENTS NEWS:

Bakkt Launches Its Digital Wallet, Bakkt App, to Manage All Forms of Digital Assets, Debuting with Starbucks, GolfNow, and Best Buy Among Other Marquee Brands

Quotable: “The Bakkt App gives consumers the power to use their digital assets how they prefer – converting participating rewards points to cash or using bitcoin as payment, for example – all within one easy-to-use application. By enabling consumers and merchants to unlock the value of the $1.2+ trillion in digital assets currently held in cryptocurrencies, loyalty and rewards points, and gift cards, the Bakkt App is designed to amplify consumer spending, reduce payment costs, and bolster merchant loyalty programs.”

Tattle and Paytronix Integration Turbocharges Both Dine-in & Off-Premises Restaurant Guest Experience

Quotable: “Working together, Tattle and Paytronix enable mutually partnered restaurants to uncover key operational improvements that help elevate the dine-in and off-premises guest experience. The integration combines the Paytronix platform’s rich view of customer interactions across multiple touchpoints with Tattle’s ability to track incredibly detailed customer feedback across all ordering channels. Approaching guests either when they order or check in, Tattle collects guest feedback that enables the restaurants’ operations team to make improvements and increase guest satisfaction.”

DATA & PRIVACY NEWS:

Pharmacies score customer data in vaccine effort. Some are crying foul

Quotable: “Millions of Americans streaming through retail pharmacies to receive Covid vaccines have no choice but to hand over their personal information to those companies, raising red flags for privacy watchdogs who are pressing for oversight of how the pharmacies may use the data bonanza to boost their profits. Pharmacy chains like CVS Health, Walgreens, Rite Aid and others are playing an increasingly larger role in the nationwide inoculation effort, as vaccines become more widely available in the coming weeks.”

TRAVEL & HOSPITALITY NEWS:

AAdvantage Celebrates 40 Years of Loyalty Innovation

Quotable: “When American Airlines launched the AAdvantage® loyalty program in 1981, it was one of the airline industry’s first frequent flyer programs to reward members for their travel. Forty years later, AAdvantage continues to lead the way with innovative new partnerships, providing members with more personalized choices in a program that’s never been easier for members to use. 'AAdvantage continues to be the easiest airline loyalty program for customers to engage with,' said Rick Elieson, President of the AAdvantage program.”

Check out last week's newswire: Loyalty Newswire – March 29th, 2021

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