Loyalty platform Belly raises $10M from Andreessen Horowitz
There’s a brewing battle in the digital loyalty and rewards market but no one has really emerged as a leader in helping local businesses retire their old punch cards. Andreessen Horowitz is laying down a $10 million bet on Chicago-based Belly, which launched last year as a provider of customized loyalty programs for small and medium sized business. more...
Sears Competes On Big Data and Loyalty Programs
Sears Holdings is betting on its innovative rewards program to spur the company’s growth. It is a path that Walmart can’t match because it doesn’t have a loyalty program — its best hope of understanding customer identity is through customers who use its credit card. Sears has a very intensive big data program to drive customer loyalty; the sophistication surprised me and should interest investors. more...
Boyd gaming refines B connected player loyalty program
The big thinkers at Boyd Gaming say they are on to something important with recent refinements of their B Connected player loyalty program. The super highway to the casino industry’s future is relying more than ever on technology, which companies of every size are using to sharpen marketing strategies. more...
UAE: Etihad Airways announces loyalty program with Royal Air Maroc
Etihad Airways, the national carrier of the United Arab Emirates, has announced a reciprocal frequent flyer agreement with codeshare partner Royal Air Maroc. more...
Futura Loyalty Group Partners With MileagePlus to Offer Award Miles in the United States
The Futura Loyalty Group Inc. (TSX VENTURE:FUT) ("Futura") announced today that it has entered into an agreement with Mileage Plus Holdings LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of United Continental Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:UAL), allowing Futura to provide MileagePlus award miles to U.S. auto retailers. more...
Carlson Rezidor inks deal with SAS loyalty programme
The Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group has announced it is now the exclusive hotel partner of SAS Credits, the corporate loyalty programme of SAS for Small and Medium Enterprises. The partnership agreement was signed in Stockholm by Kurt Ritter, President & CEO of Rezidor, and Rickard Gustafson, CEO of SAS. more...
3 Ways to Inspire Customer Loyalty
Maggie, my hairdresser, always greets me with a warm smile and friendly conversation. When I'm busy with work and forget to make an appointment, she squeezes me into her tight schedule and gives me impeccable service. In return, I always give her a healthy tip, repeat business, and referrals. She's earned my loyalty with her years of dedicated attention and care. more...
Social Loyalty Platform PunchTab Launches Agency Platform; Touts Customers Like eBay & Arby’s
Social loyalty platform PunchTab, which raised its $4.4 million Series A in November, is rolling out its new platform for agencies, allowing them to run customized incentives campaigns to promote customers’ brands on any social network. more...
Sweet Tooth Lands $2.25M to Expand Its Loyalty Platform
Waterloo, ON-based Sweet Tooth announced a round of seed financing this morning, totalling $2.25 million and including OMERS Ventures, the MaRS Investment Accelerator Fund, Points International and other unnamed investors. Sweet Tooth provides simple white-labelled loyalty and rewards programs for online and brick-and-mortar merchants, and with the funding it now plans to expand its platform availability and make some strategic hires. more...
Reliance Retail posts 25 per cent growth in FY12
Reliance Retail, a unit of Mukesh Ambani-controlled Reliance Industries, posted a 25 percent revenue growth in 2011/12 as demand at existing stores remained robust, Reliance Industries sa i d in its annual report. more...
Shoppers at retail chains buy premium items
Shoppers at food and grocery retail chains appear disconnected from the overall weak consumer sentiment in the country as they upgrade to premium products and buy bulk packs, helping big retailers and consumer goods firms boost average realisation per sale. more...
March growth figures bypass Aussie clothing retailers
Peak retail industry body the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) said retailers’ confidence would be buoy by the 0.9 percent month on month and 3.7 percent year on year growth reported in ABS retail trade figures, even though clothing retailers and department stores hadn’t reaped the benefits of the boost and instead continued to struggle with soft sales. more...
GameStop Puts Retail At Heart of Loyalty Program
Asking a retail-level employee to recognize, and make suggestions for, 10 million customers might seem a bit daunting. But this is exactly what PowerUp, the loyalty program from video game retailer GameStop, does – successfully. more...
Retailer vs customer: Who wins from loyalty cards?
A marketing academic has questioned whether some retailers get the benefits they hope from loyalty programs. As Coles revamps its FlyBuys program for millions of customers, Professor of Marketing Science at the University of South Australia, Byron Sharp, has cast doubt on the benefits at supermarket level. more...
