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Loyalty Newswire – August 16th, 2021

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By: Wise Marketer Staff |

Posted on August 16, 2021

Welcome back to The Wise Marketer. Every Monday, our team of editors curate a list of the latest customer loyalty, marketing, and other relevant news. Our goal is to make it simple for busy professionals to quickly digest important news and trending topics. Show your support by joining our mailing list to gain access to exclusive content, events, and promotions. Or you could just follow us on social media!

  • Fiverr's new subscription-based loyalty program Seller Plus provides freelancers with a suite of exclusive benefits
  • New myWalgreens credit cards offer cashback rewards for health and wellbeing purchases
  • Albertsons unveils new mobile app, a refreshed loyalty program, and an ecommerce subscription service
  • Air Canada's Aeroplan loyalty program becomes a Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer partner
  • The Loyalty Academy's Inaugural CLMP workshop in Dubai will be held on December 6-8, 2021
  • Membership-based nail studio Glosslab expands with the addition of its newest location in Miami
  • Wendy's is testing new concepts inside Walmart stores, and announces plans to add 700 "ghost kitchens" in the US, Canada, and the UK
  • According to Blackhawk Network, Giant Eagle has become the first grocery store to accept PayPal and Venmo at checkout
  • Fraudsters aim to steal personal banking details using fake delivery texts
  • Social platforms bolster privacy settings for underage users in response to new legislative proposal
  • Southwest Airlines files a lawsuit against Skiplagged for displaying cheap fare data

LOYALTY PROGRAM NEWS:

Fiverr Launches Subscription-Based Loyalty Program for Global Seller Community

Highlight: Fiverr (NYSE: FVRR), the company that is changing how the world works together, today announced the launch of Seller Plus, a subscription based loyalty program for freelancers. For $29 a month, freelancers who subscribe to the program can access a suite of benefits that include a dedicated success manager, faster payment clearance, growth program priority, priority support, advanced analytics and customer engagement tools, as well as exclusive events and educational content. “For any freelancer who is motivated to build a successful business on Fiverr, Seller Plus is a must-have solution. As a two-sided marketplace, it’s important that we continue innovating and bringing to life new programs that not only support the businesses that use our platform, but also the freelancers that are already earning solid income on the marketplace and those that intend to,” said Hila Klein, Fiverr’s COO. “When we empower our freelancers with those tools, we help them provide better services to the buyers on our platform and in turn further strengthen the flywheel on our two-sided marketplace.”

Walgreens launches credit cards that reward ‘wellbeing’ purchases

Highlight: The new myWalgreens credit card program features two credit cards issued by Synchrony Bank. The myWalgreens Mastercard and the myWalgreens credit card are the “first ever of their kind to reward more personalized wellbeing choices,” the company said. The rewards are available for puchases made at Walgreens and Duane Reade stores as well as for online purchases via Walgreen’s e-commerce site and mobile app and wherever Mastercard is accepted. “Today’s launch of the myWalgreens Credit Card is just the beginning in the evolution and expansion of our financial services offerings,” said Maria Smith, VP of payments & financial services at Walgreens. “Most credit cards reward customers for what they buy, but not how they live. The myWalgreens Credit Card aims to change that through building upon the strength of our myWalgreens loyalty platform and app experience, while cardholders can earn up to 10 percent Walgreens Cash rewards for making healthy choices when they use their myWalgreens credit card to make purchases in-store and online.”

Albertsons Companies Brings Joy to Grocery Shopping Through a Suite of New Revolutionized Digital Offerings

Highlight: Today the company unveiled three new innovations: the launch of the free Deals & Delivery app, their new “Albertsons for U” shopper loyalty program and FreshPass™, their exclusive unlimited grocery delivery service with member-only perks. “We have been working hard to revolutionize Albertsons Companies’ digital offerings and enhance all aspects of the food experience and journey,” said Chris Rupp, EVP and Chief Customer and Digital Officer. “We have been in lock-step with our customers and today’s launch of our new Deals & Delivery app, our “Albertsons for U” loyalty program and FreshPass™ subscription service exemplifies our commitment to innovation and customer service, meeting shoppers where they want to shop whether that be in store, curbside, or at home.”

Chase Ultimate Rewards Users Can Now Transfer 1:1 to Air Canada Aeroplan

Highlight: Chase has several of the best travel rewards cards on the market, with lucrative bonus rewards categories. The issuer also tends to offer significant sign-up bonuses on those cards, making it easy to start earning free travel. But while the Ultimate Rewards program has a robust array of transfer partners, it has long lagged behind American Express's Memberhip Rewards program in terms of partner volume. However, Chase recently chipped away at that lead with a new addition to its airline partners: Air Canada Aeroplan.

EVENTS NEWS:

The Loyalty Academy Announces Inaugural CLMP Workshop in Dubai

Highlight: The Loyalty Academy signed a strategic agreement with UAE-based Loyalty Consultancy, Quick Brown Fox Consulting, to enter the Middle East Market. “We are excited about entering the Middle East, which is considered a ‘Loyalty Hot-Spot’ and has a need for professionals with a deeper and more nuanced knowledge of Loyalty,” said Mike Capizzi, Founder and Dean of the Loyalty Academy. “In QuickBrownFox Consulting, we found the perfect partners. During our discussions we realized that they share our passion for knowledge and our vision to give marketers the tools to understand their customers better and develop long lasting and valuable relationships with them.”

