Every Monday, the editors at The Wise Marketer curate a list of the latest customer loyalty and marketing news to make it simple for busy professionals to quickly digest important, trending topics. Additionally, we cover the retail, travel, hospitality, payments, and data privacy sectors. Show your support by joining our mailing list to gain access to exclusive content, events, and promotions. Don't forget to follow us on social media!
- After piloting its new My McDonald's Rewards program in six states, McDonald's officially launched the program nationwide on July 8th
- Launched in December 2020, David's Bridal loyalty program surpasses 500,000 members
- Papa John's recently announced its Papa Rewards program hit 20 million members, partially driven by the impact of the pandemic
- As retail brands look for new ways to entice customers, apparel brands have started to rent their clothing - without a subscription
- According to the monthly Global Port Tracker, imports have steadily shown double-digit growth over the previous year
- It's time to ditch the standard privacy policies in favor of privacy notices that customers will understand
- With the goal of unlocking cross-border payments for Mongolians, Kpay launches Mongolia's first cryptocurrency, Khaan Coin
- As tourism spikes in Hawaii, officials in Maui aim to implement a new tax on tourists
LOYALTY PROGRAM NEWS:
After New England pilot, McDonald’s launches first loyalty program
Highlight: The launch, which marks the first loyalty program in the company’s 66-year history, comes as the fast-food giant has been refocusing on technology and implementing digital menu boards and self-order kiosks across its storefronts. Users earn 100 points per dollar with every purchase and are connected through the company’s mobile app, where they are automatically enrolled. A 1,500-point reward gets you treats like a vanilla cone or hash browns, or you can save up 6,000 points for a Big Mac. McDonald’s foray into the loyalty market will help the company collect consumer information and better tailor its marketing to a vegetarian, say, or someone with a preference for chicken, said Andrew Robbins, CEO of Paytronix Systems, a Newton software company that worked on loyalty programs for Panera and Jimmy John’s.
David’s Bridal customers say yes to new loyalty program
Highlight: Diamond is completely digital, and is one of many steps in an ongoing digital transformation at David’s. "We have spent significant time over the past year dreaming up ways to better serve our bride as she plans and prepares for her big day," said Jim Marcum, CEO of David's Bridal. "When we launched Diamond, our goal was to give her and her bridal party value she can't find anywhere else, whether she is looking for additional ways to save, access to partners, or is coveting a one-of-a-kind getaway. We are thrilled with the overwhelmingly positive response and honored to be able to provide such a meaningful and beneficial program to our valued customers."
Papa John's Reaches 20 Million Loyalty Members
Highlight: Papa John’s today announces that its Papa Rewards loyalty program has reached a milestone with the sign up of its 20 millionth member. The program, which began in 2010, has seen a rapid continuation of growth that began in early 2020 with more than 100 thousand customers joining the program each week. In 2021, the rewards program has contributed to almost half of the brand’s sales... “At Papa John’s, we always strive to establish a strong connection with pizza lovers and keep our consumers first; we are pleased that the Papa Rewards program is one of our strongest channels in helping us do so. We are excited to welcome our 20 millionth member and look forward to continued growth,” says Anne Fischer SVP of Customer Experience at Papa John’s.
RETAIL NEWS:
Retail brands including Rebecca Minkoff begin renting clothes without a subscription
Highlight: Fashion designer Rebecca Minkoff recently became the first to offer a “borrow” option on her website, powered by rental technology platform CaaStle. Customers can wear the item as many times as they like during the rental period and have the option to buy it at an adjusted price... For Minkoff, it’s an opportunity to get new customers to try the brand or even current customers to dive a little deeper. “It was a way to meet our woman where her pocketbook is, but also people that have sustainability in mind,” said Minkoff.
Retail Cargo Continues to See Double-Digit Increases Over 2020 as Disruptions Continue
Highlight: Imports at the nation’s largest retail container ports are continuing to show double-digit growth over last year as strong consumer demand keeps up its momentum, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Hackett Associates. “The year-over-year growth we saw this spring was off the charts because the comparisons were against a time when most stores were shut down due to the pandemic,” NRF Vice President for Supply Chain and Customs Policy Jonathan Gold said. “But we’re continuing to see strong growth even as we enter a point when stores had begun to reopen last year. That’s a sign of the tremendous demand from consumers. The challenge for retailers and supply chains is keeping shelves stocked as port congestion and other supply chain disruptions continue to impact the industry and the economy more broadly.”
DATA & PRIVACY NEWS:
Kill the Standard Privacy Notice
Highlight: Today’s online consumer is drowning indeed — in the deluge of privacy policies, cookie pop-ups, and various web and app tracking permissions. New regulations just pile more privacy disclosures on, and businesses are mostly happy to oblige. They pass the information burden to the end user, whose only rational move is to accept blindly because reading through the heaps of information does not make sense rationally, economically or subjectively... Studies show that online consumers often struggle with standard-form notices. A majority of online users expect that if a company has published a document with the title “privacy notice” or “privacy policy” on its website, then it will not collect, analyze or share their personal information with third parties. At the same time, a similar majority of consumers have serious concerns about being tracked and targeted for intrusive advertising.
PAYMENTS NEWS:
Kpay Launches Mongolia's First Cryptocurrency For Seamless Cross-border Payments
Highlight: Payment giants like PayPal, Skrill, WeChat AliPay, and Stripe offer seamless cross-border payment services across different countries. As good as this may sound, these payment gateways have also denied so many countries from accessing their services, including Mongolia. Most Mongolians are left with the option of using traditional banks and financial institutions to make international payments. However, in a bid to liberate Mongolians so that they can enjoy seamless cross-border payments, the team at Kpay is pleased to announce the introduction of Khaan Coin to the crypto community. Khaan Coin is Mongolia's first cryptocurrency to hit the crypto space.
TRAVEL & HOSPITALITY NEWS:
Maui Seeks to Quickly Implement New Tax on Tourists
Highlight: The move comes after state lawmakers overrode a veto by Hawaii Gov. David Ige this week. Hawaiian lawmakers overrode Ige’s veto of a bill that overhauls how the state funds the Hawaii Tourism Authority and allocates tourism tax revenue to the counties. The new law allows Hawaii's counties to collect a 3% tax from visitors staying at hotels and other short-term rentals. Before the new law, the state collected a 10% hotel tax and distributed a share to each county. Now, the counties can levy their own surcharge to the tax and keep the money for local needs.
Did you miss last week's newswire? Stay informed: Loyalty Newswire – July 6th, 2021
The Loyalty Newswire is compiled and edited by the staff at The Wise Marketer.
