Customer Experience (CX) requires a sophisticated understanding of your customers. The first step in this understanding is identifying and addressing pain points, and creating a sense of transactional ease. And while having an effective triage process is critical, many organizations stop there...Read More

Before success can be realized outside your organization, support and loyalty for your program must be built internally via the core of your organization: your people. Your people are ambassadors for driving loyalty to your brand.Read More

by Mara Crisafulli, Senior Director of Client Services, Epsilon Marketers are constantly operating in a fast-paced environment, juggling multiple tasks striving to complete projects within a short window of time.  Often times, these deliverables are executed on amongst different teams...Read More

Marriott is in the process of redefining value, brand loyalty and the entire customer experience. It is a significant undertaking, but one that speaks to the dire need for brands across all industries to evolve right alongside the rapidly changing consumer behaviors, habits and expectations...Read More

by Patrick McDonough, Senior Director of Technology, Epsilon Innovation has become a constant in our world of technology. We are always thinking ahead to ‘the next big thing’ on the horizon that will enhance the customer experience and drive loyalty. Technology has traditionally been...Read More

Considering the prevalence of online shopping today, it’s tough to imagine a time when ecommerce was still an unexplored industry. When Overstock.com was founded in 1999, however, the marketplace was enough of a mystery that the company received no outside funding from investors. Within six...Read More

Some companies talk about being customer-centric while others live it every day.   Just ask Safelite AutoGlass, which is the nation’s largest provider of vehicle glass repair and replacement services with 6,500 MobileGlassShops™ and company stores in all 50 states.  ...Read More

When it comes to humanitarian organizations, the Red Cross is one of the most recognizable in the world. Founded in 1896, the Canadian branch of the Red Cross seeks to improve the lives of the most vulnerable by mobilizing the power of humanity in Canada and around the world. The brand’s...Read More

Understandings its customers has paved the way to brand loyalty for Hilton Worldwide. Technology plays an important role in Hilton’s total customer experience, something not lost on Dana Shefsky, Director of Digital Product Innovation at Hilton Worldwide. But, meeting and exceeding...Read More

As a sport, Futsal presents an interesting challenge. Futsal is a fast-paced game that requires the skill, control and reflexes to pass accurately, cut sharply and shield effectively. As a form of modified soccer, Futsal is played by millions of children and adults everywhere. Its global presence...Read More

Every digital marketer worth their salt knows that alignment of the customer journey through each channel is essential for proper customer engagement, but what happens when you have a new channel that is not only uncertain but also incredibly restrictive in what it can actually display? Enter the...Read More

Technology surrounds us these days both in our personal and professional lives. After all, our lives are framed by the technology we use. The all-seeing lenses, screens, and keypads sometimes know more about us than our nearest and dearest. Yet the technology landscape is fragmented, though...Read More

Customer loyalty often depends on the quality of a retailer’s customer service. In other words, consumers tend to prefer retailers that offer a seamless shopping experience and responsive service. So even when an interaction with a retailer goes wrong, customers will remain loyal to brands...Read More

So your app has customer service? Great – you’ve made the first step toward ultimate user satisfaction. But not all mobile customer experiences are made equal. To ensure you’re covering all your bases when it comes to optimal customer support, I’ve compiled a list of...Read More

On their first day of work as employees, Millennials rarely have had experience on the other side of the customer relationship, as vendors. Their primary role in the marketplace has been as customers, from the mall, to the Web… and even as college students. Indeed, one professor at a small...Read More

We all want to foster loyalty and create evangelists among our customers, but in today’s ever-shifting marketing landscape, this goal is proving to be a bit more elusive than in the past. For our c-suite clients, whose time is limited, the challenge becomes greater still. Finding ways to...Read More

Nishant Kadian, The Real PBX Your support team interacts with the most annoyed and frustrated customers. Delivering them a satisfactory solution requires a thorough networking – and that is the only reliable way to grow customer loyalty.   Since support is the best place to upsell...Read More

In today’s multichannel world, companies’ operational strategies must meet customers where they are. Whether consumer-facing (B2C) or providing services to other businesses (B2B), the way customers interact with a product or service is undeniably impacted by technology, and as a...Read More

Why do you use social media?   The answer may be marketing or customer service or paid advertising. However, each of these concepts boils down to one idea – you want to deliver a great overall customer experience to your consumers. It’s the same reason you use a customer...Read More

If you are selling anything online, you know how important it is to get your potential customers through the checkout process. After stopping to think about some real life-scenarios and customer experiences, and then applying them to eCommerce, it is not difficult to see why this is so crucial. ...Read More

A long time ago, in a pre-Internet world, the best way to attract customers was to have many, beautiful, well organized storefronts and place them where your target customers were located. The strategy to be near consumers is as old as humanity itself. But in the past decade, that definition has...Read More

Digital technologies are transforming the way consumers live their lives and interact with brands, putting them in the driver’s seat with the ability to control their experiences more than ever before. Brands have responded by focusing on customer experience (CX) as their ultimate...Read More

Customer Experience as a Marketing Strategy is the fastest growing trend in today’s business world.  As well it should be.  There is no shortage of data points and research studies that show consumers expect a more personalized and relevant experience with the companies they...Read More

Alex Tavera, Senior Manager of Loyalty Consulting at Aimia, talks about the new TRIPPS Segmentation Software, a powerful and easy to use tool to drive consumer insights based behavioral transaction data. Alex Tavera, Senior Manager of Loyalty Consulting at Aimia, talks about the new TRIPPS...Read More

In their November mid-year update DealerRater announced that Lexus (luxury segment) and Hyundai (mass-market segment) were in the lead for the 2016 Customer Rating Index. The final winners, chosen based on average consumer ratings posted on DealerRater,  will be announced in April as the...Read More

As your customers get increasing sophisticated in their shopping behaviors, their expectations in receiving personalized experiences from your brand are increasing exponentially. According to an Infosys report:59% of customers say that personalization influences their shopping decisions...Read More

Have you ever received a promotional offer to purchase a new car after you made a new vehicle purchase?  Or, what about receiving information on a furniture item sale when you just made multiple furniture purchases for your new home?  This common occurrence hurts consumers&rsquo...Read More

The media is seemingly fixated on stories regarding businesses and organizations that betray the consumer’s trust, and in our current world of social media, a brand’s reliability can be challenged by a single unfortunate customer experience. Because of these (and many other) factors...Read More

As consumers we have come to expect access to the information we want at the exact moment we want it. We don’t want to even think about searching for it. If it could just magically appear, self-automated in front of us, that would make life better. This is where the Internet of Things (IoT)...Read More

The gift card is a powerful retail tool for any business looking to grow its sales. In the past year alone, three-fourths of consumers bought or received a traditional plastic gift card. But did you know that this retail tool becomes even stronger when a loyalty program is linked to it? When...Read More

There are 80 million millennials in the US alone spending $600 billion a year, projected to grow to $1.4 trillion by 2020, according to Accenture. How do you get the lion’s share of this market through better customer engagement? You have to act on these three imperatives:1) Get...Read More

The ability to deliver an exceptional customer experience unquestionably gives companies a competitive advantage. That’s why businesses across virtually all industry sectors are paying more attention to customer reviews, assessing their Net Promoter Scores and scrambling to find new ways to...Read More

