Programs
Target and Reebok Reward More than Purchases
Brands have found that they can use loyalty to incentivize more than purchases. They’re “rewarding their loyalty program members for a range of actions beyond making a purchase, such as referring a friend or sharing on social media, to offer them opportunities to earn without spending and encourage ongoing engagement and advocacy at every touchpoint.”
Customer Experience
Apple Plans End of iTunes
All my sick-nasty playlists are soon to be nothing but memories. “The company is launching a trio of new apps for the Mac—Music, TV, and Podcasts—to replace iTunes. That matches Apple’s media app strategy on iPhones and iPads. Without iTunes, customers can manage their Apple gadgets through the Music app.”
Top Airline Association Cuts 2019 Forecast for Industry Profits
The International Air Transport Association has cut its forecast for 2019 industry profits by more than a fifth. “Halting of Boeing’s fastest-selling jet has triggered probes by regulators and calls for compensation from airline customers. The IATA chief didn’t elaborate on the financial impact of the fatal crashes.”
Tech
The Google Outage
YouTube, Snapchat, Gmail, Nest, Discord, and others went down on June 2, 2019. “The root cause was issues with Google’s Cloud service that powers apps other than just Google’s own web services. Google’s issues started at around 3PM ET / 12PM PT, and the company resolved them after more than four hours.”
Acquisitions
InComm Acquires Hallmark Business Connections
InComm has acquired the business-to-business incentives subsidiary of Hallmark Cards. “Hallmark Business Connections has built on the iconic Hallmark greeting card brand to empower companies with the means to create personalized incentive programs that recognize employees for dedication to their organization,” says Brooks Smith, CEO of InComm. “By combining this business with InComm’s existing loyalty and incentives solutions, we are able to offer an unprecedented level of technology and expertise that will help companies create the most engaging incentive programs possible.”