New look benefits from Indian airlines for frequent flyers
Jet, Air India and Go Air have made changes to their frequent flyer programmes to benefit their flyers. For the frequent traveller, it is these perks that keep them loyal to a particular airline. Make the most out of these while it lasts. more...
India needs to develop and offer more quality retail spaces at commercially viable costs: John Strachan
The US-based global management consulting firm, A T Kearney, in its Global Retail Development Index 2011, has ranked India as the fourth most attractive nation for retail investment, among 30 emerging markets. The rapid expansion of India’s retail industry also means there is great demand for real estate. Analysts say international hypermarket chains like Walmart, Tesco and Carrefour — apart from national chains such as Big Bazaar and More — will absorb a large chunk of retail real estate in tier II and tier III cities. In this interview to Saumya Prakash, John Strachan, partner & global head of retail, Cushman & Wakefield, address some of the industry’s most pressing issues. more...
Jawed Habib to open 50 salons abroad with P&G help
Hair stylist Jawed Habib, who runs a chain of more than 300 salons across India, plans to take his venture global in a strategic partnership with Procter & Gamble, the world's largest consumer goods company. more...
Timex to focus on health and wellness time pieces
Timex Group India, subsidiary of the US-based global watch maker Timex Group, is sharpening its focus on the health and wellness category that keeps a watch over the health of its owner. more...
Bharti Walmart forays into beverages
Bharti Walmart on Tuesday announced foray into beverages segment under its private label, Great Value, pitching against the likes of PepsiCo and Coca Cola. The 50:50 cash and carry joint venture between Bharti Enterprises and Walmart Stores Inc. more...
AVA launches in-flight shopping in Punjab
Punjab and Chandigarh have got retail outlets at Chandigarh Airport and Amritsar International Airport for in flight shopping and mail order catalogue shopping. more...
Pavers England looks to give brand a leg-up on own steam
Mr Utsav Seth, the 40-year-old MD & CEO of premium footwear brand Pavers England, believes he can derive greater value from his brand by running his stores himself than by franchising it out. more...
Ferns N Petals opens second store in Patna
Ferns N Petals has recently opened its second outlet in Patna at Kadam Kuan. Spread over 300 sq.ft., the new outlet stocks flowers, gifts, floral decorations, scented candles, candle stands, Italian glass vases, gift accessories, photo-frames, incense range based on aromatherapy, and potpourris. This is the retailer's 118th store in the country. more...
WWK targets big retail chains for expansion in India
Wiesner Worldwide Kreations (WWK) is targeting big retail chains in India to build a strong presence of the sports and youth lifestyle brand Airwalk across the North, South and East zones of the country through distributors and retailers, says Bhavna Jha, VP South East Asia, Wiesner Worldwide Kreations. WWK has targeted distribution to more than 35 national and regional format stores across various product categories. more...
DLF to open Mall of India in Noida
DLF will open Mall of India in Noida, Sector 18, spread in the total built-up area of approx 27,07,575 sq.ft. and a gross leasable area of 16,00,000 sq.ft. To become operational by July 2013, it is touted as India's first mall to offer six floors of shopping and entertainment. more...
Omaxe Cannaught Place, Greater Noida, to open in Q2, 2013
Real estate company Omaxe is bringing Cannaught Place to Greater Noida by opening a mall called Omaxe Cannaught Place (OCP). Spread in the built-up area of 1.9 million sq.ft. with a gross leasable area of 1.2 million sq.ft., the mall is touted to be one of the most sought-after business, commercial and entertainment centre in North India. Built with a total investment of approx Rs 550 crore, the mall will become operational in the second quarter of 2013. more...
AMR Infrastucture to unveil The Great Adventure Mall in June 2012
AMR Infrastructure will unveil The Great Adventure Mall in Greater Noida with an approximate investment of Rs 650 crore and a gross leasable area of 11 lakh sq.ft. Said to be an ultimate entertainment and leisure destination, the first phase of mall will open for the public in June, 2012. more...
Real estate developer Brigade Group opens Orion mall in Bangalore
Real estate developer Brigade Group has opened its flagship retail venture Orion mall in Brigade Gateway Enclave, Bangalore. Spread over 8.2 lakh sq.ft., the mall houses a mix of global and national brands. more...
Timex Group India to add 40 stores in FY13
Timex Group India, which launched its 100th outlet here today, will add 40 more stores by the end of the current fiscal."The target is to open 40 more 'Time Factory' stores during the next 12 months. With the addition of these new outlets, the count will go up to 140 stores," Timex GroupIndia Managing Director VD Wadhwa told reporters. more...