Think about the brands you like, whether they are a product, a service, or the local bar. What is it about them that you like? I bet a lot of the reasons have to do with a good customer experience you had with that brand.People begin to associate brands with the customer experiences they have had...Read More

Today’s marketer understands the need to combine the powerful efforts of both strategy and technology to offer a unique and engaging customer experience. “Customer relationships are now the only remaining source of competitive advantage, which makes earning customer loyalty mission...Read More

Last year, most loyalty marketers predicted that points for perks would continue to engage consumers and drive retail sales. They were right.It’s important to note, though, that many loyalty programs of the last year look different from what they may be in the coming 12 months. Loyalty...Read More

We recently came across the story of a beacon marketing company in South America with what has to be the most aggressive strategy yet for getting new customers into their clients’ stores.  The client store placed beacons outside the door of their competitor’s entrance.  When...Read More

Over the past few years, the retail industry has been driven by the notion of big data and the role of technology to enable retailers to amplify and capitalize on the insights that information can bring. It is all part of a drive for the retailer to gain a single customer view–a holistic...Read More

The following are excerpts from a live interview recorded in December 2015. What will be the biggest challenge for marketers over the next 3-5 years?The biggest challenges marketers will face in the coming years is definitely the speed of change. This speed is caused by the rapid pace of new...Read More

Despite the multitude of resources deployed in pursuit of brand loyalty, many customers appear to be disillusioned by loyalty marketing and the intimacy it promises yet seldom delivers.Today’s consumer may enjoy a level of intimacy with favorite brands that prior generations could not have...Read More

A Look at the Customer Challenges and Innovations Across the Automotive Service IndustryWhen it comes to customer engagement and loyalty, much of the attention is squarely on traditional industries spanning the retail universe. However, as consumers become increasingly savvy on their paths to...Read More

What is a stakeholder? In the customer experience discipline, stakeholders are individuals impacted by the actions taken in managing and improving the customer experience while providing necessary support for customer experience success.Who are your stakeholders? The potential universe of...Read More

According to MCommerceDaily, thirty-seven percent (37%) of large retailers are planning to roll out iBeacon technology during the 2015 calendar year.  By the end of 2016 this number is slated to increase to fifty-six percent (56%).  And we should quickly note that iBeacon is Apples...Read More

As marketers, we’re continuously implementing strategies focused on sustaining loyalty, especially with our top tier consumers. According to the Pareto Principle, the majority of brands spend most of their time and marketing dollars targeting the top 20% of their consumers, as it yields 80%...Read More

Providing a convenient and pleasurable shopping experience ultimately helps retailers to build long-lasting customer relationships. To help encourage customer loyalty far beyond the holiday season, retailers should consider the following tips to ensure consumers have a seamless shopping...Read More

These days, companies are focused on creating an excellent customer experience with an eye toward building loyalty, retaining customers and developing advocates who can help them expand market share. To accomplish this, your company probably trains employees on how to maximize customer...Read More

Customer experience is the one area a business can truly differentiate itself from its competitors. In 2016, as businesses finally realize the value customer experience yields for their bottom line, we’re likely to see some exciting innovations. Customers now have more choice than ever...Read More

In this modern world of virtual office environments and cloud computing, you can sell just about anything online; this opens you and your company up to a worldwide audience, no matter where you’re starting. The Internet is the great equalizer. Webpages are the new storefront customer...Read More

It’s something many take as a given, but for all the time and effort companies put into reaching customers, engaging them, and keeping them happy, marketers could be starting off on the wrong foot if they aren’t using the right language. The assumption that English is the &ldquo...Read More

Science has taught us that the act of giving is a major source of happiness for most people. But amid the scramble to find the perfect gift, the stress caused seems to far outweigh the benefits of giving. In fact, recent research from Needle revealed that gift buying overtook family...Read More

As competition increases, retailers are doing anything they can to engage new customers and draw their best ones closer. In order to turn shoppers into avid supporters, companies must deliver exceptional experiences that suit the goals, lifestyles, and values of those customers. One way you can...Read More

Customers may not be able to explain why they try a new product or return to a brand, but their eyes reveal the truth. Over many eye-tracking studies, my team has discovered some surprising reasons that customers buy some products—and walk right past others. Client-side marketers looking...Read More

Last fall, Western Union made a major commitment to boosting the customer experience through the expansion of its digital capabilities. As part of this commitment, Western Union invested in a mobile engagement solution to bolster its loyalty rewards program and leverage multiple channels to drive...Read More

As we say goodbye to 2015, marketers are making predictions on the trends that will impact customer engagement and retention in the New Year. Technology, big data and ad blocking will all play a role – but rather than expand on these known trends with predictions of my own, I’d...Read More

The term “inflection point” has multiple definitions. In differential calculus, an inflection point is a point on a curve at which the concavity changes from positive curvature to negative curvature, or vice versa. In political science, an inflection point is a moment in history that...Read More

There were many negative and unintended consequences of the economic recession of 2007. From a retail perspective, one outcome that still lingers is heavy discounting. Retail shoppers are now trained to look for a customer experience that includes coupons or promotions on websites, coupon...Read More

Providing a convenient and pleasurable shopping experience ultimately helps retailers to build long-lasting customer relationships. To help encourage customer loyalty far beyond the holiday season, retailers should consider the following tips to ensure consumers have a seamless shopping customer...Read More

As reported on the front page of a recent issue of USA Today, a key finding of the 2015 Spherion Emerging Workforce Study (Spherion/Harris) was that 93% of the execs of U.S. companies surveyed believe their employees are important vocal and attitudinal ambassadors for the brand and...Read More

In the age of the empowered consumer, it’s no longer possible to force customers into a standard sales funnel. In fact, we should forget the funnel altogether.In a fragmented world, consumer interactions are increasingly varied and difficult to manage, and many businesses are turning to...Read More

Now that the holidays are behind us, you’re likely recovering from making merriment with family and friends. As you enter into the New Year with presents and gadgets galore, you're also likely thinking about when and where you’ll spend those gift cards you received. And you&rsquo...Read More

As consumers we have come to expect access to the information we want at the exact moment we want it. We don’t want to even think about searching for it. If it could just magically appear, self-automated in front of us, that would make life better. This is where the Internet of Things (IoT)...Read More

For decades celebrity endorsements have dominated mainstream advertising. However, these endorsements haven’t always panned out. In 1982, we saw O.J. Simpson claiming he rented cars through Hertz. Needless to say, that went sour. In 2001, Britney Spears landed an $8 million deal with...Read More

The rise of digital has created unparalleled opportunities for retailer marketers to demonstrate why their discipline is best placed to make sense of businesses’ new relationships with their customers. Yet the threats are just as great, with rival departments fighting for ownership of the...Read More

Ask yourself the following question: How would you ring a doorbell? Would you press it with your finger or your thumb?The odds are that if you are over 25 years old, you would use your index finger.But when you ask teenagers, you will find they are more likely to use their thumb.Why? Because that...Read More

For marketers today, it is the best of times and the worst of times. We have never had so much data at our fingertips. Nor have there ever been as many unique channels to connect to consumers. Leveraging these two assets to better understand our customers and reach them more effectively have...Read More

