And just like that the first month of 2021 has already come and gone. We're doing our best to keep up with all the latest news and events.
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- Sam's Club announces new Mastercard rewards program by Synchrony
- Dunkin announced Free Coffee Mondays for DD Perks rewards members during the month of February
- Some marketers are using Reddit as an experimental space for advertising
- Amazon expands its Amazon One palm-reading biometric identification system to three locations in Seattle
- Starbucks reports loyalty app usage was up 15 % year over year, according to the chain's Q1 fiscal 2021 results
- TD Bank announces it will close 81 of its 1,223 retail branches by April 23rd
- Nigerian digital bank Carbon processed $240 million in payments, up 89% from 2019
- Apple CEO Tim Cook attacked Facebook during his appearance on a virtual International Data Privacy Day panel alluding to a potential lawsuit against the social media giant
- Utah lawmakers seek to enhance data privacy while also making "catfishing" illegal
- New travel bans in the UK limit arrivals from the UAE plus other destinations
- Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau suspends travel to the Caribbean and Mexico as Covid-19 concerns rise
LOYALTY PROGRAM NEWS:
New Sam’s Club Mastercard Rewards Program By Synchrony Unlocks Additional Value On Sam’s Club Purchases
Quotable: “Sam’s Club, a leading membership warehouse club, Synchrony, a premier consumer financial services company, and Mastercard, a global technology company in the payments industry, announced today a new Sam’s Club Mastercard rewards program that provides additional value for cardholders – from expanded rewards to digital enhancements.”
Free Coffee Mondays Heat Up February for Loyal Dunkin' Guests
Quotable: “Dunkin' has brewed up a big way to keep its most loyal coffee drinkers runnin' all February long. The brand today announced the launch of Free Coffee Mondays, bringing DD Perks® rewards members a free medium hot coffee with any purchase every Monday in February*. Free Coffee Mondays begin this Monday, February 1, and continue through February 22, 2021.”
“It’s not a one-size-fits-all approach”: How marketers are using Reddit to build loyalty and drive sales
Quotable: “Late last year, Reddit rolled out three ad inventory tiers with a focus on targeting and brand safety, which has been an issue. Marketers didn’t want to risk brand safety on the opinionated site. Despite these updates, Reddit is still an experimental space for marketers and requires a more nuanced approach than repurposing an ad from Facebook. But there are some brands who have managed to strike the right tone and have seen successful conversions.”
RETAIL NEWS:
Amazon adds palm-reading biometric ID scanner to more physical retail stores in Seattle
Quotable: “Amazon is expanding its new Amazon One palm-reading biometric identification system to three additional Amazon Go stores in Seattle. The company debuted the technology in September. It works by scanning the palms of participating customers, giving them an alternative to the regular process of checking into the automated retail stores, which normally involves using a QR code in an app.”
Starbucks Q4 Earnings Show Record-High Loyalty Program Participation
Quotable: “In September, Starbucks announced changes to its loyalty program that expanded rewards to customers paying without a Starbucks card, eliminating a key friction point in growing its membership base. The changes are working. As announced on Tuesday (Jan. 26), loyalty app usage was up 15 percent year over year, according to the chain's Q1 fiscal 2021 results, and rewards customers contributed 50 percent of U.S. company-operated sales.”
TD Bank closing 81 branches
Quotable: “TD Bank will close 81 of its 1,223 retail branches, almost 7% of all locations, as the COVID-19 pandemic pushes the financial institution from brick-and-mortar locations into digital banking branches, according to a report in the Philadelphia Business Journal. Cherry Hill-based TD, the U.S. retail banking arm of Toronto's TD Bank Group, said the closings will take place by April 23 and includes locations in 15 states in the bank's Maine-to-Florida footprint.”
PAYMENTS NEWS:
Nigerian digital bank Carbon hit $240M in payments processed last year, up 89% from 2019
Quotable: “As we wait for its annual report for 2020, its year in review offers a sneak peek into how Carbon grew the past year. For the fiscal year 2020, the company, which has about 659,000 customers, said it processed ₦96.54 billion (~$241.35 million), up 89% compared to the same period a year ago. For its lending arm, disbursement volume was ₦25.21 billion (~$63 million), up 9.1% from FY2019. Also, ₦13.02 billion (~$32.55 million) worth of investments was made on the platform, representing a 365% increase from the previous year.”
DATA & PRIVACY NEWS:
Apple comes out swinging against Facebook over data privacy
Quotable: “Apple CEO Tim Cook used an appearance on a virtual International Data Privacy Day panel Thursday to attack Facebook in a series of thinly veiled jabs and to call for global data privacy reforms. Cook's remarks followed reports appearing earlier in the day that the social media giant has been preparing an antitrust lawsuit against Apple over the iPhone maker's privacy policy updates, potentially marking a significant escalation in a long-simmering feud between the two tech titans.”
Utah lawmakers look to back data privacy, criminalize 'catfishing'
Quotable: “Utah lawmakers have filed a series of bills that seek to bolster data privacy, including creating a statewide privacy officer to protect people's personal information and criminalizing efforts to "catfish." Rep. Walt Brooks, R-St. George, has introduced House Bill 80, which creates an "affirmative defense" for companies in lawsuits over data breaches, provided they can prove that they maintain up-to-date data security.”
TRAVEL & HOSPITALITY NEWS:
World's busiest air route hit by Covid ban
Quotable: “New travel bans imposed by the United Kingdom limiting arrivals from the United Arab Emirates and other destinations in an attempt to curb the spread of Covid are likely to impact what has become the world's busiest airline route. The UK on Friday imposed the new restrictions as it tightened quarantine measures in an effort to reduce Europe's worst outbreak of the virus. Covid deaths this week crossed the 100,000 threshold in the UK.”
Covid travel restrictions: Canada suspends flights to Caribbean and Mexico
Quotable: “Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced a new agreement with airlines to suspend travel to the Caribbean and Mexico due to Covid-19. The country's main airlines, including Air Canada and WestJet, will end service immediately and organise return travel for those currently abroad. The government will also mandate new testing and three-day quarantine periods upon arrival in Canada.”
Catch up on last week's news: Loyalty Newswire – January 25th, 2021
The Loyalty Newswire is compiled and edited by the staff at The Wise Marketer.