Growel's 101 mall launches India's first customer loyalty program for mall visitors
Taking customer relationship management to new heights, Growel's 101 mall recently launched the country's first ever full-fledged customer loyalty program, Growel's++. The loyalty program is a direct initiative to enhance the shoppertainment experience and make mall patrons feel pampered. more...
Changing Customer Loyalty
Mega Movies will be operating under Starplex Cinemas beginning May 3, 2012. Mega Movies 13 is located at 755 Rt. 18 East Brunswick in the Brunswick Square Mall. more...
Starplex Cinemas New Theatre Acquisition, Mega Movies 13 in Brunswick Square Mall
Mega Movies will be operating under Starplex Cinemas beginning May 3, 2012. Mega Movies 13 is located at 755 Rt. 18 East Brunswick in the Brunswick Square Mall. more...
Indo-Pak trade pact: India's apparel industry not worried
With the decision to open up more trade routes with Pakistan, industry players and strake holder from both countries are looking forward to more opportunities to enhance trade relations. In fact, many Pakistan-based apparel brands at the recently concluded Lifestyle Pakistan exhibition held in New Delhi expressed their desire to launch stores in India. And they did not want to merely get engaged in small-time trade opportunities rather their aim is to be a part of the growing retail segment in India. more...
Pantaloon to be renamed Future Retail
Pantaloon Retail, the country's biggest retail group, plans to change its name to Future Retail India Ltd, it said, following the spinoff announced earlier this week of its Pantaloons clothing retail chain from the broader business. more...
Aditya Birla to buy Pantaloons retail chain
Aditya Birla Nuvo Ltd (ABNL), a unit of the $28 billion (Rs.1.5 trillion) Aditya Birla Group, will acquire a majority stake in the Pantaloons retail chain of debt-laden Pantaloon Retail (India) Ltd (PRIL), India’s largest listed retail company by revenue. more...
Consumers spent less freely in April than in the first three months
Major chain stores post a 0.8% sales increase in April, the lowest gain of the year and short of analyst expectations of a 1.5% rise. Shoppers appeared more cautious about spending in April as cold weather and fresh concerns about the economy curbed people's urge to shop, prompting worries about a possible slowdown in spending in the summer months. more...
Retail Expert Jeff Marker Says Retailers Have Work to Do to Own their Value Chain and Truly Understand their Customers
Several large retailers, including Target Corp , Macy's Inc and Gap Inc , missed sales estimates for April, in sync with broader economic indicators and as cooler weather chilled some of the enthusiasm shoppers had shown earlier this year. more...
April turns weak for retailers; apparel bucks trend
Several large retailers, including Target Corp , Macy's Inc and Gap Inc , missed sales estimates for April, in sync with broader economic indicators and as cooler weather chilled some of the enthusiasm shoppers had shown earlier this year. more...
Value, Visibility, Voice Keys to Loyalty Program Connections
Marketers are hopefully beyond the "buy-10-get-one-free" school of loyalty schemes, which rely on giveaways and don't generate customer intelligence. For true engagement, however, they need to use what Bryan Pearson, president and CEO of analytics and relationship marketing firm LoyaltyOne, calls the three Vs of loyalty – value, visibility and voice. more...
IP&E Announces New Loyalty Program
IP&E has announced a new loyalty program, enhancing the already existing Shell Lucky 7 Passport initiative. The New Lucky 7 Gold Card was unveiled at a news conference at the Pacific Islands Club Tuesday. more...
FANBOX Integrates Loyalty Solutions with Facebook Platform
FANBOX, an industry leader in relational technologies and loyalty programs, maintains its avant-garde reputation by launching MS2 SPLICE, a unique product allowing people who use Facebook to be connected to loyalty programs, gift cards or pre-paid cards. FANBOX is also making it possible for retail companies to add a social component to their loyalty strategy thanks to this new module developed with FANBOX's MS2 technological platform. more...
Express Launches New Loyalty Program
Express, Inc. (NYSE: EXPR), a specialty retail apparel chain, today announced the launch of Express NEXT, an innovative new points-based loyalty program open to all Express customers throughout the United States. more...
Facebook Ups The Mobile Ante Again; Buys Mobile Loyalty, Rewards Startup TagTile
Facebook has closed another deal, and as with Instagram it’s in mobile again. They have bought TagTile, a mobile-based customer loyalty, management startup, for an undisclosed sum. more...
