This Week's News
The weekly Loyalty Newswire from The Wise Marketer delivers a curated list of the latest news and announcements from around the globe on all topics related to customer loyalty. We share news on a spectrum of topics, all with the intention of giving you an “info boost” to start your week.
The Loyalty Newswire makes it simple for busy professionals (that means YOU) to quickly digest important industry news and to *maybe even* enable you to star in your next big meeting.
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- New Cracker Barrel Rewards™ program
- Big Y Foods launches new rewards program
- Loyalty Academy Canada is happening 17-19 October
- Retailers in the UK are adding returns fees. H&M thinks theirs might boost customer loyalty
- World Logistics Passport is the first loyalty program designed to smooth flow of global trade
- Blue Diamond Resorts relaunches Blue Diamond Rewards
- Join The Wise Marketer at the Co-Brand & Travel Rewards Conference 2023
- New Report from CMO Council and KPMG says Marketing and Finance leaders need to forge stronger connections to emerge successfully from the challenging economic climate
- New research from PYMNTS and ACI Worldwide finds in-store mobile tech lacking
- Pliable Launches with $2.5M To Replace the Need for Data Engineers
- British Pubs launch an anti-loyalty campaign by introducing peak pricing
- The BIG Handshake - Loyalty set for Amsterdam on 16th and 17th October '23
- Career Opportunities and Jobs in Loyalty Marketing
New Cracker Barrel Rewards™ program
Cracker Barrel announced the launch of its first loyalty program, Cracker Barrel Rewards, on September 20. The program is inspired by Cracker Barrel's iconic and beloved peg game. Members earn Pegs on qualifying purchases made at all Cracker Barrel locations, on CrackerBarrel.com and in the Cracker Barrel app for every dollar spent, including to-go, delivery, catering, and retail merchandise. The program is free and easy to join, and members receive a complimentary Barrel Bite appetizer just for signing up. To enroll, guests can visit any Cracker Barrel location nationwide, the Cracker Barrel app or CrackerBarrel.com.
Big Y Foods launches new rewards program
Springfield, Massachusetts-based regional grocer Big Y Foods inaugurated a new grocery customer loyalty program, called myBigY Rewards. The program will bring customers new ways to save while offering more flexibility and choice. Under the program, members earn points on every purchase with Big Y, including transactions at Big Y Supermarkets and Big Y Express Fresh Market.
Each dollar spent earns shoppers one myRewards point, which gets loaded automatically into their myBigY account. In the company’s press release, Sarah Steven, Big Y vice president of marketing, said "We are continuously exploring new ways to bring value to our shoppers through personalized offers, digital coupons and weekly sales. We are excited to now launch myBigY Rewards, giving us one more way to reward and thank our customers for their continued loyalty to Big Y.”
Loyalty Academy Canada is happening 17-19 October
Loyalty education is back in Canada as Loyalty Academy is hosting the Certified Loyalty Marketing (CLMP™) workshop in Toronto on Oct 17 - 19. Gamification powerhouse PUG Interactive is a Gold Sponsor. Register here by Sept 30 to secure our early bird rate!
Loyalty Science Lab benchmarking survey inviting YOUR participation
The Loyalty Science Lab is developing a global benchmarking survey and invites loyalty program managers worldwide to participate. The study will be administered by the Loyalty Science Lab and is presented by Epsilon and the Customer Strategy Network. The survey includes questions needed to calculate program performance metrics on the financial, member, and program health that will be filtered by program type such as points, punch-card, and subscription. The study is now open, and you can participate through this link.
Retailers in the UK are adding returns fees. H&M thinks theirs might boost customer loyalty
The Retailer Returns Report from webretailer.com has compared the delivery and returns policies of 40 of the UK’s most popular fashion retailers. It scores and ranks these brands based on qualities such as free delivery options, free returns options and subscription packages and benefits. The report which was carried out in July 2023 found that six out of the 40 brands tested (adidas, In The Style, Motel, Nasty Gal, Next, Zara) charged a fee for customers to return an unwanted item, with H&M becoming the seventh brand from this list to charge for returns. H&M has a new return fee that is waived for its loyalty members.
World Logistics Passport is the first loyalty program designed to smooth flow of global trade
Loyalty and incentive-based opt-in marketing programs are good for business. We know that. We always take note when we discover a loyalty program in a new vertical market or area of business. Thanks to the sharp eye of CLMP™ and WMG partner Brian Almeida, we learned about the World Logistics Passport (WLP).
WLP is a global, private sector-led initiative designed to smooth the flow of global trade, unlock market access through the creation of new trade routes and provides economic efficiencies to members. The incentive-based loyalty program rewards traders & freight forwarders for high trade. The WLP loyalty program is based on a partnership between traders, freight forwarders and local entities to provide additional trade in exchange for direct Benefits. It is structured as a four-tier Membership scheme: White, Silver, Gold, and Platinum, with different levels of incentives. Find all the details here.
Blue Diamond Resorts relaunches Blue Diamond Rewards
Blue Diamond Resorts has relaunched its Blue Diamond Rewards program for travel advisors in association with MyBookingRewards. The new online rewards platform aims to provide a simple way for advisors to boost their earnings of points, which can be converted into cash rewards. For example, advisors can earn up to 1,500 points, or $15, per room night when a three-night minimum stay is booked and logged online. Find out more at the Blue Diamond media room.
