Welcome to 2021! Best wishes to all of our readers for a prosperous and healthy new year. Our goal is to make it easy and simple for busy loyalty professionals to stay up to date with essential news and trending topics. If you enjoy our content and want to show your support, subscribe to our newsletter for exclusive content, events and more!
- Despite being a tough year for the fast-casual restaurant industry, Teriyaki Madness has revealed that loyalty program members spend 17% more than non-members
- Pregnancy Tracker unveils the preliminary results of its new blockchain loyalty program designed to unify its customer base
- Rymax donates hundreds of pounds of food to help local food pantry meet the increased demand
- India's government and drug regulators recognized the importance of telemedicine and e-pharmacies as essential services during the lockdown which prompted them to lift previous regulations
- According to government data, Hong Kong retail consumption dropped by a record 25% between January and November compared to the same period in 2019
- Big box retailers, such as Target, Best Buy, and Walmart, adopted the store-as-a-hub-model early, which helped them to survive throughout last year
- 2020 set a new precedent for retail bankruptcies and store closures, however, will 2021 beat last year's record?
- Citgo and P97 Networks have partnered to bring mobile payment technology to the pump
- New York's MTA announces full support for customers using Apple Pay and other contactless payment solutions across all of its stations
- New Brexit deal provides a six-month transition period for data flowing across different states, but what happens next is in fact up for debate
- Sonesta enters agreement to acquire US-based Red Lion hotels in an all-cash transaction estimated to be around $90 million
LOYALTY PROGRAM NEWS:
Teriyaki Madness’ Loyalty Upgrades Aren’t Skinny Noodles
Quotable: “It’s a mad dash towards the end of 2020, but rather than letting the year simmer away into the distance of memory, Teriyaki Madness is wrapping things up with a sizzle of inspiring news for the world of loyalty. It’s been a tough time for restaurants, but the rapidly growing fast-casual Teriyaki Madness franchise is reporting positive results for its loyalty program and is doubling-down on further upgrades to its customer program.”
Pregnancy Tracker Launches Blockchain Loyalty Program to Critical Acclaim
Quotable: “Pregnancy Tracker, a service for pregnant women, has announced the preliminary results of its ongoing blockchain loyalty program designed to unify its ecosystem and spur more engagements. The company sought to improve and reward participation by developing a scalable networking system for users, advertisers, and partner corporations. Also, it looks to transform the ecosystem from a hub for pregnant women to the ideal platform for every modern family.”
Leading Loyalty Marketing And Rewards Provider Contributes Hundreds Of Pounds Of Food
Quotable: “Jewish Family Service of Atlantic & Cape May Counties (JFS) received a donation of an abundance of non-perishable foods, basic essentials and cleaning supplies from Rymax, a loyalty marketing and rewards provider based in Pine Brook, New Jersey. Their generosity assures the JFS Food Pantry can continue to meet the increased demand perpetuated by the current economic environment.
RETAIL NEWS:
After fast growth, e-pharmacies eye customer loyalty
Quotable: “It took a pandemic to realize the potential of telemedicine and e-pharmacies as a technological revolution in the healthcare space. After years of being under a regulatory quagmire because of lobbying by brick-and-mortar pharmacies, the segment witnessed a massive shift as India went into a lockdown in March to curb the spread of covid-19.”
Hong Kong fourth wave: record fall in retail sales over first 11 months of 2020 as coronavirus hammers economy
Quotable: “The government spokesman said the narrowing year-on-year decline was primarily due to the increase in sales at retail outlets of consumer durable goods. But the fourth wave of coronavirus infections had weighed on local consumption sentiment since the latter half of November, which would present a challenging environment for retailers in the near term.”
Future Of Retail: The Store As A Hub Model And The Consumer Is The Pilot
Quotable: “The store-as-a-hub-model—a framework that Target, Walmart and Nordstrom adopted early and one that every retailer will need to follow in order to remain relevant. Tarjay is the poster child for the store as a hub model. We only need to look to Target’s recent Q3 same store sales growth of 21% which was evenly split between digital and physical stores to understand why brick-and-mortar will continue to matter, albeit in a different way, in 2021 and beyond.”
Will store closings in 2021 beat last year’s record total?
Quotable: “Coresight Research calculated U.S. retail sales of apparel and accessories tumbled 30 percent year over year from January through October, 'which is likely to lead to substantial store closure announcements and/or bankruptcy filings among retailers selling apparel and similar product categories' in January. The firm added, 'Moreover, many retailers likely hung on through the crucial holiday season in hopes that it would make up for a difficult year.'”
PAYMENTS NEWS:
CITGO Partners With P97 to Bring Mobile Pay Technology to the Pump
Quotable: “CITGO is teaming up with P97 Networks Inc. to bring an enhanced mobile app to its customers. With the updated technology, users will be able to purchase fuel, food and merchandise from a mobile device, receive customized offers, and roll back prices at the pump at more than 4,500 CITGO-branded retail locations across the United States.”
NYC subway now accepts Apple Pay and other contactless payment methods across all stations
Quotable: “New York City’s subway began adding support for contactless payments in May 2019, but since then, only a few selected lines have received the technology. However, New York’s MTA announced today that everyone can now finally use Apple Pay and other contactless payment methods across all its stations.”
DATA & PRIVACY NEWS:
Data can still flow freely between Europe and the UK. But for how much longer?
Quotable: “After years of negotiation, the UK and the EU have finally signed their long-awaited trade deal on Brexit, but that is not to say that every sticking point has been resolved – and among the issues that are yet to be agreed on, is the transfer of personal data from the continent to the UK. As the country left the European bloc, so did the UK exit the realm of the EU's general data protection regulation (GDPR), within which personal data can flow freely from one member state to the next.”
TRAVEL & HOSPITALITY NEWS:
Sonesta Acquiring Red Lion Hotels
Quotable: “This past week it has been announced that Sonesta has entered into a definitive merger agreement with Red Lion Hotels. Red Lion is the 10th largest US-based hotel franchise company, and includes eight brands, like Red Lion Hotels, Knights Inn, America’s Best Value Inn, etc. Sonesta is acquiring Red Lion in an all-cash transaction for $90 million. Those who own Red Lion’s common stock will receive $3.50 per share in cash, an 88% premium over the November 4, 2020, closing price.”
Read last week's newswire if you missed it: Loyalty Newswire – December 28th, 2020
The Loyalty Newswire is compiled and edited by the staff at The Wise Marketer.