5 ways mobile-based loyalty programs will grow your business
Spring is in the air. And just as the trees outside are starting to bud, now is a great time to reinvigorate your business's growth with loyalty marketing. more...
Singapore Subway Adopts Mobile Loyalty Program
Tired of carrying a stack of loyalty cards with you everywhere? Well, your mobile phone is calling with a solution. more...
Joingo® to Develop Mobile Loyalty Solutions for American Casino Entertainment Properties LLC
Joingo ®, a leading mobile and social technology provider, announced today a two-year Enterprise Agreement with American Casino & Entertainment Properties LLC (ACEP) to create and develop a mobile loyalty program across their four gaming and entertainment properties. more...
AT&T tests mobile loyalty programme
AT&T is testing a new loyalty programme called AT&T Plus with mobile customers. The operator confirmed the trial programme to news site The Verge. more...
New Express Loyalty Program Expands Beyond Credit Card Holders
Apparel marketer Express Inc. has launched a new loyalty program. Unlike its previous effort the new offering, Express Next, allows consumers who do not hold the company's proprietary credit card to participate. more...
Virgin revamps loyalty program
Virgin is revamping its program for frequent flyers.The airline is separating its Velocity Frequent Flyer division into a stand-alone business, to be headed by Neil Thompson. more...
Groupon Tests Loyalty Program, Acquires FeeFighters
Groupon began testing a subscription-based loyalty program in select markets in February. The program costs $29.99 per year. Last week, subscribers in Baltimore, Kansas City and Philadelphia were the latest to receive an invitation-only email to try out a free three-month membership of Groupon VIP. more...
Constant Contact acquisition adds mobile loyalty for small business
The growing online marketing company says it is acquiring mobile loyalty technology developer CardStar to expand its services for small business. more...
Customer loyalty is key to gaining a share of the in-app purchase riches
In-app purchases are predicted to dominate the mobile-app market in the next few years. Revenue from in-app purchases, worth $970M in 2011, is expected to rise to over $5 billion by 2015, and a study by Localytics highlights the importance of generating customer loyalty, in order for developers to gain a share in these riches. more...
Loyal Users Generate 25% More In-App Purchases
In-app purchases are the lifeblood of many apps, and although it may seem like getting users to the sale proposition quickly is ideal, a new Localytics study finds that building relationships with app users and fostering long-term usage are more important. Of all users in Localytics’ study who made an in-app purchase, 44% did not do so until they had interacted with the app at least ten times. On average, a user who makes an in-app purchase will do so 12 days after first launching the app. more...
Webinar to focus on mobile loyalty trends
More than 1 billion smart phones will be in use across the globe by 2015, according to technology research firm IDC. For restaurant operators, the proliferation of smart phone use will continue to provide innovative approaches to guest marketing and loyalty. more...
Local Company Brings Mobile Rewards to Cleveland-Area Businesses
SparkBase, Inc. (http://www.sparkbase.com) a Cleveland-based loyalty marketing company is launching Paycloud, their mobile rewards application for iPhones and Android smartphones, to Cleveland businesses.more...
SMB Loyalty Programs Go Mobile
Constant Contact buys CardStar, enabling even small merchants to reward their customers via Smartphone. more...
Social, Mobile Meet Shopping: Retailers Must Scramble
If this week's National Retail Federation Big Show is any indication, social and mobile commerce are remaking the way we shop. IBM, Epicor, Microsoft and Microstrategy help retailers adjust for the trend--and profit from it.more...
Mobile Coupon Developer Raises Roll-out Funding
Toronto-based mobile developer retailcommon has raised $250,000 to build up its smartphone coupon platform and portable marketing solutions. more...
Revenue from mobile coupons and vouchers to reach $9bn
As newspaper readership declines and consumers increasingly look online for savings, digital coupons are gaining significant momentum. more...
Increase Retail Sales From Mobile Devices In 2012
2011 was the year that shopping on mobile devices moved into the mainstream. It won’t be long before the majority of retail sales are made from tablets and mobile devices rather than laptops and desktops. more...
Global Mobile Coupon Redemption to be 8 Times Paper by 2016
The global redemption rate of mobile coupons will average at over 8 percent by 2016; an eightfold increase over the best paper coupons campaigns, according to a new study by Juniper Research. more...
Online and Mobile Coupons Save Paper
Do your coupons often end up scrunched up and tossed into your garbage (or recycling) bin? Think about this: an estimated 1.135 million trees are cut down and processed to print paper grocery coupons every month. more...
