This Week's News
People consider Monday to be the most daunting day of the week. As if it didn’t need more attention, everyone’s “favorite” day of the week was forever characterized as Manic Monday in a song written by Prince for the 80’s pop group, the Bangles, in 1986.
We took a different approach to this Monday, as members of our staff shared stories of “Main Street Maladies” created by retailers that frustrate them as customers. Each story is an illustration of how brands have many gaps to fill in how they interact on a daily basis with customers.
Enjoy the Monday article here and now the Newswire on Tuesday. It’s good to switch up the pace from time to time. Thanks for being on this journey with us!
Stay. Loyal. Always.
- Merkle Loyalty Barometer Report is a must read for Loyalty Marketers
- New CRMC Webinar - Revolutionizing Rewards: The Currency of Customer Loyalty
- Mando Connect releases Second Edition of Loyalty Europe report
- Convenience retail chain Dash In recognized for the excellence of its mobile app
- Do you really understand Super Apps?
- 7 Brew coffee company takes a simplified approach to program enrollment
- The Middle East is on the cusp of a digital payments revolution
- Carnival Cruise Line’s VIFP (Very Important Fun Person) in jeopardy
- Supercuts Rewards details here
- U.K. Firms turn to Salesforce to Enhance Customer Loyalty
- What Challenges Are Food and Beverage Businesses Facing in 2024?
- Asia Pacific Loyalty Conference 2024 announced
Merkle Loyalty Barometer Report is a must read for Loyalty Marketers
A new report from Merkle states that discounts are the leading reason consumers currently participate in a loyalty or reward program. Discounts were preferred by 48% of respondents and were followed by “earn free products”, “members only benefits”, and “access to exclusive rewards”. The report also showed that “taking too long to earn a reward” was the program feature liked least by members.
These insights and much more came from the Merkle 2024 Loyalty Barometer Report, which you can find here. The report highlights that consumer demand for loyalty programs remains high, financial rewards must anchor program value exchanges, and consumer distrust around using their data has the potential to erode loyalty program value.
New CRMC Webinar - Revolutionizing Rewards: The Currency of Customer Loyalty
There’s a new webinar coming on May 1, 2024, from the CRMC/Wise Marketer series. We are featuring Barbara Ann Hagen, Vice President, Sales, and Marketing, ThriftBooks and Bill Schneider, Vice President of Product Marketing, SheerID as they discuss Revolutionizing Rewards: The Currency of Customer Loyalty.
In this webinar, we'll explore how ThriftBooks transformed its ReadingRewards program from discount-driven incentives to a rich, community-focused loyalty initiative. Barbara Ann and Bill will cover:
- Understanding the emotions impacting customer loyalty
- The power of marketing to communities for deep emotional connections
- Effective data attributes for personalization
- Crafting loyalty rewards to enhance your brand value and maintain customer engagement
Don’t miss this great conversation. You can register here.
Mando Connect releases Second Edition of Loyalty Europe report
Mando-Connect and YouGov have just released their latest whitepaper and second edition of: Understanding Loyalty in Europe. The topline finding: 61.3% of adults across 24 European markets are members of at least one loyalty programme – it’s a big audience and a big industry.
Through primary research with YouGov the paper dives into loyalty membership, appeal, and impact across 24 European markets with a deep dive into 10 European markets with commentary from in-market experts as well as 3 world class case-studies. Mando also made an update to the Loyalty Gauge™, a unique measure that enables them to rank programmes based on programme appeal, programme impact and net score.
Convenience retail chain Dash In recognized for the excellence of its mobile app
The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences recognized the Dash In Rewards app as an honoree in the Apps & Software - Shopping & Retail category for the 28th Annual Webby Awards. "Honorees like Dash In are setting the standard for innovation and creativity on the Internet," said Claire Graves, president of The Webby Awards.
The nomination cites the integrated approach to app development that fuels (pun intended) a great customer experience at the Dash In chain. The Dash In app brings together all offerings available to customers: foodservice order ahead, fuel pump activation, car wash and loyalty/rewards. Dash In partnered with Bounteous x Accolite to integrate its offerings into a single, unified mobile app.
Do you really understand Super Apps?