This time of year, with holiday parties and shopping consuming your time, the last thing you’re thinking about is March 2016. But knowing an early Easter is approaching, now is the time to make sure you start 2016 with a bang.Easter is on Sunday, March 27th this year, the earliest date...Read More

Shawn Eby, VP of Operations at Taco John's International, talks about how Taco John’s, one of America’s leading quick serve Mexican restaurants, puts the customer experience at the heart of its guest-centric company culture.  Read More

Loyalty programs are very popular with brands and customers these days. In fact 84% of Americans belong to at least one:But what is it about loyalty marketing that makes so many brands pursue it?Some of the most commonly-claimed benefits are: 1. A more...Read More

As 2015 quickly approaches its finale, this has largely been a year of technological epiphanies for customer-centric brands and industries which have aligned their strategies and capabilities to understand and motivate today’s savvy ‘always on’ consumer across an increasingly...Read More

I can’t think of a single time in my career when an executive has thought it a great idea to do something twice just for the fun of it. Investing twice, building twice, recruiting twice are not ideas that typically result in career glory. However, the irony is, that this double vision...Read More

Presented on November 19th at 1 P.M. ET Building loyalty has always been one of the most inherent objectives for brands, but challenges for effectively tracking purchases can hold back manufacturers from implementing loyalty programs. This is especially true in the CPG space, where...Read More

Whom some consider the father of advertising, David Ogilvy, once said, “Never stop testing, and your advertising will never stop improving." Beloved children's author Dr. Seuss rhymed, “Today you are YOU. That is TRUER than true. There is no one alive that is YOUER than you."Add...Read More

Driving success in your consumer loyalty program.Are you the stakeholder involved with finding an effective way to develop or improve your consumer loyalty program and gain real business growth as a direct result?  Does it sometimes seem like looking for the eighth wonder of the world?  ...Read More

Mark Mears, Noodles & Company Executive VP and CMO, talks about the brand’s authentic and community-minded approach to customer engagement, and about its new branding platform called “Made. Different.”  Read More

With a plethora of technology available and emerging in the loyalty marketing space, brands and marketers need to be on the forefront of how they best utilize it. Consumers are being asked to share more and more of their personal data, while at the same time expecting more from their favorite...Read More

It’s no surprise that consumers don’t really trust advertising. Fewer than 25 percent of online consumers in the U.S. say they trust print ads, and the numbers are even lower for digital media.Still, marketers continue to put a lot of their time and resources into advertisements. In...Read More

Today’s retail landscape is in flux. Shopping behaviors and purchasing trends are changing rapidly across the US and the global marketplace, and millennials have an increasing amount of power. Brands that were once iconic now struggle in markets that are sometimes almost single-handedly...Read More

Success as a marketing leader requires a disciplined focus on critical issues and thoughtful use of tools to address them. But what are those issues, and how can you move the needle?Recently, Aimia asked that question of a group of marketing leaders gathered in Orlando, Florida for the NG CMO...Read More

Despite poor bricks-and-mortar sales, preliminary numbers indicate that increased e-commerce drove a successful Black Friday for retailers. But as James Berry, E-commerce Director at Collinson Latitude, explains, a more strategic – and profitable ­­– opportunity for...Read More

Most companies don’t realize how vital the customer experience is to their respective brands. While a positive interaction often leaves customers feeling great, satisfied, and, ultimately, valued, it’s the negative experiences that result in the most impact. After all...Read More

The banking industry is changing in the digital era, and new competition is on the rise with mobile-only banks, financial focused start-ups, and mobile payment options. A recent study by IBM of 1,600 bank executives and 1,600 consumers found that almost half of banks think they’re doing a...Read More

Turning "big data" into "smart data" requires a lot of number crunching, strategizing and analysis.But the results can completely transform a loyalty program if the resulting smart data helps managers, marketers and business development experts better understand their members, prove a loyalty...Read More

The case has been made for engaging your customers through mobile – apps, mobile-enabled websites and social media are all great ways to keep your customers involved with your brand. The case is also clear for extending that engagement to the Voice of the Customer. If customers have a...Read More

QVC knows a little something about memorable customer experiences, acquiring and retaining customers, and driving significant brand loyalty. In its 27-year history, QVC, the world’s leading video and ecommerce retailer, has shipped more than one billion packages. Its programming is...Read More

Every company today is undergoing a digital transformation. Consumers’ first interactions with brands frequently begin through a digital channel, which means brands need to extend their customer experience to include digital. Smart brands are not just haphazardly using digital ...Read More

In this 3-part blog series, I have been sharing what it takes to build an effective culture of innovation.  In my last blog, I talked about why companies need to invest in their people to drive innovation. The focus today is on why process is important.One of the industry...Read More

Customer behavior is changing – is your marketing strategy keeping up? At Aimia, we work with a diverse set of clients to help them answer that exact question. By applying loyalty principles, we are able to not only collect rich customer data to help brands better understand their end...Read More

A few weeks ago I was fortunate to be one of the first to read the 2015 Aimia Loyalty Lens Report. Loyalty Lens is an Aimia-sponsored annual research report designed to explore global trends in consumer loyalty, attitudes to technology and views on sharing personal data. What this year’s...Read More

Showrooming has changed and as well, the responses to this behavior have changed accordingly.  A mere three years ago the entire retail industry was in full panic mode because they had just begun to realize that shoppers were pulling out their smartphones in their store and, cue gasp...Read More

Technology is transforming the way we do business and the rate of change is accelerating—it took only a few years for half of the U.S. population to adopt smart phones versus nearly 50 years for landline phones. And we are inundated with countless examples of changes that may have been...Read More

Aimia recently contributed to a VentureBeat webinar titled“The mobile effect: How to turbocharge your personalization.”The recording can be found here.This article expands on questions that came up after the panel presentation. What are the biggest gaps you see in brands&rsquo...Read More

Giro, a worldwide leader in high-performance protective cycling and snow sport gear, has partnered with Clutch, a pioneering customer marketing platform, to introduce an innovative branded currency solution for their ecommerce channel. We sat down with Ezra Shaffer, Head of Digital Marketing &...Read More

Announcing Geo-Fenced Social Media Rewards. Send the right reward or offer at the right moment – when customers are in your location. Location, Location, Location!Chirpify has enabled location check-in rewards for Facebook since early this year, but we’re excited to announce that...Read More

A loyalty program without a set of communications to make it work is like having a beautiful tenor serenade an empty forest. Just as the quality of a tenor’s voice can be incredibly moving, a well-planned communications strategy will fuel your loyalty program.There are seven Loyalty...Read More

Today's path to purchase is radically different. Consumers shop where they want, how they want and when they want, often with their mobile devices firmly in hand. Consumers — not retailers — are now in charge.Imagine Janet, a mother of one walking into National Arco, a...Read More

Debra Sharp of VentureBeat sat down with Jesse Grittner to discuss mobile personalization in preparation for participation in a webinar being held on November 4, 2015, titled The Mobile Effect: How to Turbocharge your Personalization. Clickhere to learn more. Jesse Grittner is Senior...Read More