Mobile Loyalty Program Scores at Star bucks
Consumer loyalty programs get a needed update as Star bucks and other companies turn to mobile solutions. more...
Celebrate Christmas with 'PAYBACK' Loyalty points and Future Group shopping experience
With Christmas and New Year's just round the corner, the mood is set to make shopping more rewarding. PAYBACK, India's largest multi-partner loyalty program concludes its nationwide media campaign that kick-started on November 15 with a grand finale today. more...
Light bank invests $1M in Belly digital loyalty firm
Belly, a Chicago startup that provides a digital loyalty program for small businesses, has received more than $1 million in funding from local technology investment firm Light bank. more...
re:member group Selected to Develop Loyalty Program for Open Road Auto Group
To better serve customers in their sales and service departments, Vancouver, BC-based Open Road Auto Group turned to re:member group to create a multi-tiered loyalty program for their 9-dealership auto group, named 'Club Open Road'. more...
5 ways to keep loyalty points from expiring
The worldwide popularity of loyalty programs has created a headache for the companies that offer then. There are trillions of banked miles and travel reward points out there that they're on the hook to pay for. more...
Accounting for customer loyalty programs
Stiff, cut-throat competition in the global market and intense rivalry prompt companies to devise creative marketing strategies to keep ahead of competition. A popular and effective initiative is to introduce a customer loyalty program to reward previous purchases and offer incentives to encourage repeat purchases. more...
Local entrepreneurs launch innovative rewards program
EMC Business - What's in a name? If it's Saponite, there is meaning and value. The name is a combination of "spoon" and "community", reflecting the food-based community value of Ottawa's newest customer loyalty reward program more...
First loyalty program for Australia's entertainment and sports travel sectors
Australian-owned event and incentive specialist, cievents, has created the country's first loyalty program for the entertainment and sports travel industry. cievents has partnered with leading Australian entertainment and sports travel management company, Stage and Screen Travel Services, to design and launch the innovative 'Backstage Advantage' program. more...
Swipely Expands Card-Linked Customer Loyalty Program to Boston
Providence, RI-based Swipely is kicking off a discount program in Boston that it says will give shoppers discounts and earn local merchants a more loyal, consistent customer base. more...
Pawsitive Perks New Pet Retail Mobile App and Mobile-Friendly Website Service Helps Pet Supply Stores Reach Customers on Smartphones
Pawsitive Perks introduces an affordable, quick way for pet retailers to create a custom mobile app for customers who want the stores' directions, hours, and loyalty rewards via their smartphones. more...
Swipely Brings Loyalty Program to Boston Small Businesses
Many of you have heard of Swipely, the free loyalty and rewards programs for small business. Well, they're expanding! Swipely is bringing its services to the Boston area to help over 150 retailers turn normal credit card sales into customer loyalty interactions. more...
Cellit Announces Best Practices in QSR Mobile Marketing Programs
Cellit, a leading provider of mobile customer relationship management (CRM) systems for restaurants, retailers and other companies today announced the findings of a 12 month analysis of almost 9,000 mobile marketing campaigns conducted on behalf of 125 QSR clients in 2011. To help QSRs learn the best ways to succeed with mobile marketing, more...
Lightbank Backs Belly, A Customer Loyalty And Rewards Platform For Local Businesses
A new Chicago-based startup is emerging today as a contender in the local business customer loyalty and rewards space. Belly (formally Bellyflop) is hoping to replace those old punchcards you receive at local merchants. And the startup is debuting with an investment from Lightbank, the venture firm founded by Groupon co-founders Eric Lefkofsky and Brad Keywell. While the exact amount of the investment was not disclosed, we understand it is in the seven-figures. more...
CSR Activities Increasing Gurieli Customer Loyalty
The FINANCIAL -- Due to a solid business strategy, Geoplant, one of the leading tea producers in Georgia, known by many for its packaged tea under the brand name "Gurieli," has managed to take over a large share on the Georgian market recently. more...
Will Customer Loyalty Fuel E-commerce Business in the Future?
What eventually came to be known as Gillette Formula is essentially offering a high value product to acquire a customer at a cost to the company. The company aims to recover the costs and make profits through repeated high value sales from that customer over many years through selling other products. more...
Customer Retention, Engagement Are Critical
What does next year promise for brand loyalty? If the recent past is any indication, it will be more of a challenge to keep consumers with brands. The loyalty marketer's association Loyalty 360 says loyalty, not acquisition, will be the keel that keeps business right side up. more...
