Our Editors stopped watching football long enough to curate a list of the latest customer loyalty, technology, payments, and other relevant marketing news for your consumption. We include the serious and the quirky, all with the intention of keeping you informed and enabling you to star in your next big meeting. The Loyalty Newswire makes it simple for busy professionals (e.g. YOU) to quickly digest important industry news and trending topics. Keep reading! And, if you haven't taken advantage of a free subscription to our weekly Newsletter each Thursday, do it today! You'll unlock access to exclusive content, events, promotions, and more. Yours in Loyalty.
- Panera announces personalized reward choice to members of its MyPanera loyalty program
- Starbucks announces more changes to Starbucks Rewards during Investor Day
- Suspected ransomware attack on InterContinental Hotels impacts over 4,000 Guests
- Engage People and FreedomPay partner to expand Pay with Points capability
- RoseHosting launches RoseRewards, the first ever loyalty program in the Hosting industry
- New report predicts the Digital Payment Market size to reach USD 19.89 Trillion in 2026
Panera announces personalized reward choice to members of its MyPanera loyalty program
Highlight: According to published reports, restaurant chains saw a 124 percent increase in digital orders during 2020. As the economy continues to recover from the pandemic, QSR and casual dining chains hope that customer loyalty programs will support continued momentum. Panera is taking a big step forward in personalizing its MyPanera program by offering choice-based rewards, allowing members to select their reward from multiple options based on personal preferences. According to the company’s press release, the new reward options go into effect on October 6.
Starbucks announces more changes to Starbucks Rewards during Investor Day
Highlight: Just one week ago, we published news that Starbucks was launching Odyssey, a loyalty rewards program powered by NFTs. During its Investor Day on September 13, the coffee giant announced additional updates to the Starbucks Rewards loyalty program. To provide a more consistent reward experience across its licensed locations, the company introduced Starbucks Connect, an innovative technology enabling the same mobile ordering and reward-redeeming capabilities as any regular Starbucks location. You may not see the changes as a consumer for some time, as although 1,400 licensed stores have adopted the Starbucks Connect technology, only 20% of the company’s portfolio has adopted it to date. Executive vice president and chief marketing officer Brady Brewer also announced during the event that Starbucks purchases might soon earn customers rewards from other companies. Is there a cobrand credit card in the works?
Suspected ransomware attack on InterContinental Hotels impacts over 4,000 Guests
Highlight: InterContinental Hotels Group (ICH) filed a disclosure with the London Stock Exchange on 6 September that “unauthorized access to technology systems” had occurred. ICH operates 6,028 hotels, including some of the most popular brands, such as InterContinental, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Crowne Plaza, Regent, Atwell Suites, Kimpton, and Six Senses across 100 countries. Drew Perry, CEO of Tiberium.io commented in this article “This is yet another reminder of the damaging impacts of cybercrime. Not only is IHG potentially getting held to ransom for its data access, but it is also losing out on customer bookings.” If you would like an overview of which types of attacks are most common and which industries the most highly targeted, read this.
Engage People and FreedomPay partner to expand Pay with Points capability
Highlight: In Q4 2021, Wise Marketer published a joint research study with Engage People that reported high demand for ‘Pay with Points’ (PwP) capabilities among marketers and consumers. The findings from the survey just received a strong endorsement from the marketplace as Engage People announced a partnership with FreedomPay, the data-driven commerce platform, to deliver PwP capabilities to retailers’ brick-and-mortar locations. “Our partnership with FreedomPay is truly a game-changer across the loyalty industry,” said Jonathan Silver, CEO of Engage People. “Retailers now have an opportunity to provide an alternative payment option that meets growing consumer demand during a time when inflation is at its highest point in years. We’re looking forward to collaborating with FreedomPay to continue to evolve loyalty points into a ubiquitous form of currency – like paying with cash or card – and expanding our loyalty network to include a wider roster of leading retailers.”
RoseHosting Launches RoseRewards, the First Ever Loyalty Program in the Hosting Industry
Highlight: We see customer loyalty initiatives spreading across new industries beyond the high frequency, daily spend model. Insurance and Health and Wellness are the two most prominent. Knowing this, maybe we should not be surprised to learn that Rose Hosting, a leading provider of business and personal web hosting solutions announced RoseRewards, to our knowledge the first loyalty program in the web hosting business. RoseHosting is a privately owned St. Louis, Missouri-based company, founded in 2001. The company said the program is inspired by the airline industry and the success and appeal of frequent flyer programs. The program is available immediately to all Linux VPS, Cloud, and Dedicated Server users. All customers were automatically enrolled in the program.on hotel loyalty programs.
New report predicts the Digital Payment market reach USD 19.89 Trillion in 2026
Highlight: Payments and Customer Loyalty are two areas of business with high adjacency. Every transaction must be completed with a form of payment selected by the customer, and trends in digital payments indicate that loyalty marketers should think more about incorporating digital wallets into their program offers. A 2019 Pew Research study found that close to 5 billion people worldwide use mobile phones. Payments from smartphones are possible using mobile wallets and QR codes. This study predicts a 24.4% CAGR in the near term, making this an important trendline to track.
FACT OF THE WEEK:
If you’re going green with your loyalty program or thinking about sustainable loyalty, you might want to incorporate the Aloe Vera plant into your marketing. We never knew anyone tracked such things, but we learned the healing Aloe plant is the most popular plant on Instagram. The Aloe plant had over 5 million posts followed by the Agave plant with about 2 million. If you want to see the complete list, here’s your link.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
“Our partnership with FreedomPay will expand the universality of loyalty points as a form of payment, which is significant given more consumers will have the option to use their points on common, inexpensive purchases. For retailers, expanding payment options helps them to retain exceptional brand loyalty by strengthening the connection between consumers and the brand.”
Len Covello, CTO at Engage People
Miss the previous newswire? Stay informed: Loyalty Newswire – September 19, 2022
The Loyalty Newswire is compiled and edited by the hard-working staff at The Wise Marketer.