Gaining customer loyalty is not a one-size-fits-all mentality, especially during the holiday shopping season. According to Google’s 2015 Holiday Trends, more than half of American consumers are open to buying from a new retailer this year. During this time, brand advocacy from consumers is...Read More

Customer service, as an industry and discipline, is having a renaissance moment.  Conversations that were once routinely private and routed through call centers or email systems are increasingly taking place very publicly on social. According to a recent study, from January to June, there...Read More

We’re living in the age of instant gratification. If you’re craving your favorite dish from a local restaurant or looking to get your hands on the newest device, chances are you can have it delivered to your doorstep, without ever seeing or speaking to a waiter or store employee. When...Read More

What are going to be the key drivers of brand loyalty during the 2015 holiday season? – During the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, it’s the retailer who creates an exceptional customer experience and customer service that will win out and drive loyalty with new and repeat...Read More

Gift cards have been in existence since 1994, mostly in the form of physical gift cards. While purchases of physical gift cards were steady in 2014, 33% of consumers were purchasing more e-gift cards compared with 2013 (Incentive Mag). Many experts are forecasting that e-gift cards will overtake...Read More

If you’re not leveraging the power of social commerce or have plans to make it a part of your sales and marketing strategy soon, you could be missing out on a significant opportunity to grow your business. Indeed, regardless of who you ask, analysts and retailers alike are bullish when it...Read More

The convergence of today’s digital technologies – including social media, mobile computing, the cloud and analytics – has resulted in both exciting opportunities and daunting challenges for customer engagement. As recently as the late 1990s, organizations looking to implement a...Read More

When you think of customer support software and providing exceptional service to customers, written communication or a phone call is usually what comes to mind. However, there are extremely successful visual methods a customer service team can use to enhance the customer experience. These visual...Read More

Today’s consumers expect businesses to be customer-centric and provide a stellar customer experience across all channels. What used to be a brand differentiator is now an expectation. With that in mind, organizations are increasingly investing in new technology to improve the customer...Read More

Billions of people fly every year, each with their own expectations of the journey ahead. The collective set of customer experiences is largely determined by the mix of people, technologies, and services they interact with.For the first time this year, we took a closer look at the journeys of air...Read More

What does it take to build a winning customer experience strategy? What do successful CX teams do differently than their peers? How can I take my customer experience efforts to the next level?Through my work at Confirmit and discussions with Loyalty360 members, I have the pleasure of interacting...Read More

According to a recent eMarketer study, approximately 50% of American email users purchase a product or service after receiving a marketing email. That substantial percentage of users alone is entirely indicative of the importance that email marketing plays in any strategic business approach.That...Read More

When it comes to shopping behavior, price is always a key motivator.  However, to sustain a customer’s loyalty over the long term, retailers often find it valuable to focus on the customer experience.  But which experiences are most important to shoppers?  And how likely are...Read More

You already have your ear to the ground and eyes on the stats that drive customer loyalty. Hopefully you’re also carefully tracking negative feedback as indicators of bigger issues. While positive feedback validates that good choices are being made across the organization, falling service...Read More

Omnichannel marketing is a trending topic in loyalty management circles, but not everyone has a completely accurate understanding of it. Many confuse it with multichannel marketing, which is the practice of reaching out to customers on a variety of platforms (print, TV, email, social media, etc.)...Read More

 Over 68% of online shopping carts are abandoned. BI Intelligence research indicates that $4 trillion worth of goods will be left sitting in carts in 2015. In worse news for retailers, cart abandonment rates are growing from year to year. The good news is that of the $4 trillion in abandoned...Read More

Some reward companies pride themselves on the size of their warehouses and ability to ship merchandise to a variety of destinations worldwide. But why have thousands of items gathering dust in a large warehouse when it’s possible to procure and deliver rewards far more efficiently within...Read More

The good news for retailers is that, while changes in technology, consumer behavior, and market forces will continue to offer challenges to their business models, the fundamental drivers of customer loyalty remain unchanged. This means that loyalty programs will continue to fuel profitable...Read More

There are seven loyalty campaigns that every loyalty program should include in a lifecycle communications strategy. Each campaign is designed to influence a specific type of behavioral response from loyalty program members, based on where they are within the customer lifecycle.These seven...Read More

Claire Tsai is Associate Professor of Marketing, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto. Leonard Lee is Associate Professor of Marketing and Dean's Chair, NUS Business School, National University of Singapore. Together they examined how discounts influence pleasure-related...Read More

The traditional military definition of a "wingman" is the second pilot who flies behind and off the right wing of the lead aircraft. The wingman protects the lead by watching his/her back. As I reflected on this year’s MRA Corporate Researchers Conference (CRC) in St. Louis, I thought...Read More

Loyalty isn’t something that can simply be “bought” with rewards. Through extensive experience and proprietary research, we have come to believe that loyal brand behavior can only be truly cultivated over time by consistently delivering positive brand experiences. We believe the...Read More

Last year the London newspaper City A.M. ran an article about sports sponsorships during the FIFA World Cup. The article, like many others published before, during and after most major sporting events, questioned the wisdom of brands that agree to official sponsorship deals. The author’s...Read More

While innovation, new technology, and changing consumer demands will fuel the next generation of reward design, some truths remain eternal: Customers are motivated by recognition and rewards; Some customers are more valuable than others and thus deserving of special offers and service; Real...Read More

Over time, customers can lose interest in retail loyalty programs. Likewise, retailers may start to take customers for granted. Here are five tips for re-kindling the value of that healthy relationship.The good news for retailers is that, while changes in technology, consumer behavior, and market...Read More

I love to camp. In fact, if not for work obligations, I would be backcountry camping every week of October (as well as a backpacking trip the first week of November). Camping—especially in the backcountry—is a serious hobby. Not just in that I take it seriously, but that one wrong...Read More

If you missed the webinar on the HealthCheck process from Aimia, clickhere to listen to the podcast.In order to best optimize your loyalty program so that your customers are receiving the most joy and engagement and the company is benefiting, it is crucial to review the health of your current...Read More

I recently had the pleasure of hearing author and entrepreneur Seth Godin speak about how to do “work that matters.” Seth’s a fantastic speaker, and he touched on topics such as the spread of ideas, marketing, and the digital economy. Here’s what stood out:Adopt the &ldquo...Read More

Loyalty programs are a significant marketing investment.  They needs your attention, just like your car would need its maintenance, your body its check-ups, and your furnace, a tune-up.Paying attention to the most important functions of your program will help you optimize your program to its...Read More

This episode of the Loyalty Management podcast series is titled "Multi-Brand Marketing and How to Create Loyalty", written by Bob Moorhead of Epsilon. Convenience.  Saving Time. Unique Experiences. – These are three key things that consumers look for in the brands...Read More

This episode of the Loyalty Management podcast series is titled "Curating Change—Not Just Wall Art", written by Nancy Porte of Verint.Digital transformation is a reoccurring theme in today’s business environment. As companies work tirelessly to adapt to customer demands...Read More

Ever think about what happens in a digital minute? The numbers are mind-boggling—51,000 Apple store downloads, more than 4 million Facebook likes, and about 4,300 unique visitors to Amazon, just to name a few (source).It makes sense then, that 90% of all the data in the history of the world...Read More

