Loyalty Newswire – July 20th, 2020

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By: Wise Marketer Staff |

Posted on July 20, 2020

Enjoy this week's list of curated news:

  • QSRs strengthen restaurant loyalty initiatives in order to survive the pandemic
  • Virgin Mobile rewards is the UAE's first mobile loyalty program to offer cashback rewards
  • Ant Financial seeks IPO in Shanghai and Hong Kong
  • In a post-COVID-19 environment, credit scores may not be enough to ensure timely payments
  • Hilton decides to merge 2020 Elite qualification into 2021
  • Qatar Executive introduces the Diamond Agreement which enables customers to pre-purchase flight time on private jets
  • Rue21 plans to open three new stores coinciding with the launch of its free loyalty program
  • Lexus and Subaru come out on top according to the J.D. Power 2020 U.S. Automotive Brand Loyalty Study

LOYALTY PROGRAM NEWS:

Checkers And Rally’s: How The Drive-Thru Is Changing QSR Loyalty And Rewards

Quotable: “More consumers are choosing the drive-thru during the ongoing health crisis as a safe, convenient way to order and pick up meals with minimal human interaction. QSRs in turn are getting creative in improving their drive-thru experiences. Fast food chain McDonald’s for one has slashed its average drive-thru wait times by 25 seconds during the pandemic, according to the company’s CEO Chris Kempczinski.”

Virgin Mobile launches interactive digital loyalty platform in the UAE

Quotable: “UAE based telco, Virgin Mobile, has launched the first phase of its innovative digital loyalty programme, which the company says is designed to reward its customers with cashback based on their tenure, interaction and spend with the brand. As part of the new programme Virgin Mobile users can earn up to 8 per cent cashback of their monthly spend helping them to get even more value from the Virgin Mobile digital experience.”

PAYMENTS NEWS:

Alibaba payments arm Ant to seek IPO in China and Hong Kong

Quotable: “China's Ant Group said on Monday that it will seek an initial public offering in Shanghai and Hong Kong in an eagerly awaited move toward the stock market by one of the world's biggest fintech unicorns... The Chinese fintech group aims to sell 10% of its shares through the dual listing, the person said, adding that Ant generated about $2 billion in profit in the October-December quarter.”

Coronavirus stresses traditional payment-related credit models

Quotable: “There was a time when a high credit score provided lenders with an increased level of confidence that the creditor will repay future debt, but given the growing number of newly unemployed and failed businesses in the post-COVID-19 environment, credit scores may no longer be indicative of the consumer’s ability to make payments or fulfill their debt obligations.”

TRAVEL NEWS:

Hilton Rolls 2020 Elite Qualification Into 2021 Program

Quotable: “Hilton’s decision to broaden its 2021 qualification year comes as part of a wide spectrum of measures that major hotel loyalty programs have taken to retain business, generate loyalty and encourage travel. Already, Hilton has extended elite status in its loyalty program from 2020 to 2021, effectively freezing the loyalty of anyone this year. Most major operators like Marriott and Hyatt have done the same.”

Qatar Executive introduces Diamond Agreement

Quotable: “Qatar Executive announced yesterday the introduction of its new and exclusive Diamond Agreement, which enables customers to pre-purchase flight time at fixed-hourly rates on state-of-the-art long-range and ultra-long-range private jets... To join this programme, customers purchase a minimum of 50 hours flight time, without any associated membership fees.”

RETAIL NEWS:

New stores to be opened by Rue21

Quotable: “The apparel retailer for teens is on course to open three new brick-and-mortar stores this month. The new locations are to be in South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas and it will bring the chain’s store count to 673 stores in 45 states... In addition, the retailer doubled down on its customer loyalty strategy, launching a free reward program in April and across all stores on 9 July.”

BRAND LOYALTY NEWS:

Brand Loyalty Increasing Among New-Vehicle Buyers, J.D. Power Finds

Quotable: “If a vehicle owner is loyal to a specific brand, it’s becoming more difficult for another brand to woo them away when it’s time to buy a new vehicle, according to the J.D. Power 2020 U.S. Automotive Brand Loyalty Study released today... Lexus ranks highest among luxury brands for the second consecutive year with a 48% loyalty rate. Subaru ranks highest among mass market brands and highest overall in the automotive industry for a second consecutive year with a loyalty rate of 60.5%. Toyota ranks second (60.3%), followed by Honda (58.7%), RAM (57.3%) and Ford (54.3%).”

Read last week's newswire if you missed it: Loyalty Newswire – July 13th, 2020

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