Dec 04 2014 | Loyalty Management: Articles
Africa is home to over 1 billion people, approximately one seventh of the world’s population spread across 54 very different countries. The variations in politics, geography, economics and religion from north to south, east to west make for a very diverse payments landscape in differing...Read More
Nov 01 2014 | Loyalty Management: Articles
Interval International has been a pioneer and innovator in the vacation timeshare market for nearly 40 years. With an exchange network of nearly 2,900 resorts, including brands such as Hyatt, Marriott and Starwood, the company serves nearly
2 million member families.The key to their phenomenal...Read More
Oct 20 2014 | Loyalty Today
Mobile advertising is coming of age—at last. This year, it led the rise in total U.S. ad spending, with brands and publishers shelling out 83 percent more on smartphones and tablets than they did in 2013, according to eMarketer. That’s an increase of $8.4 billion.With the average...Read More
Oct 09 2014 | Resource: Multimedia
Loyalty Killers: De-List DramasRead More
Sep 23 2014 | Loyalty Today
Weather is nature’s original mobile app: it happens to everyone, everywhere, 24 hours a day. Perhaps that explains why The Weather Company has been such a huge hit with mobile audiences. The company was an early mobile adopter, creating its first mobile team in 1999, and today The Weather...Read More
Sep 15 2014 | Loyalty Today
We have seen two major trends come to the forefront of the customer loyalty and incentive industry in the past few years: 1. Increasingly, companies require global programs that feature a consistent user experience, a meaningful value proposition, and an effective way to recognize and reward top...Read More
Sep 01 2014 | Loyalty Management: Articles
In your personal life, you’ve heard it a thousand times that good, enduring relationships require constant effort. Like a garden, you wouldn’t expect your personal relationships, whether romantic or friendships, to thrive without hard work, nurturing and care.Why, then, do so many...Read More
Aug 06 2014 | Loyalty Management: Articles
This article is based on the recent CrowdTwist White Paper, ‘Rethink Loyalty: How Points for Action Drives Engagement & Incremental Sales.’ Click here to download the White Paper.For any brand with an existing loyalty program, the challenge of retaining customers is greater...Read More
Aug 01 2014 | Loyalty Management: Articles
Recently, I spent a few days with Verint customers at the annual Driving Innovation™ user conference in Orlando Florida. During my time there, I felt proud of the deep commitment that was shown by organizations engaging with customers to help deliver superior service. Over the years, I...Read More
Aug 01 2014 | Loyalty Management: Articles
A solider will fight long and hard for a bit of colored ribbon – NapoleonKramer, listen to me. I’m never gonna have a child. If I lose this Frogger high score, that’s it for me - George CostanzaBadgesGamification is not a new concept. The idea is simple: physically represent the...Read More
Aug 01 2014 | Loyalty Management: Articles
As the San Francisco 49ers prepare for their first season in a new home–Levi’s Stadium−in Santa Clara, the iconic franchise has also launched a new loyalty program aimed at gaining deeper connections with fans.Faithful 49 presented by Esurance is a loyalty program that allows...Read More
Aug 01 2014 | Loyalty Management: Articles
For Michael (“Mic”) Tienken, Vice President Partner Development, Verify Engage, his company’s platform doesn’t focus on replacing loyalty programs.“We don’t want to replace your existing loyalty program,” Tienken told Loyalty360. “We want to turbo...Read More
Aug 01 2014 | Loyalty Management: Articles
When Mindshare Technologies, a leader in Voice of the Customer (VoC) technologies, acquired Empathica last fall, it wasn’t clear then there would be a rebranding involved.“It wasn’t a huge consideration to rebrand at the time of the acquisition,” Kristi Knight, CMO for...Read More
Aug 01 2014 | Loyalty Management: Articles
As someone in your organization who is tasked with creating customer loyalty and building strategies to increase customer satisfaction, the last thing you want is frustrated customers. Unfortunately, one of the hottest trends in website design – Responsive Website Design (RWD) – could...Read More
Aug 01 2014 | Loyalty Management: Articles
In the last few decades, the word “loyalty” has gone from representing a strong feeling of support, allegiance, and even love, to being synonymous with points programs and cards. Yet it’s the original sentiment that is most important in the relationship between a brand and its...Read More
Aug 01 2014 | Loyalty Management: Articles
Data Scientist has been named the “sexiest job title for the 21st century.” The question many are left with, is why? Why are companies flocking to hire this type of expert and how can they best drive customer engagement, retention and loyalty?Lexy Kassan, a Data Scientist...Read More
Aug 01 2014 | Loyalty Management: Articles
This is the fourth in the four-part series on Loyalty Best Practices. You can find the third here.You’ve attracted your target audience by keeping it simple and making it personal. Now comes the hardest part. In the final installment of our four-part series, I’ll help you...Read More
Aug 01 2014 | Loyalty Management: Articles