Do you remember the first time you received a “personalized” offer in the mail? For me it was in the early ‘80’s and the thrill was brief. It didn’t take long to realize it was simply a computer-generated mass mailing designed to appear personalized. Today that...Read More

Buyers today expect more from the brands they’re evaluating than they did in eras past. For one thing, they won’t submit to a sales pitch off the top, not when they can readily investigate products and vendors themselves. For another, they have more ways to gather intelligence on...Read More

Digital technology has fundamentally changed the rules of business. Expectations are skyrocketing, competitive landscapes are being reshaped, opportunities appear and disappear faster than ever before, established business models are becoming obsolete overnight, and the way organizations engage...Read More

For many business owners, having a customer complain can be very discouraging and often, the absolute worst thing that can happen. What they don’t realize is that these complaints go far deeper than a singular negative experience or inconsistency. Business owners should be eternally...Read More

Imagine you needed to dock an 18-wheel big rig truck into a loading dock. Unless you are a professional truck driver, this might seem a bit daunting. Now imagine you have to do this without power steering and only one side mirror. While it’s a bit of an exaggeration that is what many...Read More

Silicon Valley is itching for the next technology disruption, but what industry is best primed to nurture this innovation now? Companies like Apple, Uber and Airbnb are the current darlings, having shaken up the music, transportation and hotel industries, respectively. But now it’s the...Read More

Joe McGinniss wrote The Selling of the President, analyzing the marketing of Richard M. Nixon during the 1968 Presidential campaign. It was the first-of-its-kind introduction to the concept of stage-managed Presidential campaigns to the public and a primer for how to turn a candidate into a brand...Read More

As data and digital capabilities advance and competition expands, brands are focusing on personalized marketing now more than ever. Many believe personalization is the key to establishing customer brand loyalty and improving the overall customer experience. While content marketers certainly need...Read More

Sometimes, the best way to find out what types of rewards and incentives consumers prefer when they join a loyalty program is to ask them, rather than make assumptions about what they want or need.So when Ipsos eNation launched a nationwide survey of 1,016 U.S. consumers in July, consumers...Read More

In an age of smartphone selfies, photos, and videos being posted to social media in record numbers, savvy marketers have discovered how to leverage such media to increase their sales and brand recognition as part of a visual commerce initiative. In some cases, visual commerce can be as simple as...Read More

Back on July 23rd, NewsHour’s economic correspondent Paul Solomon spoke to long-term trend spotter DeeDee Gordon about what’s getting traction now.  DeeDee talks about 6 long-term trends:Gender Un-tethered.Conspicuous Isolation.Hyper Experiences.Life Framing.Frugeois, or frugal...Read More

Today we are witnessing an increasingly steep divide between loyalty haves and have-nots. As programs proliferate, customers have become harder targets – forming strong allegiances with dominant programs while abandoning participation in others.In considering how to respond, it is helpful...Read More

As specialists in the recognition and rewards industry, we're convinced of the power of employee engagement and meaningful recognition to transform organizations and spur growth. When our company and employee base began to grow back in 2000, we knew it was time to “walk the...Read More

If you read any technology news publication, you will probably find mention of how the “3rd platform” is revolutionizing the business landscape. If the 3rd platform is changing the face of global business, then its impact is even greater when you look at what it means for consumers in...Read More

Danielle Leveille, Director for Direct to Consumer Marketing at Stride Rite, talks about how Stride Rite, a leading purveyor of high quality children’s footwear, offers a customer experience that respects and reflects the dynamic lives of its customers. Read More

This post is contributed by Lauren Gentile, Vice President, Creative at Epsilon.  According to the Epsilon Response Network, when you leverage information about a consumer’s preferred time of open, you can drive click rates by 11%. Consumers want relevant content that aligns to...Read More

Do you know how many marketing messages you are exposed to every day?  Go ahead—look away from the screen and take a guess.In doing research for this post, I came across estimates ranging from 3,000 to 20,000. That’s probably way more messages than you guessed. What this tells us...Read More

Around this time last year I was working on something now known as the Experience Analytics Showcase: a website focused around telling the customer experience story through data visualization.  A year later we are redesigning the showcase in preparation for the Total Customer Experience...Read More

Eoin Comerford, President and CEO of Moosejaw, talks about how the outdoor recreational, apparel, and gear company strives to make customer engagement just as much fun as trail hiking and mountain climbing. Read More

Millennial marketing is a hot topic right now. I’m considered a millennial, but what does that mean exactly? The term ‘millennials’ refers to the generation born between the early 1980s and early 2000s – exact years vary depending on the source. At around 83 million people...Read More

For more information contact us at [email protected] or visit www.aimia.comRead More

Data-driven marketing is like a three-legged stool. It symbolizes three marketing levers working together: offer, creative and audience.In fact, omnichannel marketing is thriving because of marketers’ skill and discipline in producing relevant new product offers, richer varieties of...Read More

Robert Mariano, Director of Digital Strategy & Customer Engagement at Raley's Family of Fine Stores, talks about how the family-owned supermarket chain takes a genuine consumer-centric approach to offer a superb customer experience. Read More

This episode of the Loyalty Management podcast series is titled "Affordability - Does Your Loyalty Program Stack Up?", written by Naomi Kasolowsky, dunnhumby.  Read More

Loyalty360 sat down with Aimia's Manu Sarna and Jesse Grittner, who gave a preview of their upcoming webinar titled "Give Your Loyalty Program an Annual Physical with a Loyalty HealthCheck." For more details on this free webinar or information on how to register, click here!Read More

Marketers today are driven to deploy low-cost mobile technologies, harness big data, and achieve parity with competitors. Unfortunately, these forces have combined to create a proliferation of weak, uninteresting and unengaging loyalty programs. However, by avoiding program design pitfalls and...Read More

One of my mentors in the marketing world once stated his amazement around how marketing professionals too frequently base their marketing strategies on assumptions that have little correlation to actual marketing results. Having worked in the industry now for over 15 years, I have come to the...Read More

Parlez-vous emoji? Step aside, French – there’s a new language of the future. Well, maybe.Since Apple’s release of the emoji keyboard in 2011, the use of emojis has grown exponentially. This past March, nearly half of Instagram comments and captions contained emoji characters...Read More

Everyone is talking about content strategy and content marketing, and there is a reason why this is happening. Marketers are faced with the growing challenge of reaching over-marketed customers; and customers expect companies to provide them with content that is relevant to them. This shift in...Read More

Consumer research findings and insights outlining consumer attitudes towards digital communications and technology innovations, including sector specific insights for the grocery, airline and banking categories. With the adoption of smartphones and tablets by consumers and smarter data analytics...Read More

Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or Slytherin? Brave, loyal, wise, or ambitious. . .which one are you?For those of you unfamiliar with the Harry Potter series, these are the 4 houses that make up Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. When each young witch and wizard enters the school, a...Read More

This episode of the Loyalty Management podcast series is titled "Driving Shopper Engagement Through Digital Technology", written by Sue Yasav, Synchrony Financial. The habits of many retail shoppers are changing. They are becoming omni-channel shoppers, meaning  they use...Read More

This episode of the Loyalty Management podcast series is titled "Converting Happy Customers into Active Advocates", written by Sarah Simon, Confirmit.It’s one thing for a customer to promise they would recommend you in a Voice of the Customer survey.  It’s quite...Read More

