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- Caesars Rewards has extended to 18 new properties after merger with Eldorado Resorts
- Walgreens has been added as a rewards partner in FIS's Premium Payback program
- SAP unit Emarsys announces plans to acquire marketing technology company Loyalsys
- Two recent reports indicate that consumers are shifting their loyalty to certain brands as the pandemic continues
- Amazon is attempting to prevent Reliance Retail's acquisition of India's Future Group
- ExxonMobil aims to meet consumer demand with the debut of its new contactless payment solution
- New report highlights the potential danger that customer loyalty programs are facing as cyber criminals target lucrative customer data
- The Loyalty Security Association's Fall Conference will be held on October 27th - 28th at 10am EDT or 2pm GMT
- Spirit Airlines has announced updates to its Free Spirit loyalty program which will take effect at the beginning of 2021
LOYALTY PROGRAM NEWS:
World’s largest gaming loyalty program expands after merger
Quotable: “The merger between Caesars Entertainment Corp. and Eldorado Resorts Inc. this summer has allowed Caesars Rewards to grow by 20 percent. Caesars Rewards, the largest gaming loyalty program in the world, has been extended to 18 properties following Eldorado’s $17.3 billion acquisition of Caesars in July, according to a Tuesday news release from the combined company, Caesars Entertainment Inc.”
FIS connects to Walgreens for card loyalty program
Quotable: “FIS has added Walgreens as a rewards partner in Premium Payback, its payment card loyalty program for financial institutions using its banking services platform. Walgreens joins Shell, BP and PayPal as core partners in Premium Payback, which counts 7,000 participating card loyalty programs since the program launched in 2016, according to FIS.”
SAP unit Emarsys buys marketing co Loyalsys
Quotable: “Austrian company Emarsys has announced that it is acquiring marketing technology company Loyalsys. No financial details were disclosed but sources close to the deal say the acquisition is for several tens of millions of dollars. Cloud marketing company Emarsys was itself acquired earlier this month by German software giant SAP, in a deal estimated at about $500 million.”
RETAIL NEWS:
Brand loyalty is changing due to the pandemic
Quotable: “Two recent studies show that U.S. consumers are shifting their loyalty to certain brands as the pandemic continues. And that has marketing departments scrambling to adjust how they connect with their audience. A July report from communications firm Ketchum found that 45% of American shoppers have altered their brand preference amid the rapid changes in the world. A month later, research from McKinsey put that number at 75%.”
Amazon Aims to Stop Reliance Deal to Buy India’s Future Group
Quotable: “Like a spurned suitor, Amazon Inc. is putting up a fight to stop the acquisition of the Future Group by Reliance Retail Ventures Ltd., with a legal notice to put a hold on the $3.38 billion deal between the two companies revealed Aug. 30. An interim order by the Singapore International Arbitration Centre has put a stay on the transaction, in response to Amazon’s claim made earlier this month of a breach of contract.”
PAYMENTS NEWS:
ExxonMobil Debuts New Contactless Payment Technology
Quotable: “To meet consumer demand for mobile payment options, ExxonMobil is rolling out a new two-in-one contactless payment solution using Near Field Communication (NFC) technology and QR codes. More than 11,500 Exxon and Mobil stations across the U.S. will have this new technology at gas station pumps by end of year to enable customers to ‘point and pay’ using their smartphones.”
DATA & PRIVACY NEWS:
Customer loyalty accounts in danger from cyber criminals
Quotable: “In the report, State of the internet/security: loyalty for sale – retail and hospitality fraud, Akamai, a specialist in intelligent edge and web security, said that customer loyalty programmes were a potential goldmine for cyber criminals. 'Criminals are not picky – anything that can be accessed can be used in some way,' said Steve Ragan, Akamai security researcher and report author.”
Loyalty Security Association Fall Conference 2020
Quotable: “Due to COVID-19, we see that Loyalty Programs have less staff and less budget. However, the Fraudsters have not stood still. While many companies are seeing reduced fraud levels, data indicates that account takeovers have increased in the last months. This conference will look at strategies of how to maximize Fraud Prevention with limited means, new methods, or by thinking outside the box.”
AIRLINE NEWS:
Spirit Airlines Unveils Revamped Loyalty Program
Quotable: “Under the revamped program, reward redemptions will start at 2,500 points with no blackout dates. Members can also redeem as few as 1,000 points and use dollars to cover the remainder of their fare. What's more, there are no redemption fees for anyone booking at least 90 days in advance. Free Spirit points won't expire as long as members make a qualifying transaction to earn or redeem at least once a year, according to the airline.”
Read last week's newswire if you missed it: Loyalty Newswire – October 19th, 2020
The Loyalty Newswire is compiled and edited by the staff at The Wise Marketer.