Your company may have already discovered the power of customer loyalty programs. What could be better than increasing your return on investment simply by rewarding those buyers most loyal to your products and services? When done correctly, even the smallest rewards can have a huge impact on your...Read More
Aug 01 2014 | Loyalty Management: Articles
Will I be dating myself back to the ‘dinosaur era’ if I admit that Cheers used to be one of my favorite television shows? At Cheers, everybody knew your name. Norm, Cliff and team were loyal to Cheers. Why were they frequent customers? Because the bar offered them a...Read More
Aug 01 2014 | Loyalty Management: Articles
Brands these days are leveraging all social media platforms available to them in order to engage customers and build important relationships. From a content perspective, this means being as authentic as possible and giving customers a sense for the people behind the business.But as brands post...Read More
Aug 01 2014 | Loyalty Management: Articles
As a marketer for over 20 years, I’ve never been able to escape the 4 P’s of marketing – Product, Price, Place and Promotion – they’ve been the cornerstone of many programs that I’ve managed. It’s the core, the fundamentals of marketing in which...Read More
Aug 01 2014 | Loyalty Management: Articles
Bob Thompson, CEO of CustomerThink Corp., an independent research and publishing firm focused on customer-centric business management, and Founder/Editor-in-Chief of CustomerThink.com, believes wholeheartedly in the absolute linchpin to creating and maintaining a customer-centric focus...Read More
Jul 18 2014 | Loyalty Management: Articles
As we enter the heart of the summer, those within the loyalty, recognition and rewards industry will see many new and emerging trends. Women and men are now looking at the hottest summer retail items which will be mirrored in seasonal loyalty program redemptions.  ...Read More
Jul 18 2014 | Loyalty Management: Articles
I have had the fortune - or perhaps the misfortune - of traveling more this year than in the past 18 months and I have had the opportunity to attend more conferences (both for business development and as a member of the press to cover trends and topics related to the bigger picture issues of...Read More
Jul 18 2014 | Loyalty Management: Articles
Please give us a little background on your focus at C Spire and how it’s evolving to answer the needs of today’s customer.I’m responsible for facilitating the creation and discovery of must-have experiences and products. This includes planning, creation and management of...Read More
Jul 18 2014 | Loyalty Management: Articles
Please give us a little background on PunchTab and how the organization is evolving to answer the needs of the industry.PunchTab is an Omni-Channel Engagement and Insights platform. We help brands in CPG, Retail, Entertainment and the Restaurant Industry (QSR, Fast Casual, Casual Dining) to...Read More
Jul 18 2014 | Loyalty Management: Articles
loy·al·ty \ˈlȯi(-ə)l-tē\ a loyal feeling : a feeling of strong support for someone or somethingad·vo·ca·cy \ˈad-və-kə-sē\ : the act of pleading for, supporting or recommending a cause or course of action...Read More
Jul 18 2014 | Loyalty Management: Articles
We’re living and marketing in the age of the empowered consumer. The tech-savvy consumers we serve today have the ability to know everything about the brands from which they purchase. They can engage as never before with a simple click of a mouse. As a result, the customer journey has...Read More
Jul 18 2014 | Loyalty Management: Articles
A leading global education publishing company has to shift its strategy for a digital, direct-to- customer interaction future. A major telecommunications organization has to prepare its workforce for new integrated partner offerings while maintaining customer intimacy. And leading health care...Read More
Jul 18 2014 | Loyalty Management: Articles
In the past few years, the number of touchpoints through which customers engage with brands has exploded. Everyone wants to incorporate all these different nodes on the journey map into their customer relationships: data from social media and SMS engagement, e-commerce, mobile app usage, and more...Read More
Jul 18 2014 | Loyalty Management: Articles
Consumers have raised the bar for customer experience expectations based on their personal life experiences. Today, consumer expectations are being formed by service experiences outside of the financial services industry, where content, interactions, and features are rich, delivering an...Read More
Jul 18 2014 | Loyalty Management: Articles
How KLM Royal Dutch Airlines became one of the most responsive brands on social media and created a legion of brand ambassadorsWhat is “Social Customer Care,” and do you need it for your brand or business? If you are dedicated to creating a loyal customer base, then your answer should...Read More
Jul 18 2014 | Loyalty Management: Articles
Many retailers have come to realize that their paths to success cannot be primarily dictated by simply offering low prices à la Walmart. While some competitive matching may be important, prospering retailers are focused on making moves that delight their most loyal customers. Because while...Read More
Jul 18 2014 | Loyalty Management: Articles
Some companies might excel in one or two areas related to their customer loyalty programs and for most that is a notable achievement.But to excel across multiple loyalty categories, with a steady eye on creating exemplary customer service experiences on a daily basis while monitoring and...Read More