Artemio Garza, Chief Marketing Officer of Meineke, will present an upcoming session titled, “Delivering High Performance, Personalized Brand Experiences to Customers” at Loyalty360's Engagement & Experience Expo. November 9th through the 11th in Dallas, Texas. Read More

Access to information has put B2B buyers in control of their path to purchase. In fact, many buyers are two-thirds to 90% of the way through their journey before they even contact a salesperson.How can B2B marketers help their sales team overcome this challenge and equip them with the information...Read More

Back-to-school season is upon us. Parents are sighing with relief as the weekly routine will soon be back in full swing. And retailers are preparing to benefit from back-to-school spending as consumers check off items their back-to-school lists. The average family with children in grades K-12...Read More

This post is contributed by Mara Crisafulli, senior director, digital solutions at Epsilon where she drives the execution of business objectives for clients.   In college, I never fully understood why psychology was a minor recommended to students majoring in marketing and business...Read More

Al Perkinson, VP of Marketing for Costa Sunglasses, will present an upcoming session titled, “The Lens of CX - An Optical Perspective on Building Communities and Customer Experience from the Ground Floor” at Loyalty360's Engagement & Experience Expo November 9th through...Read More

CVS/P&G 'guy aisle' great example of 'test and learn' method's successIn partnership with P&G, CVS saw success with a "guy aisle" in its stores.Retailers typically follow two approaches when finding ways to drive progress and business growth: They repeat historical...Read More

While consumer adoption of technology is at record levels, it’s worthwhile to ask the hard questions about our reliance on it. Are we using technology for the benefit of our customers, or merely to lower our operating expenses? Does our reliance on technology to interact with our customers...Read More

Most businesses will periodically conduct a wholesale review of their loyalty strategy and if they have a loyalty program will ask the question "does our program stack up? Is there another way to get the same or better results?" Affordability and justifying the existence of a loyalty program is a...Read More

According to Aetna, 22 million people are expected to purchase individual healthcare coverage in 2016. How can insurance providers position themselves to be the chosen provider?In the past, healthcare insurance companies had the advantage. Few individuals questioned where to get their health...Read More

For brand marketers who lack a direct relationship with consumers—including the consumer packaged goods, cosmetics, manufacturing and spirits industries—digital marketing continues to be experimental. Perhaps you’ve dipped a toe in the water, exploring banner ads, email...Read More

Loyalty programs have grown exponentially in popularity over the years, offering a great window into customer sentiment and an opportunity for brands to gain insight into their relationships with some of their most devoted followers. Such programs present an excellent opportunity to examine how...Read More

Notebooks, backpacks, sharpened pencils, laptops and the first day of school outfit.  The Back-to-School phenomenon is in full swing.  Consumers are filling the aisles of retailers and are shopping online to get the best deals.  They’re engaged, have their wallets open and...Read More

A recent benchmark research study ‘for love or money 2015’ revealed some somewhat surprising insights into the the impact loyalty programs have on brand loyalty, buying behaviour and evolving program benefits. Here’s a snapshot and some key take-outs:1. The impact that loyalty...Read More

Young consumers are shying away from over-stimulating stores in favor of stress-free shopping environments and experiences.My high school boyfriend wore Abercrombie & Fitch cologne. Its scent would waft along beside us as we roamed our local mall toward the pulsating teenage mecca that was A...Read More

Digital channels for customer service—such as websites, mobile apps, and chat—can offer a multitude of benefits for both customers and companies: fast self-service, no waiting in phone queues for an agent, lower cost of service, and more. However, according to recent research...Read More

When you’re starting a new company and trying to get a product out the door, worrying about your organizational culture might seem frivolous. Do you really have time for touchie-feelie morale activities when you’re trying to raise enough money to make payroll? But as your company...Read More

Retail mobile apps are being adopted by shoppers at lightening speed, and the use of retail mobile apps rose by 174% in 2014 alone. Many of today’s tech-savvy shoppers aren’t using their mobile devices as a means to purchase items, but as a means to enhance their shopping experience...Read More

Clarence Chia, Vice President of Marketing for FIJI Water, talks about how the brand drives customer engagement by offering products and services that match the lifestyles of its customers.Read More

Fee-based loyalty programs: Should yours be one of them?Loyalty should be a two-way street. It’s the same with loyalty programs -- the best ones make both marketers and customers feel like winners.It makes sense, right? A sporting goods retailer collects valuable customer data (win), then...Read More

When you think of personalized marketing, what comes to mind? Is it printing a customer’s name in a mailer? Populating a customer’s loyalty balance in an email statement? While these are examples of personalization, they barely scratch the surface of what’s possible in the...Read More

This article originally appeared in The Wise Marketer, a U.K. based publication serving 15,000 marketers worldwide.Imagine it's a Wednesday evening. You had planned to go home and wax your car, but you need an electric polisher. Normally, you would stop at Target and get 5% off...Read More

Robert McClarin, Loyalty CRM Marketing Technologist for 7-Eleven, talks about how the iconic brand builds customer loyalty through a mix of great products, unique promotions, and responsive customer engagement. Read More

Those of us who are retailers - or who work with retailers - know the holiday season is always top of mind, something for which planning starts earlier every year.  Planning covers everything - from store renovations to merchandising, to staffing and more - with the goal of bringing each...Read More

Tom Barton, Klein Tools Product Marketing Manager, talks about how the brand has managed an extremely loyal group of professional customers for generations, and how it plans to continue engaging customers for generations to come.Read More

This episode of the Loyalty Management podcast series is titled "Loyalty Programs as a Barrier to Exit – More than Just a Monetary Reward", written by Nancy Porte of Verint.Two years ago, I was part of an effort to create, develop and formalize the CX program for my organization&mdash...Read More

This episode of the Loyalty Management podcast series is titled "Loyalty Programs as a Barrier to Exit – More than Just a Monetary Reward", written by Bob Moorhead of Epsilon.Positioning your loyalty program as a brand differentiator is a key to success for loyalty marketers....Read More

Professional sports teams have become entrenched in customer loyalty, evidenced by such loyalty programs from the San Francisco 49ers, Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Sabres, San Diego Padres, and Sporting Kansas City.And now the Washington Redskins have launched a new loyalty program called Redskins...Read More

Two years ago, I was part of an effort to create, develop and formalize the CX program for my organization—and still play a critical role in managing this program today. The primary goal was to implement a voice of the customer initiative. However, our intention was to also create a...Read More

There’s a long list of perks for employees at today’s average company and it seems to have something for everyone: ping pong tables, kegs in the kitchen, work-from-home Fridays, yoga classes, catered lunch—the list goes on. Most employees appreciate these benefits and...Read More

What’s in a name?  Maybe to Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers, nothing…but certainly to marketers it can be everything.    Most brands have some sort of loyalty program, and often for lack of a better solution the program’s website is a sub-link off...Read More

While it may be hard to obtain customer loyalty, it is even more difficult to sustain it. Many companies in the hospitality industry issue loyalty cards in order to incentivize their customers and generate repeat business, but only a few succeed. While any loyalty program will drive an increase...Read More

