Rob MacLean, CEO of Points International – one of the global leaders in loyalty currency management – said during Thursday’s first-quarter earnings call that he’s excited about welcoming Southwest Airlines to his company’s fold in mid-summer.
The launch of Southwest Airlines for Points International is a “strong testament” to what his company is able to do in the loyalty currency management arena, MacLean said. He said Southwest Airlines will contribute materially to the company’s second half of the year.
“We want to make sure the marketing and merchandising is ready to go when we launch,” MacLean said of the Southwest launch.
Points International Ltd. is the owner and operator of the loyalty reward management program platform Points.com. Points International will power and manage programs designed to enhance Southwest Rapid Rewards Members' abilities to collect and share their valuable points.
First-quarter revenue for Points International rose 32%, to $36.9 million.
“As top-line revenue increased so too did transactions across our platform, with points and miles transacted increasing 18% over the first quarter of 2012,” MacLean said.
MacLean called 2013 an “important investment year” for the company.
“During the quarter we began to invest in the continued innovation and expansion of our core business as well as to advance our open platform strategy," MacLean said.
So far in 2013, Points International has launched three new partners – including Speedway, one of America's largest company-owned and operated gasoline and convenience stores in the U.S.; SVM Fuel Links, a leader in gasoline and retail gift cards; and Finnair, a leading European airline, for buy and gift products.
“Looking ahead, we expect to continue to meaningfully invest against innovation in the quarters to come,” MacLean said. “We are confident that the progress and investments we are making today will continue to position Points for long-term leadership in the loyalty ecosystem.”
MacLean said he sees “compelling opportunities” to drive increased penetration by investing in data to spark profitable growth.
“We like where retail is going and where we fit into these retail opportunities,” MacLean said.