Jul 18 2014 | Loyalty Management: Articles
The daily tasks of call center agents around the world may seem mundane to many, but to brand executives, they are the heart and soul of any successful company.Companies are constantly seeking more efficient and innovative ways to engage their customers. But many times, these same companies don...Read More
Jul 18 2014 | Loyalty Management: Articles
Everyone wants to be an MVP, of course, but at Duffy’s Sports Grill that distinction has become a key component for the highly successful restaurant chain.Sandy Nelson, Director of Marketing, Duffy’s Sports Grill, says that a staggering 73% of company sales are loyalty-related across...Read More
Jul 15 2014 | Resource: Multimedia
Click to register for this upcoming webinar presented by Aimia!Loyalty360 sat down with Martin Hayward, VP of Global Digital Strategy at Aimia, who gave a sneak peek into his upcoming Webinar with Cindy Faust to be held Thursday July 31, 2014 at 1:00pm EDT. For more details on this...Read More
Jul 10 2014 | Loyalty Management: Articles
This is the second in the four-part series on Loyalty Best Practices. You can find the first here.If you’re following along in our loyalty series, you know that having a simple sign-up is essential, as is having a clear and efficient way for your customers to earn rewards. This time we...Read More
Jul 10 2014 | Loyalty Management: Articles
This is the third in the four-part series on Loyalty Best Practices. You can find the second here.You know you need a loyalty program for maximum engagement of customers, and it needs to have an easy sign-up process to encourage customers to join. In part three of this four-part series on Loyalty...Read More
Jul 07 2014 | Loyalty Today
Have you noticed the surge in videos promoting conferences? Conference hosts and speakers are creating brief and intriguing video invitations, with a sneak peek at all the exciting things in store for attendees. A well-crafted video can go a long way in tipping decisions to attend, especially...Read More
Jul 03 2014 | Loyalty Today
In the last few years, the event industry has witnessed the rise and coordination of social media and mobile apps. As planners and attendees have learned to both download the designated event app and also connect on social media networks, greater engagement has occurred. At the same time, great...Read More
Jul 02 2014 | Loyalty Today
Ever wonder how many loyalty points you’ve earned in your lifetime? Or how many ‘5% off your next purchase’ coupons you’ve been awarded? What about a free coffee for buying ten….don’t we all need more coffee?Chances are you don’t keep tally or even...Read More
Jul 01 2014 | Loyalty Today
Push notifications via your mobile app are a great way to gain instant access to your attendees. As far as numbers go, 68% of users have enabled push notifications for their apps (the numbers are even better for those 18-34 years old at nearly 80%). And at least 70% ...Read More
Jul 01 2014 | Loyalty Today
The importance of training opportunities cannot be overlooked in today’s ever changing workplace. Annual conferences, meetings and tradeshows serve as a valuable resource for attendees. Hospitality industry groups such as International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE...Read More
Jul 01 2014 | Loyalty Management: Articles
Travel rewards have historically led the charge in terms of motivating consumer loyalty. With millennials’ interest in experiencing new places and cultures, this trend will likely continue. A recent study from Boston Consulting Group reports that millennials currently make up about a third...Read More
Jul 01 2014 | Loyalty Management: Articles
I’m a lucky man. As part of my job, I’m able to meet with leadership at some of the largest and best brands in the world. These executives are already evangelists for creating stellar customer experiences. They’ve invested in the best technology, changed their processes...Read More
Jul 01 2014 | Loyalty Management: Articles
Don’t say the following words to Stephen Cannon, President and CEO, Mercedes-Benz USA: customer satisfaction. That is setting the bar too low, Cannon told attendees during his session, “Customer Experience Is the Brand: The Mercedes-Benz Case,” at Forrester’s Forum for...Read More
Jul 01 2014 | Loyalty Management: Articles
Don’t say the following words to Stephen Cannon, President and CEO, Mercedes-Benz USA: customer satisfaction. That is setting the bar too low for the iconic global brand, Cannon told attendees during his session, “Customer Experience Is the Brand: The Mercedes-Benz Case,” at...Read More
Jul 01 2014 | Loyalty Management: Articles
Ian Di Tullio, Director-Loyalty Marketing, Air Canada participated in a compelling Q&A with Loyalty360 CEO Mark Johnson to discuss challenges in the loyalty industry, where customer data is headed, the possibility of a revenue-based model, and taking care of valued customers.Air Canada&rsquo...Read More
Jul 01 2014 | Loyalty Management: Articles
Points are no longer enoughEvery time I go to lunch to get my favourite noodle soup, I forget my stamp card. It’s annoying, but it’s just not important enough to change my habits. The same with my Co-Op card. Yes I’m a member, go there a couple of times a week and I have a...Read More
Jul 01 2014 | Loyalty Management: Articles