The idea behind super apps is simple: use a single app to chat with friends, call a cab, buy movie tickets, go shopping and more. It's essentially like its own miniature operating system but running inside one app instead of your entire phone. Examples of super apps include Tencent's WeChat and Ant Group's Alipay.
Market research firm Gartner writes this comprehensive article defining Superapps, in which it estimates that more than 50% of the global population will use super apps on a daily basis by 2027. Deloitte has published this report on Superapps in financial services, and we share this solid overview of the topic here.
7 Brew coffee company takes a simplified approach to program enrollment
7 Brew coffee has 217 locations and is known for its drive-thru experience. Thanks to a sign-up process that is baked into its operations, 92% of transactions at the coffee chain come from known guests. There’s no mobile app involved and instead, 7 Brew uses phone numbers to send promotional texts to its 3.4 million loyalty members. These videos will explain how it works.
According to the National Restaurant Association, 61% of limited-service restaurants plan to invest in loyalty programs this year while noting that getting people to sign up and participate is the biggest challenge.
The Middle East is on the cusp of a digital payments revolution
Deloitte estimates the e-commerce sector in the Middle East will reach a market volume of $50 billion by 2025 and a MENA Fintech Association report that suggests 70 percent of transactions could soon be cashless. “Government initiatives like Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, which targets 70 percent cashless payments by 2025, and the UAE’s linking of regional payment systems are fueling this cashless push,” says Neeraj Gupta, Chief Executive Officer of Policybazaar.ae.
Mena Fintech published this 5-report series on Payments, focused on landscaping, cross-border, issuance, stored value and digital KYC. Interesting if you are following the MENA market.
Carnival Cruise Line’s VIFP (Very Important Fun Person) in jeopardy
One key benefit of Carnival Cruise Line’s VIFP (Very Important Fun Person) program is the ability to access one’s cruise ship cabin immediately upon boarding the ship. The benefit is nuanced and although travelers are allowed to drop off their bags in their cabin, they aren’t allowed to stay in the room. With many passengers skirting the rules, Carnival has been forced to issue a notice, pleading with cruisers to oblige.
The mini-controversy leads one to ask when a brand should pick its battles over program benefits. Maybe the rule should be changed or eliminated but at the least, the conditions of the privilege should be more clearly defined for all guests. Agree or disagree? Let us know.
Supercuts Rewards details here
Supercuts® Rewards! is a program you may not have heard much about. Supercuts is a hair salon franchise with more than 2,400 locations across the United States. The company was founded in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1975 and headquarters are located in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Points are awarded for every dollar spent and can be redeemed in various denominations at roughly a 5% rebate level. Members that wait until they reach the highest level of 400 points earn a free haircut. The program enrollment works at the point-of-purchase by entering a telephone number. Want to read the entire terms and conditions for the program? You can find it here.
U.K. Firms turn to Salesforce to Enhance Customer Loyalty
Salesforce marketing automation tools have become a top priority for larger U.K. enterprises intent on cultivating customer trust and loyalty, according to a new research report published by Information Services Group (ISG), a leading global technology research and advisory firm.
The 2024 ISG Provider Lens™ Salesforce Ecosystem Partners report for the U.K. finds that U.K. enterprises are seeking more efficient ways of using customer data to increase retention, loyalty, and customer lifecycle value. Read the entire report here.
What Challenges Are Food and Beverage Businesses Facing in 2024?
The food and beverage sector are undergoing digital transformation as it responds to shifting consumer preferences. Restaurant technology is helping service businesses stay agile by reducing wastage with restaurant POS systems, adopting digital menu boards, expanding to online orders with third-party delivery software, and by leveraging customer loyalty software.
This round-up of the most important restaurant technology trends in 2024 will shed light on where the biggest opportunities exist to profit from digital transformation in this industry.
Asia Pacific Loyalty Conference 2024 announced
The Australian Loyalty Association has announced a new event, the 2024 Asia Pacific Loyalty Conference, scheduled 7-8 August 2024 in Gold Coast Australia. The first group of four speakers has been announced and includes Cristina Ziliani, Observatoria di Parma, Mark Nessle, Cathay Pacific, Emma Porter, Adairs, Paula Thomas, Let’s Talk Loyalty. Stay tuned as additional speakers are introduced and more details of this event are publicized.
