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Loyalty Newswire – February 9th, 2021

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By: Wise Marketer Staff |

Posted on February 9, 2021

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  • Burger King is testing a digital loyalty experience in five U.S. markets
  • Alliance Data introduces new private label credit card for Famous Footwear loyalty program members
  • Coniq selected to provide a new loyalty-driven shopping experience on New York's Madison Avenue
  • Major mall operator, Simon Property Group, has reported an increase in rent collection
  • Dollar Shave Club's "We Got You" campaign solidifies its status as an omnichannel brand
  • Tesla announced the purchase of $1.5B in Bitcoin and reveals it will be accepting it as a payment method in the near future
  • Data privacy startup Skyflow is entering the health care space with its "privacy-first" digital passport to enable people access to public spaces amidst the pandemic
  • Norwegian Airlines has placed its loyalty program on hold until further notice
  • Many U.S. airlines are updating their frequent flier loyalty programs to accommodate younger travelers

LOYALTY PROGRAM NEWS:

Burger King tests loyalty program as part of digital push

Quotable: “The Restaurant Brands International chain is the latest restaurant chain to look to rewards programs as a way to drive sales. Loyalty programs from such names as Starbucks and Chipotle Mexican Grill help those companies grow their base of loyal customers and encourage more frequent visits. The introduction of Burger King’s Royal Perks test follows an announcement from archival McDonald’s on Wednesday that it’s entering the next phase of its own loyalty program tests.”

Alliance Data Introducing New Private Label Credit Card Program For Famous Footwear

Quotable: “Alliance Data will provide its full market-leading Enhanced Digital Suite, a collection of marketing and credit application features designed to increase customer engagement and adoption of payment options. By promoting payments earlier in the shopping experience, Enhanced Digital Suite empowers customers to make informed and confident choices when shopping and allows them to easily apply for and use the Famously You Rewards Credit Card to fund their purchase at checkout.”

Madison Avenue Taps Coniq to Design Unique Shopper Loyalty Program

Quotable: “Coniq today announced that the Madison Avenue Business Improvement District (BID) has selected its innovative real-time customer engagement solution, IQ Connect, to provide a new loyalty-driven shopping experience designed to increase store visits, reward transactions, boost sales and entice thousands of visitors to New York’s premier destination for luxury retail, Madison Avenue on the Upper East Side.”

RETAIL NEWS:

Mall giant Simon Property, despite pandemic retail hit, sees uptick in rent collection

Quotable: “Sales of some brick-and-mortar retailers have risen from the pandemic troughs plumbed last year thanks to the launch of online shopping options and government stimulus checks to support household income. That has helped retailers meet their rental obligations, with Simon saying it had collected 90% of combined the second, third and fourth-quarter net billed rents as of Feb. 5. It had garnered only 85% of third-quarter net billed rents as of Nov. 6.”

Dollar Shave Club Unveils a New Ad Campaign to Mark its Next Chapter as an Omnichannel Grooming Brand

Quotable: “Today, Dollar Shave Club (DSC), the original shave subscription brand that took the world by storm and is part of Unilever, makes a splash in classic DSC fashion with a new ad campaign for real guys with real grooming problems. The “We Got You” campaign, the biggest in years from DSC, marks its status as an omnichannel brand. 'It’s an exciting time to be stepping into DSC,' said Jason Goldberger, Chief Executive Officer at DSC.”

PAYMENTS NEWS:

Tesla buys $1.5B in Bitcoin, will accept as payment soon

Quotable: “Electric automaker Tesla said Monday that it has invested around $1.5 billion in Bitcoin and it plans to begin accepting the digital currency as payment for its high-end vehicles soon. The price of Bitcoin soared 15.4% to around $44,500 Monday in reaction to Tesla's announcement, according to CoinBase. The California-based electric car maker headed by Elon Musk revealed the new strategy in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, saying its investment in digital currency and other “alternative reserve assets” may grow.”

DATA & PRIVACY NEWS:

Data privacy startup Skyflow jumps into digital health passport market to help public spaces reopen

Quotable: “The company launched Skyflow for Healthcare, which consists of digital passports for COVID-19 and vaccination. Airlines, theme parks and government agencies can use the digital diagnostics and vaccination solution to verify if a person is safe from COVID-19 and ready to enter a public space. The technology could also be helpful for employees in gathering data on which employees have the disease while also respecting privacy, according to Skyflow cofounder and CEO Anshu Sharma. The two-year-old startup says it designed a “privacy-first” digital passport.”

TRAVEL & HOSPITALITY NEWS:

Norwegian Puts Frequent Flyer Program On Hold

Quotable: “An airline statement confirmed that Norwegian Reward members can no longer earn or redeem CashPoints on “Norwegian’s products or services” including flights and baggage fees. Members can continue to earn CashPoints—the currency of the program—by spending money with the airline’s partners. There is no date given on when members may be able to earn or redeem points again, but the airline said the decision is temporary and applies 'during the reconstruction process.'”

Airlines Upgrade Loyalty Programs and Perks to Meet Millennial Tastes

Quotable: “U.S. airlines are updating their loyalty programs to appeal to younger consumers, both despite and because of the pandemic’s effects on travel. Some carriers are adding perks such as e-book and virtual-exercise subscriptions, while others are overhauling the way frequent fliers earn and spend air miles. The shake-up comes as airlines broaden their focus from older business travelers to millennial and Generation Z customers, who are more likely to catch flights during the pandemic and after it as well.”

Catch up on last week's news: Loyalty Newswire – February 1st, 2021

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