Loyalty Newswire – January 24th, 2022

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By: Wise Marketer Staff |

Posted on January 24, 2022

Happy New Year! 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 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!

  • IHG Hotels and Resorts introduces revamped loyalty program with new membership tiers
  • Luxury resale platform Rebag announces its first loyalty program
  • Ecommerce design company Famous launches Amaze Free, a free tool for brands to optimize the consumer shopping experience
  • Acquia's new CDP technology is designed to increase customer lifetime value
  • Entries to the International Loyalty Awards 2022 will be accepted until 14 February 2022
  • Google hires former PayPal executive to expand Google's payments ecosystem
  • The Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) fined Apple 5 million euros for failing to comply with its order
  • American Airlines and The Points Guy sue one another over frequent flyer app

LOYALTY PROGRAM NEWS

New perks aplenty: IHG rolls out revamped loyalty program

Highlight: IHG Hotels and Resorts Chief Executive, Keith Barr, said the program has evolved to keep pace with guests’ ever-changing needs. “We’ve made a lot of developments in the loyalty space over the years, but travel and hospitality have evolved considerably, and our guests’ needs are changing,” he said. “These changes are just the start as we prepare to fully relaunch a truly transformed program later this year. We’ll continue elevating and enhancing our loyalty offerings with iconic brand partnerships and extensions, tailored experiences for our customers, enhanced benefits and so much more,” Barr said.

Rebag Announces Rebag Rewards, Its First-Ever Loyalty Program

Highlight: Rebag Rewards encourages circularity and repeat business by offering perks such as a first look at new arrivals, early access to sales, free domestic shipping and returns, special annual discounts, plus surprise rewards such as invitations to events, gifts, and more. Customers who have traded, sold, or purchased at least $500 in merchandise with Rebag are automatically enrolled in the program, which is completely free… “We are excited to introduce our first loyalty program which allows us to give back to our customers who have supported Rebag from the start,” said Rebag CEO and Founder Charles Gorra. “Since we began, our vision has been to fuel the circular economy and facilitate a sustainable cycle for luxury goods — our new program is built to support that by rewarding existing and incentivizing new resale buyers, sellers, and traders alike.”

RETAIL NEWS

Famous Launches Free Ecommerce Design Platform for Shopify Brands

Highlight: “With ecommerce booming, there are many tools out there that help merchants and brands achieve their goals. However, there is no effective one-stop-shop and it still requires a complex – and often expensive – tech stack to set up an online store and market and sell products in a way that sets you apart from all the competition out there,” said Aaron Day, CEO of Famous. “With Amaze Free, we are filling a gap in the market by offering a free, all-in-one solution that is accessible to anyone wanting to bring their business idea online and create amazing experiences for their audience.” Unlike existing page builders, Amaze Free streamlines the design, marketing, and sales process in a way that's easier and faster than ever before. Following the launch of Amaze Free, Famous aims to continuously improve and build tools that help anyone unlock their potential and create memorable mobile shopping experiences through immersive, premium designs that increase customer engagement and sales.

Acquia Introduces Retail Machine Learning Models to Increase Customer Lifetime Value

Highlight: Among these innovations is a new “market basket” model to drive digital commerce conversions by intelligently bundling relevant products, empowering retailers to better understand the behavior of their customers. “Acquia is continuing to lead the pack for retail CDPs,” said Kevin Cochrane, senior vice president of product marketing at Acquia. “Through the recent launch of our multi-touch attribution model and new market basket model, we are helping retailers gain a more holistic view of their business by understanding successful levers within their sales and marketing efforts. This data-driven approach helps teams understand buyer habits to improve offerings and drive key conversion metrics that matter most.”

EVENTS

Entries to the International Loyalty Awards 2022 Are Now Open

Highlight: The Loyalty Magazine Awards has rebranded for 2022 as the International Loyalty Awards in recognition of its global scope and stature as the most influential awards event in the customer loyalty industry. The International Loyalty Awards celebrate the world’s most innovative and memorable loyalty initiatives from across six continents. The awards recognise brands that are building lasting and profitable customer relationships and bring together the global leaders of loyalty, to celebrate innovation, creativity, and sheer brilliance. The Wise Marketer is a media partner for this event and Managing Editor Bill Hanifin will be participating as a judge for the competition. Entries are open and we encourage submissions as quickly as possible, submitted here. The closing date for entries is 14 February 2022 a mere 8 weeks away!

PAYMENTS NEWS

Report: Google Pay’s new focus is becoming a ‘comprehensive digital wallet’

Highlight: Google has hired a former PayPal executive to help bolster Google Pay, with plans to expand into the crypto space. Arnold Goldberg has been given the task of running Google’s payments division as part of a company-wide push into financial services, including crypto. Google’s President of Commerce Bill Ready told Bloomberg that, “As user demand and merchant demand evolves, we'll evolve with it.” As part of the overhaul, Google will focus more on being a “comprehensive digital wallet” that includes digital tickets, airline passes and vaccine passports, Ready said.

DATA & PRIVACY NEWS

Apple fined $5.6M for failing to meet Dutch dating app order

Highlight: On January 15, Apple confirmed it would abide by an order by the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) to allow dating apps operating in the country to use third-party payment mechanisms. In a review of the rule changes, the ACM believes Apple has yet to fully comply with the order… On Monday, the ACM declared Apple had “failed to satisfy the requirements” of its order. Since Apple failed, this meant it was subject to an initial fine of 5 million euros ($5.6 million). If the order still isn't met, the same fine would be charged weekly, up to a maximum of 50 million euros ($56 million). The ACM says Apple fails “on several points,” with the biggest one being that Apple has “failed to adjust its conditions, as a result of which dating-app providers are still unable to use other payment systems.”

TRAVEL & HOSPITALITY NEWS

American Airlines and The Points Guy are suing one another over a frequent-flyer miles app

Highlight: A dispute over frequent-flyer miles and access to customer data is at the center of dueling lawsuits filed over the past two weeks between American Airlines, the dominant airline in Philadelphia, and the Points Guy, a travel website founded by a Bucks County resident. The Points Guy launched an app last September billed as a “one-stop shop” where consumers can track all their loyalty rewards for airlines, hotels, and credit cards in one place, helping travelers redeem their earned miles. But American claims the Points Guy uses the airline’s intellectual property unlawfully and wants it to stop. Brian Kelly, CEO and founder of the Points Guy, says consumers should have a choice about how to use their data.

Did you miss the previous newswire? Stay informed: Loyalty Newswire – January 18th, 2022

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