Welcome back to our Loyalty Newswire. Every Monday, our team curates a list of the latest customer loyalty and marketing news to make it easier for busy marketing professionals to stay up to date with the latest topics. If you enjoy our content, please take a few moments to subscribe to our newsletter for exclusive offers and more! Stay safe!
- Walgreens introduces myWalgreens — a redesigned loyalty program with a mobile-first approach
- Paytronix and PYMNTS.com's collabortive report reveals that about 93 million consumers would spend more if restaurants offer loyalty rewards and online ordering
- GPM's currently rolling out an enhanced version of the fas Rewards program for its chain of convenience retail stores
- Black Friday starts early at Priceline with the introduction of new VIP rewards program
- Maybelline New York has announced its first-ever loyalty program, Maybelline Express
- The National Retail Federation (NRF) forecasts holiday retail sales to grow as much as 5.2% despite ongoing pandemic
- Coniq's IQ Connect is the retail industry’s first and only complete location-based loyalty solution
- Western Union has acquired a 15% stake in Saudi Arabia’s STC Group for $200 million which is now valued at 5 billion riyals ($1.3 billion)
- An analysis of Brexit’s data compliance burden could cost UK firms up to £1.6 billion
- Apple and Facebook clash as both companies face antitrust scrutiny from regulators and politicians
- Air New Zealand contemplates adding an "Elite Plus" tier among other loyalty program enhancements
LOYALTY PROGRAM NEWS:
To Compete Online, Walgreens Overhauls Its App and Loyalty Program
Quotable: “Pharmacy chain Walgreens is introducing a more robust loyalty program called myWalgreens today, part of a thorough overhaul including a fully redesigned mobile app, the company announced. 'This is a new beginning for Walgreens in a lot of ways,' CMO Pat McLean told Adweek. 'It’s a redesigned mobile app experience that is a gateway to all things Walgreens.' In turn, it’s also a new way for customers to think about Walgreens, McLean said, as more than a physical retail storefront. 'The real benefit here, it’s an app and a mobile-first experience,' he added.”
Report: Consumers point to loyalty programs as a primary driver in encouraging additional restaurant spending
Quotable: “In order to better understand restaurant loyalty engagement and how restaurants can customize their offerings to enhance their business, PYMNTS.com surveyed 2,089 U.S. consumers about the types of restaurants from which they order, whether they use those restaurants’ loyalty and rewards programs, and the types of rewards they would like to receive.”
GPM Investments, LLC Launches Enhanced fas REWARDS® Loyalty Program for its 1,350 Convenience and Gas Stores Nationwide
Quotable: “The enhanced fas REWARDS program rolled out in the vast majority of GPM stores on November 4, 2020 and will available in all locations by Q1 2021, including retail stores acquired in the recent Empire Petroleum acquisition. 'We are constantly looking for ways to bring value to our customers and to thank them for shopping at one of our over 1,350 stores,' said Arie Kotler, Chief Executive Officer of GPM.”
Priceline Launches Biggest Black Friday Sales Event Ever Plus New VIP Loyalty Program to Maximize Traveler Savings
Quotable: “At Priceline, Black Friday starts today with the introduction of an innovative new loyalty program, Priceline VIP, and a supersized week of savings. The company's biggest Black Friday sale to-date will feature more than 50 custom deals and over $5 million in savings on upcoming travel, so you can save now and travel later.”
Maybelline New York Is Launching a Loyalty Program
Quotable: “Maybelline Express is the new way for the brand's fans to reap as many benefits as possible from being frequent Maybelline shoppers. "Maybelline is thanking their loyal fans with exclusive coupons, extra sweepstakes entries, free makeup samples, and a personalized Maybelline experience," reads a press email from the brand.”
RETAIL NEWS:
NRF expects holiday sales will grow between 3.6 and 5.2 percent
Quotable: “With retail sales rebounding strongly due to continued consumer resilience, the National Retail Federation today forecast that holiday sales during November and December will increase between 3.6 percent and 5.2 percent over 2019 to a total between $755.3 billion and $766.7 billion.”
IQ Connect Helps Shopping Centres Significantly Lower the Cost and Time to Launch Shopper Engagement Solutions That Increase Retail Sales
Quotable: “The new solution was developed in response to market demand from shopping centre owners to know more about new customer attitudes and behaviours. IQ Connect gives marketers the data, and the tools, to send highly personalised, multi-channel communications to shoppers before, during and after they visit a retail destination. In a retail environment where shoppers’ behaviour is changing more rapidly than ever before, it is critical to encourage and reward shoppers for visits to physical retail locations.”
PAYMENTS NEWS:
Western Union buys 15% stake in Saudi Telecom's digital payment unit
Quotable: “Western Union, the world’s largest money transfer firm, has acquired a 15% stake in the digital payment unit of Saudi Arabia’s STC Group for $200 million. The acquisition of stc pay, which values the company at 5 billion riyals ($1.3 billion), will finance its capital and support long-term expansion plans, Saudi Arabia’s largest telecoms operator said in a statement on Saturday.”
DATA & PRIVACY NEWS:
Brexit’s data compliance burden could cost UK firms up to £1.6BN, says think tank
Quotable: “An analysis of the total cost to UK businesses if the country fails to gain an adequacy agreement from the European Commission once it leaves the bloc at the end of the year — creating barriers to inbound data flows from the EU — suggests the price in pure compliance terms could be between £1BN and £1.6BN.”
Apple and Facebook trade accusations over data privacy
Quotable: “Facebook has accused Apple of privacy shortcomings and abusing its market power after the iPhone maker took a swipe at the social media platform’s data collection practices. The war of words between the two Silicon Valley groups unfolded after Apple wrote in a letter to pro-privacy civil rights groups that Facebook’s business model — which relies on collecting user data from its platform as well as from browsing activity off-platform to target advertising — showed the company had a 'disregard for user privacy'.”
AIRLINE NEWS:
Air New Zealand mulls Elite Plus tier, lifetime status
Quotable: “Air New Zealand is considering adding a top-rung Elite Plus tier, along with lifetime status at lower tiers, in a raft of changes to its Airpoints loyalty program. Other benefits being proposed for high flyers include discounted upgrade offers, immediate confirmation of upgrade requests and even a separate lounge for Elite and Elite Plus members.”
Read last week's newswire if you missed it: Loyalty Newswire – November 16th, 2020
The Loyalty Newswire is compiled and edited by the staff at The Wise Marketer.