Social media is the best opportunity today for businesses to build brand loyalty and influence perception among their target audiences. Americans on average spend more than 3 hours a day on social networks, which rivals almost every other activity, including television. Furthermore, it’s...Read More
Jul 01 2014 | Loyalty Management: Articles
Eric McKirdy participated in an Executive Insights Q&A session with Loyalty 360 focusing on ways companies can remove silos, abandon traditional call center scripts, and add back the human touch of old-fashioned conversation that leads to innovative impact and increased results.How does your...Read More
Jul 01 2014 | Loyalty Management: Articles
GreekGear.com is the largest supplier of high quality fraternity and sorority merchandise. Premier supplier of Greek merchandise, GreekGear.com is ranked 277 in the list of top 500 social commerce retailers.Started in 1999, GreekGear.com is today leading e-retailer of fraternity and sorority...Read More
Jul 01 2014 | Loyalty Management: Articles
Ian Di Tullio, Director-Loyalty Marketing, Air Canada participated in a compelling Q&A with Loyalty360 CEO, Mark Johnson, to discuss challenges in the loyalty industry, where customer data is headed, the possibility of a revenue-based model, and taking care of valued customers.Biggest...Read More
Jul 01 2014 | Loyalty Management: Articles
Gamification is being redefined in the marketplace. Back in 2011, I attended an Epsilon loyalty event in which Amy Jo Kim, game designer and co-founder of Shufflebrain, was the keynote speaker. Kim defined gamifcation as “a loyalty program on steroids, functional software that looks and...Read More
Jul 01 2014 | Loyalty Management: Articles
Ebeltoft Group has been formally tracking trends in retail innovation around the globe for nearly a decade and our member companies for a far longer period of time. There has been enormous change that has occurred within society, customers, and ultimately, in the retail stores that...Read More
Jul 01 2014 | Loyalty Management: Articles
Viewing the retail world through the customer-centric paradigm is a fairly new approach for modern companies and the people who run them. While the idea of serving customers well is hardly new, placing the customer at the core of the overall experience is still something brands and shoppers are...Read More
Jul 01 2014 | Loyalty Management: Articles
At a 2012 conference, I had an intriguing discussion with an executive for a large nonprofit organization hired to lead the organization’s CRM activities. Shortly after starting she changed her job title to include “customer experience.” Because of the “CRM” title...Read More
Jul 01 2014 | Loyalty Management: Articles
Danielle Anderson, Director of Digital Experience, Harris+Hoole, presented a session on the coffee shop chain’s app, which includes a virtual loyalty card, at PayExpo 2014 (June 11-12) in London.Anderson’s session titled, “Enhancing the customer experience in-shop: merging the...Read More
Jul 01 2014 | Loyalty Management: Articles
Loyalty programs are popping up everywhere, with the expectation that consumers will continue to share personal information and carry even more cards. However, the goal of a merchant loyalty program should be to engage and reward your loyal shoppers and/or to convert casual shoppers into a...Read More
Jul 01 2014 | Loyalty Management: Articles
Building customer loyalty is dependent upon the right design and execution of your loyalty program, and giving love to your customers as the fundamental way you run your business. Here are some thoughts to consider before you adopt a business strategy centered on customer loyalty.In the...Read More
Jul 01 2014 | Loyalty Management: Articles
There are typically two types of customer service experiences that we share with our peers: exceptional, and yes, really lousy. It’s human nature. On average, consumers tell 15 people about their good experiences, while they tell 24 people about their bad experiences...Read More
Jul 01 2014 | Loyalty Management: Articles
The dirty little secret in technology support services is that many organizations fear inbound call volume, or service redemption, because it’s viewed as an expense – or one of the many costs of doing business. When customers tap into tech support more times than the business model...Read More
Jul 01 2014 | Loyalty Management: Articles
Marcia Donner, COO of Mobeam participated in an engaging Q&A session with Loyalty 360. During this session, Marcia provided insight on evidence-based analytics that deepen customer relationships to go beyond high response rates to create marketing campaigns that increase sales. She explains...Read More
Jul 01 2014 | Loyalty Management: Articles
The world of event management is forever changing. No longer just about a speaker, some hand outs and an attentive audience, events now demand the usage of technology in order to command engagement. With the emergence of new technologies however, comes new ways in which they can be of benefit to...Read More
Jul 01 2014 | Loyalty Management: Articles
On an almost daily basis I speak to companies about their thoughts and strategies on providing the best possible customer experience and it’s fair to say that the vast majority view it as a high priority on their business planning agenda. However, in the real world the challenge is often...Read More
Jul 01 2014 | Loyalty Management: Articles
Many retailers make the mistake of launching a loyalty program that is solely built to satisfy marketing objectives. Without first knowing and understanding where customer data mining can lead to, it’s necessary to take a step back, turn down the marketing excitement and re-focus on...Read More