Jim Cavale, President of Iron Tribe Fitness, talks about how an immersive culture and exceptional customer experience has helped the brand become one of the fastest growing companies in America. Read More

The average person checks their phone around 150 times per day, according to a study by Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers. This near-constant connectivity without a doubt impacts all of their habits and processes for decision-making -- including shopping. As a result, brands need an omnichannel...Read More

The winds of change are blowing with regards to the use of personal data. Headlines seem to highlight privacy concerns on a daily basis. Epsilon takes great strides to set high standards for ourselves, and, as leaders in the marketing industry, we facilitate conversations on responsible data use...Read More

Optimizing conversions is an important topic for any marketer, especially given the many components that can make up a strategy. It was no surprise this was a heavily discussed topic at this year’s Email Insider’s Summit in Portugal, organized by MediaPost.I had the opportunity...Read More

Winning new customers is increasingly tough. Advertising, long the staple of that initiative for larger companies, has become an exercise in crawling through glass with the rise of media fragmentation, proliferation of subscription media, paywalls, ad blocking technology, and mobile behavior...Read More

Whether you’ve just been hired or have been running your organization’s loyalty rewards program for years, do you feel certain it’s running at peak performance?  Are you providing rewards that your members care about and keeping track of the right metrics? We’ve...Read More

In this edition of the Loyalty360 Thought Leadership Series, Kristi Gole, Director of Loyalty Marketing for Global Hotel Alliance, talks about how the brand’s award winning loyalty program DISCOVERY engages over 5 million members across an international network of independent luxury...Read More

How should retailers best take advantage of the mobile shift? Almost 28 million Canadians own cellphones, out of which nearly 14 million own smartphones. Consumers spend a lot of time on their smartphones, leading to a continual increase in online purchasing trends. Here are some statistics now...Read More

Since the nineties, the channel ecosystem has been characterized by traditional relationships such as partnerships with long-standing vendors, suppliers, and customers. With these partnerships comes well-established operating protocols that foster consistency and predictability.  When...Read More

In the book “Team of Teams”, General Stanley McChrystal describes how the Joint Special Operations Task Force (JSOTF), of which he took command in 2004, was transformed to respond to the unorthodox battle tactics deployed by Al Qaeda in Iraq. After repeated failures, he and his staff...Read More

What comes to mind when you think of true loyalty–perhaps a mental collage of best friends, family, your wedding day, a wagging tail, maybe a favorite coffee shop or boutique? Just as loyalty among individuals and things creates stronger relationships and more satisfying life experiences...Read More

In this edition of the Loyalty360 Thought Leadership Series, Glen MacDonell, Managing Director of Marketing Programs for Best Western, talks about how the brand’s proactive and focused approach to customer engagement has built a very successful loyalty program and brought tremendous...Read More

Sourcing meaningful rewards from dependable suppliers is a common pain point for many companies running points-based reward and loyalty program.At Global Reward Solutions (GRS®), we recognized how challenging that can be. That’s why we introduced GRS Storefront, a fast-connect API for...Read More

This episode of the Loyalty Management podcast series is titled "Balancing Multi-Generational Retail Strategies – Winning Over Millennials Without Losing Boomers", written by Sue Yasav of Synchrony Financial. It is no secret that baby boomers are a shopping force and...Read More

A customer loyalty program is – and should be – one that touches every facet of your organization to drive customer engagement at all points of customer interaction. This is no small investment! But how do you know if your loyalty program is really working – that all that...Read More

This episode of the Loyalty Management podcast series is titled "B2B: Five Reasons Why You Need A Relationship Survey", written by Sarah Simon of Confirmit.From time to time I hear whispers of business to business organizations questioning their need for a relationship survey. ...Read More

In this edition of the Loyalty360 Thought Leadership Series, James Brady, Director of Global Strategy and Development for Customer Experience for General Motors, talks with Loyalty360 about how the innovative automaker connects and engages with customers and builds brand loyalty. Read More

What’s a common pain point for companies running points-based loyalty and reward programs? Sourcing meaningful and dependable rewards for their members.Sourcing suppliers in one country is a full-time job. Doing this across 10, 20 or even 100+ countries is a costly and daunting task. But...Read More

Idomoo Dynamic Storybuilding Suite revolutionizes the way brands interact with each and every one of their clients. It empowers each customer-facing team to create a unique CX and deliver a standout customer communication.With the Dynamic Story Suite the power is at the hands of the marketer...Read More

In a three-minute video, see why AARP’s Rewards for Good loyalty program won a Gold Award at the Loyalty360 Awards.Nataki Edwards, Vice-President of Digital Strategy & Operations of AARP is meeting her metrics by creatively using a loyalty program to drive online engagement with members...Read More

Providing an award winning customer experience (CX) to consumers goes beyond just being “nice.” Properly training your customer facing associates is certainly important, but as my colleague Bob Moorhead recently stated, “top notch customer service is driven by having the proper...Read More

This episode of the Loyalty Management podcast series is titled "Reciprocity in Loyalty Programs", written by Naomi Kasolowsky of dunnhumby.Employee engagement is increasingly top of mind for most executives.  The fact that the happiness and motivations of people throughout...Read More

In this edition of the Loyalty360 Thought Leadership Series, Richard Garlick, Global Travel and Hospitality Practice Lead of J.D. Power & Associates, discusses how the new findings of the 2015 J.D. Power North American Airline Satisfaction Study relate to customer engagement...Read More

There has been much fanfare around new technology purpose-built on a simple, but economically powerful proposition— code that can slip by even the most sophisticated ad blocking technology.Sounds innovative. But is it really necessary?At SessionM we’ve chosen a different approach. We...Read More

Analytics can benefit companies of all shapes and sizes. Demand for analytics is at an all-time high with results from The CMO Survey showing that organizations will increase spending on analytics an impressive 83 percent over the next three years. A number like that is easy to get behind...Read More

Summer is a time for vacation, a time for fun and a time to  be ‘on the go’.  As a result, many consumers take breaks from their normal routines, are away from their desktops and spend more time on their mobile devices.  With this ‘on the go’ mentality...Read More

Any business owner will tell you: Building customer loyalty doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time and a commitment to putting your customers first at each and every touch point.It also involves thinking outside of the box when crafting marketing programs to your customer base. That...Read More

IntroductionFrom time to time I hear whispers of business to business organizations questioning their need for a relationship survey.  The thinking sometimes goes: We have several transactional surveys, we can simplify our VoC program by eliminating our relationship survey.  Others have...Read More

Maria Brous, Director of Media & Community Relations at Publix Super Markets, talks to Loyalty360 about how a legacy of customer and employee engagement has kept the brand committed to the customer experience for generations. Read More

Creating desired and memorable experiences is what drives loyalty. There’s a transformation underway with the shift from transactional to relational loyalty programs that marketers need to think about. As this shift happens, what role does your email program play (or continue to play) as...Read More

Many brands follow the same old tried and true approaches to marketing and building brand loyalty - sending weekly email deals, offering loyalty and rewards cards and providing coupons for future purchases.  However, all of these efforts can fail to deliver real value, be overlooked - and...Read More