RETAIL NEWS:

GlossLab Opens 9th Nail Studio & Will Expand Product Line Next Year

Highlight: GlossLab, a membership-based nail studio, has announced the opening of a new studio at Federal Realty's CocoWalk in Coconut Grove, Florida. The new Miami store marks GlossLab's 9th location. Others are in Manhattan's Tribeca, West Village, Flatiron, Noho, and Upper East Side neighborhoods; Westport, CT; and Bethesda, Maryland. Hospitality entrepreneur David Grutman, along with his partner in GROOT Hospitality, Live Nation, have joined the GlossLab investor team, the company says. Keke Palmer and band, The Chainsmokers, are also partners. Founder Rachel Apfel Glass created GlossLab when she saw a gap in the market during her years working at a hedge fund, when she found it nearly impossible to fit in an efficient manicure during the busy work week.

Wendy’s taps into non-traditional units, including new Walmart brand extension

Highlight: The Wendy’s Co. has been highlighting non-traditional development in its expansion plans, including a 700-unit delivery-kitchen deal announced this week with REEF Technology, and that growth includes limited brand extensions in Walmart units. The Dublin, Ohio-based burger brand last week opened a new Hamburger Stand unit in a Heath, Ohio, Walmart and plans a Wendy’s Snack Shop format later this year in another Walmart in Ohio. Todd Penegor, Wendy’s CEO and president, said in an interview Thursday that the Hamburger Stand has a more limited menu than a traditional stand-alone restaurant… “Over the next four or five years,” he said, “we're probably going to be doing about 40% to 50% of our new-unit development in non-traditional.” The REEF agreement, Penegor added, is “a great move for us because we're super under penetrated when it comes to urban locations.”

PAYMENTS NEWS:

Giant Eagle now takes PayPal, Venmo payment at checkout

Highlight: Giant Eagle has become the first grocery and convenience store retailer to enable PayPal and Venmo transactions at checkout, according to card and digital payment specialist Blackhawk Network. All 474 Giant Eagle supermarket and GetGo fuel/convenience store locations now accept PayPal online and Venmo mobile payments by allowing shoppers to scan QR codes at checkout, Pleasanton, Calif.-based Blackhawk said Thursday. “We are thrilled to be the first supermarket and convenience chain in the country to accept PayPal and Venmo in our stores,” Graham Watkins, executive vice president of retail innovation and business development at Pittsburgh-based Giant Eagle, said in a statement. “This implementation is particularly exciting as it enables Giant Eagle and GetGo customers to use the digital payment methods that they already enjoy in the places where they transact most frequently.”

DATA & PRIVACY NEWS:

Parcel delivery texts now the most common con-trick

Highlight: Smishing is a technique that criminals use to target consumers with texts impersonating trusted organisations. Proofpoint, which provided data for the banking trade body UK Finance, said that over a 90-day period to mid-July, some 53% of these smishing attempts were via delivery texts. This compared with 23% of messages claiming to be from banks or financial institutions. During the most recent 30-day period, some 67% of these scams were delivery text messages. Katy Worobec, managing director of economic crime at UK Finance, said:  "Criminals are experts at impersonating a range of organisations and have capitalised on the pandemic, knowing that many of us will be ordering goods online and awaiting parcel deliveries at home. "

Social Platforms Feel Policy Pressure on Teen Privacy Controls

Highlight: Tech companies including TikTok, Alphabet Inc., and Facebook Inc. are tightening privacy controls for teenagers as social media platforms feel policy pressure over protections for younger users. Short-video platform TikTok, which is popular among teens, is changing privacy settings for users ages 13 to 17 to give them more control over who they share videos and messages with, the company announced in a blog post… Tech companies are likely acting in response to new design standards for children’s privacy in the U.K. and a legislative proposal targeting teen privacy in the U.S., according to Josh Golin, executive director of children’s advocacy group Fairplay.

TRAVEL & HOSPITALITY NEWS:

Southwest Airlines just took a severe step to stop customers being unfaithful

Highlight: Southwest Airlines is fed up that there are business entities out there that scrutinize its fares and schedules and try to find ways for people to get better deals on the airline. Yes, even better than Southwest's (supposedly) cheapest possible deals. Southwest is suing Skiplagged. This is a company that helps people find itineraries that involve a two-step flight, when the traveler merely wants to go to the first of those destinations. The two-step flight turns out to be cheaper than a single direct flight. So the traveler gets off at the first destination and leaves an empty seat… Some moral philosophers believe this to be poor behavior on the part of passengers. (Some airlines ban those who try it too many times.) Other moral experts might say that there's nothing illegal to see here. If the offer is out there, why not take advantage?

Did you miss last week's newswire? Stay informed: Loyalty Newswire – August 9th, 2021

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