Jul 01 2014 | Loyalty Management: Articles
Loyalty programs are supposed to offer “feel-good” rewards that solidify the emotional bond between customers and companies. Yet, all too often the complexity of the program feels more like bondage than bonding. Companies who allow their loyalty programs to become too complicated...Read More
Jul 01 2014 | Loyalty Management: Articles
T. J. Gentle, President and CEO of SmartFurniture.com, participated in a scintillating interview to discuss his company’s proprietary prescriptive personalization application SmartProfile, pertinent metrics, and the definition of customer loyalty.Can you tell our audience how...Read More
Jul 01 2014 | Loyalty Management: Articles
Retail innovation is happening all around us, thanks to new technology helping retailers find better ways of doing business as well as their constant need to find a sharper competitive edge. Change can be disruptive to the well-oiled day-to-day running of business but innovation is crucial to...Read More
Jun 25 2014 | Loyalty Today
Whether you are seeking to use social media to market your annual event; looking to build thought leadership for your association; or building a reputation as an online resource for those in your niche, a mention by a reputable media outlet can be rocket fuel for your objectives.Before social...Read More
Jun 24 2014 | Loyalty Today
From the smallest of brands to the massive conglomerate organizations, we all are beginning to understand the power of a strong content marketing strategy. We know that to engage our customers, we need to ensure that we have content being shared on multiple channels, engaging our audience in more...Read More
Jun 19 2014 | Resource: Multimedia
Loyalty360 sat down with Lonnie Mayne, President at InMoment, who talked about the exciting new company acquisition and plans for the future, including InMoment's "Experience Hub." For more information about InMoment, visit their Loyalty360 member page.Read More
Jun 18 2014 | Loyalty Today
Walmart is now engaging more directly with its customers by proactively matching prices on each item purchased. This is a clever way to collect information and encourage people to sign up. It also creates value for the shopper, which is important for acquisition, retention and loyalty programs in...Read More
Jun 11 2014 | Loyalty Today
Apple’s iOS 8 changes the way iPhone shares its identity. Apple’s change to the phone identifier (MAC address) is both a good thing for keeping an individual’s identity anonymous and likely will not effect positive (non-invasive) marketing.Here are two ...Read More
Jun 05 2014 | Loyalty Management: Articles
Perhaps we tapped into a trend when we tackled the issue of employee engagement late last year, or perhaps it’s a strategic initiative that’s time has come. But, everywhere I go lately, I am struck by the amount of attention and conversation focused on getting employee engagement...Read More
May 15 2014 | Loyalty Today
Mike Blyth, our COO, was featured in the Loyalty 360 magazine sharing his thoughts on how marketers should be thinking about DMP’s.Digital Ad spend is one of the fastest growing line items in any customer-centric company’s budget. Leveraging Big Data is at the heart of the matter...Read More
Dec 04 2014
Africa is home to over 1 billion people, approximately one seventh of the world’s population spread across 54 very different countries. The variations in politics, geography, economics and religion from north to south, east to west make for a very diverse payments landscape in differing...Read More
Nov 01 2014
Interval International has been a pioneer and innovator in the vacation timeshare market for nearly 40 years. With an exchange network of nearly 2,900 resorts, including brands such as Hyatt, Marriott and Starwood, the company serves nearly
2 million member families.The key to their phenomenal...Read More
Sep 01 2014
In your personal life, you’ve heard it a thousand times that good, enduring relationships require constant effort. Like a garden, you wouldn’t expect your personal relationships, whether romantic or friendships, to thrive without hard work, nurturing and care.Why, then, do so many...Read More
Aug 06 2014
This article is based on the recent CrowdTwist White Paper, ‘Rethink Loyalty: How Points for Action Drives Engagement & Incremental Sales.’ Click here to download the White Paper.For any brand with an existing loyalty program, the challenge of retaining customers is greater...Read More
Aug 01 2014
Recently, I spent a few days with Verint customers at the annual Driving Innovation™ user conference in Orlando Florida. During my time there, I felt proud of the deep commitment that was shown by organizations engaging with customers to help deliver superior service. Over the years, I...Read More
Aug 01 2014
A solider will fight long and hard for a bit of colored ribbon – NapoleonKramer, listen to me. I’m never gonna have a child. If I lose this Frogger high score, that’s it for me - George CostanzaBadgesGamification is not a new concept. The idea is simple: physically represent the...Read More
Aug 01 2014
As the San Francisco 49ers prepare for their first season in a new home–Levi’s Stadium−in Santa Clara, the iconic franchise has also launched a new loyalty program aimed at gaining deeper connections with fans.Faithful 49 presented by Esurance is a loyalty program that allows...Read More