Top 3 tips to build customer loyalty in 2012
Despite the fact that shoppers have spent more than $25 billion in online purchases this holiday season, the economy is still a factor for many merchants - both online and offline. Yes, people are spending for the holidays, but historically spending plummet in the first and second quarters of a New Year. It's the natural cycle of things, but some tips from Loyalty 360 may help merchants better prepare for declining transactions by creating a more loyal customer base. more...
Toy Industry Association Partners With Loyalty Platform Provider PunchTab to Power "Play Happens" at the 109th American International Toy Fair
Play Happens, the official game for registered attendees of the American International Toy Fair, will be more interactive, more engaging and more rewarding thanks to a new partnership between the Toy Industry Association (TIA), owner of Toy Fair, and PunchTab, the world's first instant loyalty rewards platform. more...
Platform connects SMBs to consumers
One complaint of small business owners: a lack of technical expertise and/or not even technical expertise to go around. A new platform could stem that complaint. From EffectiveUI, the OneReach platform helps even the non-tech savvy to better manage inbound and outbound campaigns across channels. more...
IKEA FAMILY Relaunches Loyalty Programme With Cool Form
IKEA has relaunched its FAMILY loyalty program in the U.K and Ireland with a redesigned application form. The form now resembles a flat pack, something which is synonymous with IKEA and moving. The reader 'opens' the application as if they would with a box in order to reveal the programme's benefits and also the application form. The flat-pack theme continues with the e-mails and mail the applicant receives regarding the loyalty programme. more...
iBuildApp facilitates DIY mobile coupon building
DIY app building specialist, iBuildApp, has created a service which will enable brands to jump onto the Mobile Coupons bandwagon. With this tool, anyone can create, customise and manage an application that contains mobile coupons and then upload it to an app store. more...
Walgreens Scanning Mobile Coupons at 7,700 Stores
Drug store retailer Walgreens is offering holiday shoppers one of the largest mobile-only coupon programs to date from a major retailer. At more than 7,700 locations, Walgreens customers can bring their smartphones to the checkout to have mobile coupons scanned directly from the device. more...
Mobile Coupons Are Just One Thing DFW is Gifting Holiday Travelers
If you're flying through Dallas-Ft. Worth anytime soon-like for the holidays-be sure to keep an eye out for some of the new tech toys that have recently debuted at the airport. more...
Affordable Mobile Hybrids Enhance Customer Loyalty in the South African Mobile Communications Market Finds Frost & Sullivan
Being a highly competitive market, mobile hybrid pricing has become a new alternative for network operators to assist with market segmentation and gain consistent revenue in the South African mobile communications market. The expansion of the middle and upper middle class, along with the tough economic conditions, has impelled subscribers to migrate to the low-priced but high-volume service hybrid segment. more...
Amazon Plans to Push Prime Customer Loyalty Program (AMZN, LOW, SIRI, CTRP)
(NASDAQ:AMZN) contends retailers such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE:WMT) and online competitor like iTunes store of Apple Inc.'s (NASDAQ:AAPL), the company is planning to move up its bet on its Amazon Prime customer loyalty program. more...
Koupon Media Raises $2 Million to Bring Innovative Mobile Coupon Delivery, Fulfillment and Analytics Platform to Market
Koupon Media, the creator of a new and innovative platform for delivering digital coupons to consumers via mobile devices, today announced that it has raised $2 million in Series A funding, led by DFJ Mercury, with participation from the Matthew Pritzker Company. more...
Fidelity National launches prepaid card reward program
Fidelity National Information Services has launched a card issuer system that allows consumers to earn rewards points when they use prepaid cards. more...
SMBs Look for Loyalty Programs; Will MSPs Deliver?
Automated loyalty programs have become a standard offering for large customer-facing businesses. For example, online retailer Amazon offers a variety of programs such as Amazon Prime, which offers expedited free shipping and other perks for paying members, and most major supermarket and drugstore chains have some kind of card-based program where shoppers receive targeted discounts and earn credits toward future purchases. more...
Magento Merchants to Boost Customer Loyalty With Points.com for Magento
Points International Ltd. PCOM +0.22% CA:PTS -0.76% , owner and operator of the world's leading loyalty reward program management platform, Points.com, in partnership with Sweet Tooth Rewards, have launched Points.com for Magento, a new extension for e-commerce Merchants. more...
Loyalty Programs: The Wireless Industry Could Be Onto Something Big
Customers want to have a closer relationship with the companies they do business with. They want to be recognized, respected and rewarded for their loyalty. Will wireless loyalty programs turn into the next airline frequent flyer club? I'll bet if you asked C Spire and U.S. Cellular, they would say yes. more...
