Here’s what we’re following in loyalty news this week:
- Seafolly's one-year old program has accumulated around 500 thousand members
- In the UAE, the Repeat app aims to abolish heavy discounting programs such as BOGOs
- London-based Finastra is offering banks and its credit union customers the option to access AI avatars 24/7
- Visa partners with Paga for payments and fintech solutions
- Amazon plans to announce its new business selling the tech behind its cashier-less convenience stores to other retailers
- When in-store foot traffic attribution is crucial, how do you solve for it?
- Boots Advantage Cards on lockdown after security threats
- United Airlines negatively alters its refund policy
LOYALTY PROGRAM NEWS:
Behind Seafolly’s one-year-old loyalty program
Quotable: “One year on from launching its Beach Club rewards program, Seafolly has signed up close to half a million members from around the world ... Being a swimwear label, Seafolly chief digital officer Caroline Swarbrick told AdNews the brand hoped to boost sales outside of summer and build a loyal customer base ... The loyalty program was introduced to move customers from a one or two-time purchaser, to a regular and more engaged shopper through offering a more personalised experience.”
How Repeat app rewards diners' loyalty in the UAE
Quotable: “We are helping the F&B industry overcome its addiction to heavy discounting with two-for-one offers or buy-one-get-one-free vouchers and the like. Ask any restaurant owner or operator what they think about such schemes and they will all agree that they are good in the short term but bad for the long term.”
PAYMENTS NEWS:
UK-based Fintech Finastra to Allow Customers to Use Conversational AI-based Retail Banking App
Quotable: “Finastra is now offering banks and its credit union customers the option to access AI avatars, so that they can interact with clients and members 24/7 across multiple channels ... Active.Ai’s conversational banking solution uses natural language processing (NLP) and machine intelligence to help clients with engaging in natural conversations via messaging, voice or internet-of-things (IoT) devices.”
Visa partners with Paga on payments and fintech for Africa and abroad
Quotable: “Founded in Lagos, Paga scaled its fintech business in West Africa, before targeting expansion in Ethiopia and Mexico. The startup has created a multi-channel network for over 14 million customers in Nigeria to transfer money, pay-bills and buy things digitally through its mobile-app or 24,840 agents.”
RETAIL NEWS:
Amazon Launches Business Selling Automated Checkout to Retailers
Quotable: “Amazon.com Inc on Monday is set to announce a new business line selling the technology behind its cashier-less convenience stores to other retailers, the company told Reuters ... The world's biggest web retailer said it has "several" signed deals with customers it would not name. A new website Monday will invite others to inquire about the service, dubbed Just Walk Out technology by Amazon.”
Three Ways to Solve for Foot Traffic Attribution
Quotable: “What most ad platforms cannot tell you is how your ads drove foot traffic to stores and other physical locations you care about. If driving foot traffic to retail locations is your job, Google Ads and other digital ad dashboards can’t help you. When in-store foot traffic attribution is crucial, how do you solve for it?”
LOYALTY FRAUD NEWS:
Boots Advantage Cards on Lockdown After Attempted Cyberattack
Quotable: “If you're a Boots Advantage Card customer, you'll know the joys of checking your points to find out you've got enough for a pricey bottle of perfume or a free lunch. But that's coming to a temporary halt after a hacking attempt.”
AIRLINE NEWS:
United Airlines Negatively Alters Refund Policy
Quotable: “Many airlines have recently adopted changes, such as waiving fees, which is a helpful gesture for their customer base amid the coronavirus. With that in mind, a policy change from United was bound to hail from the land of customer benefits aplenty. However, this was not the case.”
The Loyalty Newswire is compiled and edited by the staff at The Wise Marketer.