Aug 01 2014
For Michael (“Mic”) Tienken, Vice President Partner Development, Verify Engage, his company’s platform doesn’t focus on replacing loyalty programs.“We don’t want to replace your existing loyalty program,” Tienken told Loyalty360. “We want to turbo...Read More
Aug 01 2014
When Mindshare Technologies, a leader in Voice of the Customer (VoC) technologies, acquired Empathica last fall, it wasn’t clear then there would be a rebranding involved.“It wasn’t a huge consideration to rebrand at the time of the acquisition,” Kristi Knight, CMO for...Read More
Aug 01 2014
As someone in your organization who is tasked with creating customer loyalty and building strategies to increase customer satisfaction, the last thing you want is frustrated customers. Unfortunately, one of the hottest trends in website design – Responsive Website Design (RWD) – could...Read More
Aug 01 2014
In the last few decades, the word “loyalty” has gone from representing a strong feeling of support, allegiance, and even love, to being synonymous with points programs and cards. Yet it’s the original sentiment that is most important in the relationship between a brand and its...Read More
Aug 01 2014
Data Scientist has been named the “sexiest job title for the 21st century.” The question many are left with, is why? Why are companies flocking to hire this type of expert and how can they best drive customer engagement, retention and loyalty?Lexy Kassan, a Data Scientist...Read More
Aug 01 2014
This is the fourth in the four-part series on Loyalty Best Practices. You can find the third here.You’ve attracted your target audience by keeping it simple and making it personal. Now comes the hardest part. In the final installment of our four-part series, I’ll help you...Read More
Aug 01 2014
Your company may have already discovered the power of customer loyalty programs. What could be better than increasing your return on investment simply by rewarding those buyers most loyal to your products and services? When done correctly, even the smallest rewards can have a huge impact on your...Read More
Aug 01 2014
Will I be dating myself back to the ‘dinosaur era’ if I admit that Cheers used to be one of my favorite television shows? At Cheers, everybody knew your name. Norm, Cliff and team were loyal to Cheers. Why were they frequent customers? Because the bar offered them a...Read More
Aug 01 2014
Brands these days are leveraging all social media platforms available to them in order to engage customers and build important relationships. From a content perspective, this means being as authentic as possible and giving customers a sense for the people behind the business.But as brands post...Read More
Aug 01 2014
As a marketer for over 20 years, I’ve never been able to escape the 4 P’s of marketing – Product, Price, Place and Promotion – they’ve been the cornerstone of many programs that I’ve managed. It’s the core, the fundamentals of marketing in which...Read More
Aug 01 2014
Bob Thompson, CEO of CustomerThink Corp., an independent research and publishing firm focused on customer-centric business management, and Founder/Editor-in-Chief of CustomerThink.com, believes wholeheartedly in the absolute linchpin to creating and maintaining a customer-centric focus...Read More
Jul 18 2014
As we enter the heart of the summer, those within the loyalty, recognition and rewards industry will see many new and emerging trends. Women and men are now looking at the hottest summer retail items which will be mirrored in seasonal loyalty program redemptions.  ...Read More
Jul 18 2014
I have had the fortune - or perhaps the misfortune - of traveling more this year than in the past 18 months and I have had the opportunity to attend more conferences (both for business development and as a member of the press to cover trends and topics related to the bigger picture issues of...Read More
Jul 18 2014
Please give us a little background on your focus at C Spire and how it’s evolving to answer the needs of today’s customer.I’m responsible for facilitating the creation and discovery of must-have experiences and products. This includes planning, creation and management of...Read More
Jul 18 2014
Please give us a little background on PunchTab and how the organization is evolving to answer the needs of the industry.PunchTab is an Omni-Channel Engagement and Insights platform. We help brands in CPG, Retail, Entertainment and the Restaurant Industry (QSR, Fast Casual, Casual Dining) to...Read More
Jul 18 2014
loy·al·ty \ˈlȯi(-ə)l-tē\ a loyal feeling : a feeling of strong support for someone or somethingad·vo·ca·cy \ˈad-və-kə-sē\ : the act of pleading for, supporting or recommending a cause or course of action...Read More
Jul 18 2014
We’re living and marketing in the age of the empowered consumer. The tech-savvy consumers we serve today have the ability to know everything about the brands from which they purchase. They can engage as never before with a simple click of a mouse. As a result, the customer journey has...Read More
Jul 18 2014
A leading global education publishing company has to shift its strategy for a digital, direct-to- customer interaction future. A major telecommunications organization has to prepare its workforce for new integrated partner offerings while maintaining customer intimacy. And leading health care...Read More
Jul 18 2014