Role of Experiential Rewards in Loyalty Programs Expected to Increase in 2012, According to a New Survey of Loyalty Marketers
Recent research conducted by VIPdesk indicates that the role of experiential offerings in loyalty programs is expected to increase in 2012 and beyond. Over half of all loyalty marketers plan to add an experiential offering to their loyalty program in the near future, in comparison with 30% of all loyalty programs currently offering an experiential component. more...
KidZania Kicks Off Global Loyalty Program With Recruitment of Former Silicon Valley Virgin America Executive
KidZania, the global leader in children's location-based edutainment, announces the appointment of Sarah Marsh to the newly created position of Vice President Customer Loyalty. Recruited from Merkle Inc. and hailing from Virgin America where she successfully built a model customer strategy and loyalty program, Marsh now has her sights set on KidZania's rapid global expansion and creating a new standard in loyalty programs. more...
Daily deals site Womply focuses on customer loyalty
Womply, a D.C.-based daily deals site, has carved out a niche by offering invisible discounts that credits the amount of the discount directly to your account. Now, the company is focusing on customer loyalty by rolling out a new program that rewards repeat customers. more...
Norwegian Cruise Line revamps Latitudes loyalty program
Norwegian Cruise Line today officially announced a major overhaul of its 16-year-old loyalty program that will bring more perks to customers who book the line's longer cruises. more...
Five ways digital marketing can improve loyalty programs
Digital is clearly delivering value to both people and businesses and dramatically remaking the way in which we understand how the two connect. For businesses to continue to win, they need to understand their customers across channels and respond to their needs better than their competitors. more...
Apple beating Google and RIM in mobile loyalty
Apple is well ahead of rivals in building brand loyalty among its users in a mobile market where the key brands are rushing to build as large a foothold as possible, a study by research firm GfK showed. more...
Customer Loyalty Depends on Deeper Engagement
Retailers everywhere know one thing is for certain: customer loyalty is the key to any successful business model. According to Loyalty 360 -- The Loyalty Marketer's Association, however, businesses still struggle with winning that loyalty. more...
Loyalty 360 Releases Top 12 Customer Loyalty Trends for 2012
Marketers are at a very critical juncture. According to Loyalty 360 - The Loyalty Marketer's Association, customer loyalty, versus acquisition, is critical for driving sustainable growth. Yet, businesses report that retaining and engaging customers remains one of their greatest challenges. more...
Loyalty Card Provider Goes Mobile Supports A Green Environment
PowerCard, an established loyalty card processor that assists restaurants in building business growth through cutting-edge customer retention technologies, has launched a mobile version of its thriving customer loyalty program. PowerCard's traditional software has helped more than 1,600 merchants throughout the United States and Canada to increase consumer profitability and overall growth since 2002. more...
As consumers go mobile, so goes SMB marketing
Plenty of articles and commentaries have been written about the risks to small businesses associated with using daily deals sites, especially the grand-daddy of them all, Groupon. But that doesn't mean SMBs should shun the practice of using regular outreach via social media and mobile phones to alert existing customers to promotional activities or special deals. more...
Walgreens To Launch Mobile Coupon Service On Black Friday
Walgreens is bringing mobile couponing and exclusive offers to smartphone users starting on Black Friday as it launches the nation's largest retail mobile coupon program at more than 7,700 stores across America. The scannable coupons, which range in value from 50 cents to $5, are being added to its mobile apps, giving customers money off products including beauty items, gifts, consumables and everyday essentials. more...
Coupon Campaigns Should Closely Follow Consumer Behavior
Behavior of desktop and mobile-loving, cost-cutting consumers, along with timing, should become the benchmark for which online marketers run campaigns. It turns out the likelihood of consumers viewing, printing and redeeming a digital coupon at a brick-and-mortar store rises 19.6% if the coupons become available at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, according to a recent study. more...
Mobile phones could replace cash by 2016
Research by Forrester, commissioned by PayPal, found that "2016 will be the year when UK shoppers will be able to use their mobile phones to pay for things on the high street with digital money rather than cash, cheques or cards. more...
Starbucks launches mobile payments app
Starbucks, the coffee chain, is installing a mobile payment system in the form of an iPhone app into 700 of its outlets across the UK and Ireland, following a successful US roll-out. more...
