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- Facebook has enhanced its bug bounty program with the launch of its very own loyalty program, Hacker Plus
- Hotel Engine unveils dual reward programs with no contracts or monthly fees
- Apple plans to start shipping its products directly from retail stores to speed up local delivery times
- Amazon Prime Day will be an early indication of how much consumers are willing to spend for the upcoming holidays
- A new report from the Council of Europe details the lack of data privacy protection for the countries which have joined "Convention 108"
- Gartner has predicted a major increase in data privacy regulations by 2023
- Amazon is piloting a "contactless identity service" that uses your palm to complete transactions.
- Nicholas Calio, President and CEO of Airlines for America, explains why he is defending the campaign for more federal aid
LOYALTY PROGRAM NEWS:
Facebook launches bug bounty 'loyalty program'
Quotable: “Social media behemoth Facebook launched today Hacker Plus, the first-ever loyalty program for a tech company's bug bounty platform. Designed after the loyalty programs used by airlines and hotels, Facebook said Hacker Plus would provide extra bonuses and special perks to bug hunters based on their past reports.”
Hotel Engine Members Can Now Double Dip With Expanded Hotel Loyalty Program
Quotable: “'With this new program, Hotel Engine ensures its members continue to accrue their hard-earned hotel loyalty points, while also benefiting from the cost-savings, customer support and travel insights Hotel Engine provides.' In addition to Hotel Engine Rewards, travelers can accrue points toward 3rd party hotel loyalty programs, including Choice Hotels, Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, Hilton Honors and IHG Rewards.”
RETAIL NEWS:
Report: Apple to start shipping iPhones, iPads and other devices from retail stores to speed local delivery
Quotable: “Apple, which typically ships gadgets from regional warehouses or directly from China, has started shipping iPhones, Macs and iPads from US-based retail stores, Bloomberg reports, citing people familiar with the matter. The move to send devices from its network of retail locations is meant to speed up local delivery for customers within 100 miles of a store, Bloomberg reports. Packages could arrive as soon as the next day, but you can't opt-in to the delivery option. It's all up to Apple, which ships through FedEx in the U.S.”
Amazon Prime Day Starts at Midnight. Here’s What It Means for Retail
Quotable: “Despite the ongoing economic disruption related to Covid, holiday sales are still supposed to rise, with e-commerce jumping as much as 35%, and analysts are bullish on Amazon ahead of the event, as it’s expected to rack up $10 billion in sales. With Target (TGT) and Walmart (WMT) also planning big deals for this week too, the spending patterns could be an early indication of how much consumers are willing to spend for the holidays.”
DATA & PRIVACY NEWS:
Digital solutions to fight COVID-19: shortcomings protecting privacy and personal data
Quotable: “A new Council of Europe report has identified a number of shortcomings in the protection of privacy and personal data in some of the legal and technical measures adopted by governments to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic among the 55 African, Latin-American and European countries which have joined the data protection 'Convention 108'.”
Gartner Projects Major Jump in Data Privacy Regulations; From 10% of the World Covered in 2020 to 65% in 2023
Quotable: “Global research firm Gartner recently conducted its annual Security & Risk Management Summit, and perhaps the biggest headline to come out of it was the projection that the majority of the world will be covered by data privacy regulations by 2023. This would be a very substantial jump in a relatively short period of time. At present, only about 10% of the world has strong privacy regulations akin to the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).”
PAYMENTS NEWS:
Amazon Pilots New Payment Option at Select Amazon Go Stores in Seattle
Quotable: “Customers at two Amazon Go stores in the retail giant's hometown can try a new form of payment: their palm. In late September, Amazon began trialing Amazon One at its stores at 2131 7th Ave. and 300 Boren Ave. North in Seattle. According to the company, Amazon One is a 'contactless identity service that uses your palm — just hover to enter, identify and pay.'”
AIRLINE NEWS:
Airline industry official defends response to pandemic
Quotable: “The airlines are looking for second helpings. In March, Congress and the White House gave them $25 billion plus access to another $25 billion in low-interest loans. Critics say giving them $25 billion more now is just another bailout. The airlines, they say, should have saved more money when they were making record profits instead of spending heavily to buy back their own stock, a strategy that helped shareholders.”
Read last week's newswire if you missed it: Loyalty Newswire – October 5th, 2020
The Loyalty Newswire is compiled and edited by the staff at The Wise Marketer.
