Loyalty and Rewards
Etihad Airways announces all-new loyalty program and rewards
Etihad Airways has relaunched its loyalty program and there loads of new benefits for members. Members will now be able to use their air miles, or a combination of miles and cash, to buy several extras including economy space, extra baggage allowance and insurance. Discounts for purchasing in-flight wi-fi and seat selection on flights will also be available. In addition, guest miles earned will also no longer expire if guests make one eligible transaction every 18 months.
Wharton MBA graduate develops app that rewards you for safe driving
The app — “This App Saves Lives” — offers rewards for safe driving in the Philadelphia region that can be redeemed at popular restaurants. When the user begins traveling at or above 7 mph the app switches into a “tracking mode.” Once in tracking mode, the app can detect whether the driver is using their phone for anything except music streaming, navigation, or a hands-free call. For every minute the user drives without breaking any rules, they’ll earn one in-app point, but for every rule broken, they’ll have points deducted. The user can then use these points to redeem discounts and promotions with several brands, including Shake Shack, DiBruno’s, Little Baby’s Ice Cream, and 4th Street Cookies.
Technology
Big Lots Looks to Transform Shopper Loyalty with New Tech
Big Lots is investing in next-gen technology to curate a unified view of shoppers’ physical, digital and omnichannel journeys to provide a meaningful and memorable path to purchase and increase loyalty. The brand is working to identify and eliminate points of friction in the customer journey in real-time and ensure consistent employee training to drive customer loyalty.
Customer Experience
How the new SoFi stadium in LA embodies the future of live sports and entertainment
Technology that will make the stadium experience unique includes a 70,000-sq-ft Oculus display board that will have 4K double-sided video; 5G communications network; Wi-Fi 6, the next generation of wireless to deliver faster speeds, and digital ticketing provided by Ticketmaster, called SafeTix. The technology uses a rotating entry token that refreshes an encrypted barcode every 15 seconds to prevent counterfeiting and improve security. The digital ticket will also send customized messages to the ticketholder on a host of things — from VIP events to updates on parking information and merchandising offers.
Direct to Consumer
Nike just ‘tip of the iceberg’ of companies ditching Amazon and selling directly to consumers
Nike’s decision to stop selling merchandise to Amazon is just the “tip of the iceberg” of brands opting to go directly to consumers. “The move shows us that strong brands realize that traffic driven to their own site (e.g. NIKE.com) is self-sustaining, more profitable, and actually brand enhancing, while traffic and incremental revenue from Amazon.com is less profitable but also less brand enhancing,” according to Jefferies analyst Randy Konik.