Loyalty and Rewards Programs
Dave & Buster's Keeps Pace with Tech-Savvy Consumers with New Contactless Commerce App
Good news for Dave & Buster’s customers that always lose those plastic game cards. Dave & Buster's aims to keep pace with tech-savvy consumers who are growing increasingly comfortable using their mobile devices for contactless payments and other transactions. The chain's app frees customers from the burden of holding another plastic card, while letting them accumulate rewards points that could encourage return visits to its more than 130 locations nationwide. Dave & Buster's is joining the major restaurant brands that have a mobile app for contactless transactions and loyalty programs, such as Starbucks, who has seen amazing successful with its Starbucks Rewards program.
Partnerships
Partnerships Are Key to Drugstore Transformation, Says Walgreens CEO
During a Forbes Healthcare Summit, Walgreens Boots Alliance CEO Stefano Pessina said partnerships remain the most cost-effective way for the global drugstore chain to remain competitive and grow in the future. Pessina indicated the brand’s partnership strategy with myriad companies including those already announced in the grocery, healthcare and technology spaces will continue. As competitors, such as CVS Health’s Aetna acquisition last year, Walgreen’s plan has been to avoid a major merger and instead sign myriad partnerships. Walgreens has pilot projects and tests with companies like the grocer Kroger, Microsoft and primary care providers like Humana’s Partners in Primary Care and VillageMD, a developer of primary care clinics.
Macy’s Launches SoGifted, a Female Entrepreneur-Focused Destination for Gifts
Thanks to a recently announced partnership, holiday shoppers can find the perfect gift at Macy’s from a variety of female-led small businesses in the SoGifted shops at seven Macy’s locations nationwide. These shops are made possible via a partnership with SoGal Ventures, the first female-led millennial venture capital fund investing in diverse entrepreneurs in the US. The SoGifted shops features a range of products and gifts from women-founded brands in the SoGal community including children’s tpys, fashion accessories, smart water bottles, and more.
Payments
Once a Tool of the Elite, Metal Credit Cards Now Turn Up Everywhere
Once seen as a status symbol, metal credit cards have trickled down the income stream. Capital One and other banks have added metal to some of their credit cards with the idea that the hefty feel makes customers feel special and maybe spend more. Customers typically can’t ask their bank to swap out their plastic cards, but at least 20 types of credit cards in the U.S. contain metal, including offerings from other credit card issuers. More than 32 million metal credit cards are in circulation world-wide, up from around five million five years ago, according to the Nilson Report. While that is a tiny fraction of the four billion credit cards in circulation, Nilson forecast the number of metal cards to quadruple in the next two years.
Customer Experience
Comcast Now Offers Customer Service In ASL, A First for The Cable Industry
In a cable industry first, Comcast and Connect Direct have launched ASL Now, which is customer service support via American Sign Language for Internet Essentials, Xfinity Internet, and general Xfinity billing questions. Connect Direct is an ASL call center program that is engined by the Communication Service for the Deaf (CSD). Through ASL Now, Internet Essentials and Xfinity customers with hearing loss can now connect with customer service agents in their native language, ASL – the fourth most-studied language in the United States. The new feature will further bridge the digital divide for Americans with disabilities by ensuring that members of the deaf community can get connected to the internet at home without barriers.