Programs
Qantas Boldly Overhauls Loyalty Program, Resists Dynamic Pricing
The carrier has announced major changes to its loyalty program, but it’s bucking industry trends. “The bulk of the changes center on adjustments to award ticket prices and the fees associated with those bookings. In a departure from the current industry trend, the carrier also chose not to adopt a dynamic model for its award ticket pricing.”
A Rewards Program for Racers
Kawasaki Motors has released the details of its 2020 Team Green Racer Rewards program. “Kawasaki Team Green is pleased to once again be able to offer our unparalleled racer rewards program that covers motocross and off-road races for Kawasaki racers on our KX models,” says Team Green Manager Ryan Holliday. “With the help of the new 2020 models and the improved KX250, Kawasaki racers can take advantage of their chance at earning a share of over seven million dollars for select race event finishes.”
Customer Experience
McDonald’s Tests Robot Fryers and Voice-Activated Drive-Through
The trend toward an automated CX persists. McDonald’s “is testing voice-recognition software at a drive-through in suburban Chicago. Inside the restaurant, a robot also tosses chicken, fish, and fries into vats of oil. Both technologies are meant to shorten customer wait times that executives acknowledge have grown in recent years.”
Relevance Is Back
At Adweek, Kirk McDonald, CMO for Xandr, comments on the state of advertising. “Consumers don’t instinctively hate ads. They just don’t want more tension placed on their time. Even if it’s just a temporary distraction, it’s still keeping them from the people and content they care about. Therefore, advertising at the very least needs to be relevant.”
Partnerships
Accor and Air France-KLM Expand Ties with Joint Loyalty Program
Collaborations geared toward loyalty enhancements remain in vogue. Now, these two French giants are expanding their partnership for that reason. “Accor had said that a stake in the Franco-Dutch airline could help it compete better against travel packages offered by online rivals such as Expedia and Booking.com, but investors questioned why the hotel group would need to buy a stake in the troubled airline and said a looser tie-up was preferable.”