Southwest ties loyalty program points to shopping
As consumers become ever more price-conscious in the skittish economy, more airlines are moving to tie retail purchases to frequent-flier miles or points in hopes of keeping passengers from defecting. more...
Here's how various customer loyalty programs work
Are you a commuter always looking for the best deal on gas? Household grocery shopper who will go anywhere for the lowest price on a loaf of bread? Loyal to just a single store? The number of reward card programs available to consumers is enough to overwhelm the most savvy of shoppers -- and the space on their keychains.more...
Square Updates Mobile Payments App with Loyalty Programs, More
San Francisco-based startup Square has stepped up the functionality of its mobile transaction application for business owners. The newest version of the app, which was announced today, enables businesses to offer rewards to loyal customers at the point of sale, among other updates. more...
Flowd: A Loyalty Program for Music Fans
Loyalty programs for music fans is a neat idea, and we’re surprised we’re not hearing about more bands doing similar stuff. This particular offer came from Flowd, a social network for music fans. more...
Loyalty Program Provides Military Couple with Once in a Lifetime Honeymoon
Jason Mayer, a fireman from Ladder 17 in San Antonio, Texas, and his wife Dana, were originally married in September of 2009. Dana, an Air Force officer, was deployed to Afghanistan for 10 months immediately following their wedding, ultimately ending their chances at a honeymoon. Jason, an avid gamer and a PowerUp Rewards member, was last year’s lucky recipient of an all expense paid trip for two to Rome, Florence and Tuscany for the Assassin’s Creed® BrotherhoodGameStop® Epic Reward Giveaway™. more...
Google Confirms That It Has Acquired Digital Loyalty Startup Punchd
Digital loyalty card startup Punchd was being acquired by Google. The company is still very young but it's a move that makes sense - Punchd's service, which lets customers accrue digital versions of those buy-10-get-1-free cards, could tie in well with Google's payment products, like Google Wallet. more...
How to Build Brand Loyalty in a Digital Marketplace
Cultivating, and then nurturing, brand loyalty have always been top priorities for marketers. Supermarkets give additional discounts to "members" with loyalty cards. Airlines encourage us to log frequent flier miles. Zappos offers free shipping and free return shipping. The list goes on and on. But, have social media and today's increasingly digital environment made building brand loyalty easier or more difficult? more...
SMS Text and Mobile Marketing Goes Mainstream
Simplified Solutions, a Mobile Marketing agency in Chicago, recently launched an advanced web-based SMS Text and Mobile Marketing Management Platform - SimplifiedSMS. This mobile marketing program is designed to drive measurable action through short codes, coupons, contests and videos to quickly turn leads into customers. more...
Loyalty Cards- Make your customers feel appreciated
It is not possible for the companies to endorse their every regular customer. If it happens the company may accrue loss. To please the loyal customers, there is an alternate way. A loyalty card can be offered to every regular and sincere customer. Through this card, the customers can buy company products at a cheaper cost. Gift vouchers can also be offered to them after some amount of products bought from the company. more...
Tesco plans loyalty card to tackle U.S. losses
Tesco , the world's No.3 retailer, will test a version of its successful Clubcard loyalty card in the United States as it battles to stem losses at its Fresh & Easy chain. The British supermarket group said on Monday it would trial the card, to be called "Friends of Fresh & Easy," in seven stores in central California, this autumn. more...
Asset Managers Turn to Digital Marketing
Asset managers are using digital marketing techniques that include such things as microsites, social media, and mobile apps in order to make inroads with RIAs, according to a new report from Financial Research Corp. (FRC). more...
Cardagin Networks Grabs $4.25 Million For Mobile Loyalty Platform
Cardagin Networks, the creators of a mobile loyalty and advertising platform, announced today that it has raised a $4.25 million series A-1 round of funding. The round was led by private and angel investors from New York, Tennessee, Georgia, and Virginia. more...
Mobile loyalty schemes: time to take a targeted approach
While telecoms companies pioneered phone-based loyalty schemes, many other firms are now catching on to the fact that business can be won and retained through advertising delivered to mobile devices. Many of us have a loyalty card for a favorite store or coffee shop, but a growing number of brands are now using mobile phones as a way to hold on to customers. more...
Retailers fail to meet demand for mobile loyalty schemes
The poll, commissioned by Steria, shows most of the 1,950 people surveyed (65%) want more personalised loyalty schemes services from retailers, including real-time offers to be sent to mobile devices while shopping. "The mobile phone is set to be the on-the-go shopper's most indispensable tool," said Heather Barson, Steria UK's retail sector director. more...