Loyalty Newswire – January 25th, 2021

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By: Wise Marketer Staff |

Posted on January 25, 2021

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  • Ford's new loyalty program enables Canadian drivers to earn points with FordPass Rewards
  • Birdzi's platform has helped Coborn's grocery stores increase customer retention by 355%
  • Red Robin executives discuss how personalizing a rewards program can lead to an improved customer experience and increased sales
  • Here are three need-to-know retail trends from NRF 2021 that will help marketers understand the post-pandemic consumer
  • Amazon's ongoing dispute in India heats up as a new, recently filed petition seeks to jail and seize the assets of Future Group's founder
  • Cox Automotive unveiled the launch of Complete Retail, an end-to-end digital retail experience that covers every step of the car-buying journey
  • Melio's SMB payment platform has successfully raised $110 million USD to bring B2B payments "into the 21st century"
  • Columbus Waterworks has announced a new online payment system that allows customers to pay their bill online without hassle
  • Norwegian Authorities announced that Grindr, one of the world's most popular gay dating apps, is being fined roughly 11.7 million USD for violating data privacy laws
  • Spirit Airlines announced that it will be updating and rebranding its $9 Fare Club alongside its new Free Spirit loyalty program

LOYALTY PROGRAM NEWS:

New loyalty program lets Ford owners earn points at dealerships

Quotable: “Ford is rolling out a rewards program that lets Canadian drivers earn loyalty points, and then redeem them against the cost of service, parts, or even a new vehicle. The program, called FordPass Rewards, builds on the automaker’s FordPass mobile platform. That program allows drivers to monitor their vehicles, find parking spaces, or access remote features through their phone.”

Coborn’s Partners with Birdzi to Enhance Loyalty Program, Increasing Retention and Spend

Quotable: “In just three years, Birdzi has helped forge the retailer’s path to digital transformation by driving Coborn’s MORE Rewards program. Comparing new, digitally engaged shoppers on the Birdzi platform vs. shoppers that are not, Coborn’s has seen a 355% increase in customer retention, a 16% increase in trips per month and a 23.7% increase in spend per month.”

Red Robin Turns Onboarding Data Into A 'Day One' Personalized Loyalty Experience

Quotable: “As the competition between QSRs continues to intensify, these outlets are looking for new ways to attract — and keep — diners. In this month’s Feature Story, Jonathan Muhtar, executive vice president and chief concept officer, and Cyrus Kelley, vice president of consumer insights and loyalty for casual dining chain Red Robin, discuss how personalizing its rewards program has improved the customer experience, driven customer spending and increased sales. It also explores why using data to customize the experience is key, and how Red Robin makes its rewards program’s onboarding process as simple and seamless as possible.”

RETAIL NEWS:

Quotable: “For the first time in history, NRF Chapter 1 went virtual. The highly anticipated event saw industry leaders reflect on one of retail’s most turbulent years to date. Consumer shopping behaviors changed seemingly overnight: in-store foot traffic shrunk at an alarming rate, e-commerce and mobile shopping trends boomed, and spending habits prioritized needs over wants. It all left retail marketers scrambling to understand how to retarget these new “pandemic personas,” with many pivoting promotional plans and exhibiting agility at a never-before-seen scale.”

Quotable: “The Jeff Bezos-led American firm, in its petition, alleged deliberate and willful disobedience of the order temporarily restraining the Future Group from going ahead with the sale, the people familiar said. It also wants the court to issue an injunction stopping the deal. Representatives for Amazon in India declined to comment on the petition. In a late evening statement to stock exchanges, Future Retail Ltd., the listed flagship of the group, said it is aware of the petition filed by Amazon and will defend itself.”

Cox Automotive Debuts Complete Retail Experience

Quotable: “Cox Automotive today announced the launch of Complete Retail, a revolutionary end-to-end digital retail experience that allows consumers and retailers to complete the shopping and buying processes from anywhere. Cox Automotive is uniquely positioned to bring every step of the car-buying journey and every part of the deal process together - start, flow, sign and close. More than an iterative step, Cox Automotive Complete Retail is a transformational leap that unlocks a new era of car selling and buying.”

PAYMENTS NEWS:

Melio raises $110M on a $1.3B valuation to bring B2B payments for SMBs into the 21st century

Quotable: “Payments for consumers have made a huge shift to the online world in the last year, a time when they have moved more of their purchasing to the internet to minimize in-person transactions in the midst of a virus-based health pandemic. Today, a startup that has built a similar kind of payments infrastructure — but specifically targeting small businesses and the payments they need to make — has raised a big round of funding to double down on its own slice of the market.”

Columbus Water Works launches new online payment system

Quotable: “The new and improved system allows customers to more easily pay their bill online. Customers can find their current customer number in the top right corner of their January water bill, which they will need to look up their new customer number and register for the new payment system. 'We are excited to provide our customers with a new way to pay,' said Becky Butts, VP of Customer Service and Corporate Relations.”

DATA & PRIVACY NEWS:

Grindr is fined $11.7 million under European privacy law.

Quotable: “The Norwegian Data Protection Authority said on Monday that it would fine Grindr, the world’s most popular gay dating app, 100 million Norwegian kroner, or about $11.7 million, for illegally disclosing private details about its users to advertising companies. The agency said the app had transmitted users’ precise locations, user-tracking codes and the app’s name to at least five advertising companies, essentially tagging individuals as L.G.B.T.Q. without obtaining their explicit consent, in violation of European data protection law.”

TRAVEL & HOSPITALITY NEWS:

Spirit Airlines Officially Rolls Out New Loyalty Program

Quotable: “Spirit Airlines has officially flipped the switch on its brand new loyalty program. Alongside the brand new Free Spirit program, the carrier is also refreshing its $9 Fare Club and rebranding it as the new Spirit Saver$ Club. And, to cap it all off, Spirit has added some new benefits and credit cards. Altogether, the new loyalty program should help capture some of Spirit’s new clients and turn them into loyal passengers to propel the carrier’s growth.”

Read last week's Loyalty Newswire: Loyalty Newswire – January 18th, 2021

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