Join The Wise Marketer at the Co-Brand & Travel Rewards Conference 2023
This annual event is taking place on 18/19 October 2023 in Wilmington, Delaware, just outside of Philadelphia. "Co-Brand" is the place for acquiring best practices and business contacts related to airline and travel co-branded credit cards- the U.S.' travel industry's largest source of ancillary revenues. Limited seats remain in this almost sold-out conference.
New Report from CMO Council and KPMG says Marketing and Finance leaders need to forge stronger connections to emerge successfully from the challenging economic climate
Economic headwinds have arrived, and chances are marketers aren’t prepared. Only 10% of marketing leaders strongly believe their marketing investments, whose reins are often held by finance, position them to emerge from economic turmoil ahead of the competition, according to a new Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Council report, produced in collaboration with KPMG LLP.
The report is based on a survey of over 275 marketing leaders across industries and geographies and includes information from in-depth interviews with marketing executives from Fiserv, Vitamin Shoppe, Schneider Electric, Agios Pharmaceuticals, and others.
The report, “Marketing & Finance: Fueling Innovation Or Falling Behind?,” examines the marketing and finance relationship and how marketing leaders can achieve a higher level of confidence in their investments. It found that challenges to deeper marketing-finance collaboration include differences in metrics and goals, priorities and incentives, risk assessment, timetables, etc.
New research from PYMNTS and ACI Worldwide finds in-store mobile tech lacking
A new report “Big Retail’s Innovation Mandate: Convenience And Personalization” finds about half of large retailers saying that in-store mobile tech is lacking, and customers know it. The report was created PYMNTS and ACI Worldwide and said that although retailers were acutely aware of the importance of having digital marketing tools in place but only half said they were satisfied with their current options. The PYMNTS Intelligence survey drew from a review of 300 retailers across the United States and the United Kingdom.
Two other key findings to whet your appetite:
- 32% of grocers think consumers would be very or extremely likely to switch merchants if not given access to digital price tags or smart shelf tags.
- 51% of merchants see self-service kiosks as a key factor in customer loyalty
Pliable Launches with $2.5M To Replace the Need for Data Engineers
Pliable, an AI-powered SaaS platform that simplifies organizing and leveraging data without an engineer, launches out of stealth with a $2.5 million seed round led by Resolute Ventures, including participation from CEAS and other investors. This funding will help Pliable expand its team and platform to create a single source of truth for anyone to streamline their data processes.
"Regardless of the size of your business, companies should have access to comprehensive data capabilities. While the technology for this exists, most solutions require clean and consolidated data to function properly, and others require costly investments in data engineers or infrastructure," said Jason Raede, co-founder and CEO of Pliable. "It shouldn't be this way – most companies don't have the resources or time to transform their data management practices. With the launch of Pliable, we're changing how data management works, significantly reducing costs and increasing access to trustworthy data."
British Pubs launch an anti-loyalty campaign by introducing peak pricing
In the “funny, not funny” category this week, we see that Britain’s largest pub group, Stonegate, caused outrage last week with its proposal to charge 20p a pint more at peak times at some 800 of its outlets. It is but the latest example of what has become known as “dynamic pricing.” Basically, charging more when demand is high. The change may seem trivial as it impacts thirsty happy hour pub crawlers, but it calls into question the concept of Dynamic Pricing that is used by airlines, hotels, Uber, and others.
The BIG Handshake - Loyalty set for Amsterdam on 16th and 17th October '23
The Gift Club and The Loyalty People are hosting "The BIG Handshake - Loyalty'' in Amsterdam on 16th and 17th of October. Loyalty Practitioners, Heads of Loyalty and Retention and Engagement personnel from all over the world will come together for a meeting of minds to learn and network through workshops, panels, and debates. Join THE loyalty event that you definitely need to shake hands with.
Career Opportunities and Jobs in Loyalty Marketing
We’ve gathered some interesting career opportunities across the Loyalty Marketing industry. We share here a partial list of all that is on our desk and there are excellent brands represented. To learn more and express your interest, please click through the individual links below.
We also have a curated short list of executive-level resources and other professionals who are available to support your team. If you are interested in connecting with anyone on the list, please email Bill Hanifin. All inquiries are managed in a confidential manner.
- Comarch - Loyalty Program Manager
- Kobie Marketing - Director of Business Development
- Hilton - Manager, Marketing & Loyalty Strategy & Planning
- LA Clippers - Loyalty Marketing Manager
- Dollar Tree - Director, Loyalty & Personalization
- Albertsons Companies - Manager, Loyalty Programs Partnerships
- Citgo Petroleum Corporation - Manager, Loyalty Programs
- FanDuel - Customer Marketing Director, Casino Loyalty
- Eureka! Restaurant Group - Loyalty Marketing Manager
- The Hertz Corporation - Director, Loyalty
- FIS Global - Loyalty Business Analyst II
- Carnival Corporation - Loyalty Operations Specialist (Hybrid)