In the past few years, the number of touchpoints through which customers engage with brands has exploded. Everyone wants to incorporate all these different nodes on the journey map into their customer relationships: data from social media and SMS engagement, e-commerce, mobile app usage, and more...Read More
Jul 18 2014
Consumers have raised the bar for customer experience expectations based on their personal life experiences. Today, consumer expectations are being formed by service experiences outside of the financial services industry, where content, interactions, and features are rich, delivering an...Read More
Jul 18 2014
How KLM Royal Dutch Airlines became one of the most responsive brands on social media and created a legion of brand ambassadorsWhat is “Social Customer Care,” and do you need it for your brand or business? If you are dedicated to creating a loyal customer base, then your answer should...Read More
Jul 18 2014
Many retailers have come to realize that their paths to success cannot be primarily dictated by simply offering low prices à la Walmart. While some competitive matching may be important, prospering retailers are focused on making moves that delight their most loyal customers. Because while...Read More
Jul 18 2014
Some companies might excel in one or two areas related to their customer loyalty programs and for most that is a notable achievement.But to excel across multiple loyalty categories, with a steady eye on creating exemplary customer service experiences on a daily basis while monitoring and...Read More
Jul 18 2014
The daily tasks of call center agents around the world may seem mundane to many, but to brand executives, they are the heart and soul of any successful company.Companies are constantly seeking more efficient and innovative ways to engage their customers. But many times, these same companies don...Read More
Jul 18 2014
Everyone wants to be an MVP, of course, but at Duffy’s Sports Grill that distinction has become a key component for the highly successful restaurant chain.Sandy Nelson, Director of Marketing, Duffy’s Sports Grill, says that a staggering 73% of company sales are loyalty-related across...Read More
Jul 10 2014
This is the second in the four-part series on Loyalty Best Practices. You can find the first here.If you’re following along in our loyalty series, you know that having a simple sign-up is essential, as is having a clear and efficient way for your customers to earn rewards. This time we...Read More
Jul 10 2014
This is the third in the four-part series on Loyalty Best Practices. You can find the second here.You know you need a loyalty program for maximum engagement of customers, and it needs to have an easy sign-up process to encourage customers to join. In part three of this four-part series on Loyalty...Read More
Jul 01 2014
Travel rewards have historically led the charge in terms of motivating consumer loyalty. With millennials’ interest in experiencing new places and cultures, this trend will likely continue. A recent study from Boston Consulting Group reports that millennials currently make up about a third...Read More
Jul 01 2014
I’m a lucky man. As part of my job, I’m able to meet with leadership at some of the largest and best brands in the world. These executives are already evangelists for creating stellar customer experiences. They’ve invested in the best technology, changed their processes...Read More
Jul 01 2014
Don’t say the following words to Stephen Cannon, President and CEO, Mercedes-Benz USA: customer satisfaction. That is setting the bar too low, Cannon told attendees during his session, “Customer Experience Is the Brand: The Mercedes-Benz Case,” at Forrester’s Forum for...Read More
Jul 01 2014
Don’t say the following words to Stephen Cannon, President and CEO, Mercedes-Benz USA: customer satisfaction. That is setting the bar too low for the iconic global brand, Cannon told attendees during his session, “Customer Experience Is the Brand: The Mercedes-Benz Case,” at...Read More
Jul 01 2014
Ian Di Tullio, Director-Loyalty Marketing, Air Canada participated in a compelling Q&A with Loyalty360 CEO Mark Johnson to discuss challenges in the loyalty industry, where customer data is headed, the possibility of a revenue-based model, and taking care of valued customers.Air Canada&rsquo...Read More
Jul 01 2014
Points are no longer enoughEvery time I go to lunch to get my favourite noodle soup, I forget my stamp card. It’s annoying, but it’s just not important enough to change my habits. The same with my Co-Op card. Yes I’m a member, go there a couple of times a week and I have a...Read More
Jul 01 2014
Social media is the best opportunity today for businesses to build brand loyalty and influence perception among their target audiences. Americans on average spend more than 3 hours a day on social networks, which rivals almost every other activity, including television. Furthermore, it’s...Read More
Jul 01 2014
Eric McKirdy participated in an Executive Insights Q&A session with Loyalty 360 focusing on ways companies can remove silos, abandon traditional call center scripts, and add back the human touch of old-fashioned conversation that leads to innovative impact and increased results.How does your...Read More
Jul 01 2014
GreekGear.com is the largest supplier of high quality fraternity and sorority merchandise. Premier supplier of Greek merchandise, GreekGear.com is ranked 277 in the list of top 500 social commerce retailers.Started in 1999, GreekGear.com is today leading e-retailer of fraternity and sorority...Read More
Jul 01 2014
