When Whole Foods launched a customer loyalty program pilot in the greater Philadelphia market in February 2015, Clay Walton-House, principal and lead of customer retention & loyalty practice, Lenati, didn’t think it appeared too differentiated from other grocery rewards programs.
“Customers earn one point per dollar spent, and will receive offers and rewards based on their purchase patterns—hardly anything that loyalty marketers would count as innovative,” Walton-House wrote in a blog at the....