Ian Di Tullio, Director-Loyalty Marketing, Air Canada participated in a compelling Q&A with Loyalty360 CEO, Mark Johnson, to discuss challenges in the loyalty industry, where customer data is headed, the possibility of a revenue-based model, and taking care of valued customers.Biggest...Read More
Jul 01 2014
Gamification is being redefined in the marketplace. Back in 2011, I attended an Epsilon loyalty event in which Amy Jo Kim, game designer and co-founder of Shufflebrain, was the keynote speaker. Kim defined gamifcation as “a loyalty program on steroids, functional software that looks and...Read More
Jul 01 2014
Ebeltoft Group has been formally tracking trends in retail innovation around the globe for nearly a decade and our member companies for a far longer period of time. There has been enormous change that has occurred within society, customers, and ultimately, in the retail stores that...Read More
Jul 01 2014
Viewing the retail world through the customer-centric paradigm is a fairly new approach for modern companies and the people who run them. While the idea of serving customers well is hardly new, placing the customer at the core of the overall experience is still something brands and shoppers are...Read More
Jul 01 2014
At a 2012 conference, I had an intriguing discussion with an executive for a large nonprofit organization hired to lead the organization’s CRM activities. Shortly after starting she changed her job title to include “customer experience.” Because of the “CRM” title...Read More
Jul 01 2014
Danielle Anderson, Director of Digital Experience, Harris+Hoole, presented a session on the coffee shop chain’s app, which includes a virtual loyalty card, at PayExpo 2014 (June 11-12) in London.Anderson’s session titled, “Enhancing the customer experience in-shop: merging the...Read More
Jul 01 2014
Loyalty programs are popping up everywhere, with the expectation that consumers will continue to share personal information and carry even more cards. However, the goal of a merchant loyalty program should be to engage and reward your loyal shoppers and/or to convert casual shoppers into a...Read More
Jul 01 2014
Building customer loyalty is dependent upon the right design and execution of your loyalty program, and giving love to your customers as the fundamental way you run your business. Here are some thoughts to consider before you adopt a business strategy centered on customer loyalty.In the...Read More
Jul 01 2014
There are typically two types of customer service experiences that we share with our peers: exceptional, and yes, really lousy. It’s human nature. On average, consumers tell 15 people about their good experiences, while they tell 24 people about their bad experiences...Read More
Jul 01 2014
The dirty little secret in technology support services is that many organizations fear inbound call volume, or service redemption, because it’s viewed as an expense – or one of the many costs of doing business. When customers tap into tech support more times than the business model...Read More
Jul 01 2014
Marcia Donner, COO of Mobeam participated in an engaging Q&A session with Loyalty 360. During this session, Marcia provided insight on evidence-based analytics that deepen customer relationships to go beyond high response rates to create marketing campaigns that increase sales. She explains...Read More
Jul 01 2014
The world of event management is forever changing. No longer just about a speaker, some hand outs and an attentive audience, events now demand the usage of technology in order to command engagement. With the emergence of new technologies however, comes new ways in which they can be of benefit to...Read More
Jul 01 2014
On an almost daily basis I speak to companies about their thoughts and strategies on providing the best possible customer experience and it’s fair to say that the vast majority view it as a high priority on their business planning agenda. However, in the real world the challenge is often...Read More
Jul 01 2014
Many retailers make the mistake of launching a loyalty program that is solely built to satisfy marketing objectives. Without first knowing and understanding where customer data mining can lead to, it’s necessary to take a step back, turn down the marketing excitement and re-focus on...Read More
Jul 01 2014
Loyalty programs are supposed to offer “feel-good” rewards that solidify the emotional bond between customers and companies. Yet, all too often the complexity of the program feels more like bondage than bonding. Companies who allow their loyalty programs to become too complicated...Read More
Jul 01 2014
T. J. Gentle, President and CEO of SmartFurniture.com, participated in a scintillating interview to discuss his company’s proprietary prescriptive personalization application SmartProfile, pertinent metrics, and the definition of customer loyalty.Can you tell our audience how...Read More
Jul 01 2014
Retail innovation is happening all around us, thanks to new technology helping retailers find better ways of doing business as well as their constant need to find a sharper competitive edge. Change can be disruptive to the well-oiled day-to-day running of business but innovation is crucial to...Read More
Jun 05 2014
Perhaps we tapped into a trend when we tackled the issue of employee engagement late last year, or perhaps it’s a strategic initiative that’s time has come. But, everywhere I go lately, I am struck by the amount of attention and conversation focused on getting employee engagement...Read More