Media and entertainment companies already have millions of viewers. The challenge is that these viewers are largely unknown, except for their age and gender, and perhaps their viewing or online behavior. You’re working hard to develop a direct relationship with your viewers. And, for the...Read More

Change is not only imminent but constant; and staying on top of trends is more important than ever. As change is influencing customer engagement strategies, the question that springs to mind is this: are digital advancements leading to customer engagement opportunities or challenges?Digital...Read More

This episode of the Loyalty Management podcast series is titled "Integrated Loyalty: Holistically Measuring Customer Health", written by Clay Walton-House, Lenati.The science and art of measuring marketing effectiveness, especially when it comes to tracking customer behavior, has...Read More

Ryan Rose strategically advises an array of leading footwear providers on the technology and strategy behind delivering personalized customer experience to ultimately generate loyalty. From Asics and New Balance to Frye Boots and Aerosoles, Ryan works with a spectrum of brands across the industry...Read More

Walk down a busy street in a major city in almost country in the world. What’s the one thing you’ll always see? People on their mobile phones.Mobile phones are one of the fastest-growing consumer trends. By 2017, it’s predicted there will be almost 5.3 billion mobile phone users...Read More

According to a recent AdWeek article/infographic entitled “What Data-Driven Marketing Looks Like in 2015,” 77 percent of Marketers are confident in strategic data-driven marketing and 74 percent are expecting to increase their data marketing budgets and investments over the...Read More

It’s no secret. Catalogs are evolving and one could argue the catalog plays a more meaningful role in the customer experience today than it has since the advent of online shopping. With this evolution comes a new role for the catalog as part of an ominchannel strategy. It serves a new...Read More

Millennials in the workplace have been the subject of intense discussion of late … and with just cause. As of 2015, Millennials now comprise the largest percentage of workers in the workplace (36% in the U.S.). They’ve surpassed the percentage of Baby Boomers in the workplace and...Read More

Constellation Research recently released a report on The State of Marketing in 2015. In the report Dr. Natalie Petouhoff discusses why customer experiences is currently a top priority for marketing executives. As she states:“2015 is the year of customer choice. Thus all companies will...Read More

Loyalty360 sat down with Kristi Knight, CMO, InMoment, who gave a sneak peek into her upcoming webinar to be held June 23rd, 2015 at 1PM ET. During this webinar, Kristi Knight will share insights and explain:Why customer experience is different than customer serviceWhat operations needs to...Read More

Recently, I had the opportunity to present with my colleague Diana Lewis at Loyalty Expo in our workshop Data Selection, Monetizing and Measuring Performance. Planned workshop sessions are great. The topics of discussion are pre-selected by the subject matter experts presenting, metrics...Read More

A few years ago, surveys were the only source of customer feedback used to support a company’s Voice of the Customer (VoC) efforts.  Fast forward and we’re now at the other end of the spectrum, with a multitude of services and products to collect and analyze VoC.  In fact...Read More

The value consumers place on customer service continues to increase as they look for differentiated experiences in the world of increasingly commoditized products and services.  Throughout my career in marketing, I’ve had the opportunity to experience first-hand the exceptional...Read More

For Aspire Lifestyles, differentiating the customer experience through the use of Concierge is its daily mission. A key component of the Aspire Lifestyles service model is providing its clients the option of a tiered Concierge program.Loyalty360 caught up with Mark Robeson, Senior Vice...Read More

If you are like every other business in the world, you are looking for that magic bullet that drives profits, increases market share, and cuts your operational costs. Extensive research has shown the impact employees can have on customer satisfaction and when engaged, they can be a powerful way...Read More

Companies have invested in many different platforms, technologies, and customer-facing initiatives to move towards an integrated, personalized marketing approach. This has created large integration challenges, redundancies, and hype by suppliers who are adamant that they have all the analytics...Read More

Do you have one burning question about marketing that has plagued you? The question that keeps you up at night? The question you know your boss will ask one day, but you don’t know the answer?In our quest to help you connect with your customers on a deeper level, we want...Read More

Let’s get down to cases. Business cases, that is.One of the greatest frustrations a marketer can face is preparing for a loyalty initiative only to find a roadblock at the approval stage.Because a loyalty program is a serious investment, senior management will always take a very close look at the...Read More

Rewarding behavior and interactions in a targeted and cost effective way, can be a powerful part of the loyalty toolkit. Here’s how you do it.It’s important to identify the desired behaviors – and the value of those behaviors – before designing a reward structure. Equally important is identifying...Read More

You’re convinced your loyalty program stinks. Your biggest competitor's program has a far greater value proposition (not to mention, they just launched a beautiful mobile app while your churn rate jumped 5% last quarter).You feel like the CEO is breathing down your neck to really up...Read More

SessionM powers over 1,500 loyalty programs.  They took to the streets to ask real college students across Boston what their favorite apps are, why and how loyalty translates across content, brands and relationships in today's every-changing digital world. Watch the video below and find...Read More

In today’s hectic world, where speed and convenience are constantly sought after, online shopping is threatening the traditional brick-and-mortar retail experience, as well as customer loyalty, with consumers having access to an abundance of choice, prices and reviews with just the click of...Read More

With the responsibility of overseeing the existing base of accounts at Clutch, Matt Segal, VP of Account Management, is challenged with understanding a vast array of verticals that make up the 750+ current clients. Wireless providers have proven to be a core area for Matt as the company focuses...Read More

We’re Doing Responsive Web Wrong, but We Can Fix ItFor nearly a decade web designers have concentrated on transitioning websites to more responsive designs, but many have failed to take into account the rapid increase in screen size. From 2007 to 2011 screen size only changed by a half an...Read More

US consumers say they want a more personalized retail experience, yet remain reluctant to disclose personal information for fear of how retailers will use it. In turn, Accenture recently conducted a survey to explore the issues surrounding digital trust and customer expectations around...Read More

It is no secret that sending personalized, relevant emails can increase subscriber engagement. Triggered emails have proven their effectiveness time and again.  According to the Q4 2014 Email Trends and Benchmarks Report, triggered emails continue to outperform with click rates 135.8% higher...Read More

CPG Brands are feeling the squeeze between the rise of digital marketing channels on one side, and the dominance of retail channels on the other. To succeed, brands must shift their focus from traditional awareness and trial, to retention and growth.The Consumer Brand “Squeeze”Not so...Read More

Why has the retail industry been slow to seriously adopt multi-channel promotion?  The industry has been talking about multi-channel promotion for years but despite the fact that mobile communication is on the rise and other digital media continue to gain ground, very few retailers seem to...Read More

This episode of the Loyalty Management podcast series is titled "Customer Experience Disconnects: 5 Steps to Creating the RIGHT Customer Experience", written by Lonnie Mayne of InMoment.  Customer Experience is maturing. I rarely hear the phrase “customer service...Read More

It is no secret that consumer behavior has changed dramatically over the last 15 years. Customers now typically send emails or texts instead of letters, expect immediate communication, use electronic payments such as PayPal more than checks, want immediate gratification and live on their mobile...Read More

What’s the greatest source of frustration for companies managing complex recognition, incentive, or loyalty programs? Global fulfillment. It's an ongoing challenge to find a reliable provider that can offer a wide selection of meaningful rewards.Why is this so difficult for...Read More

Face it – most CX programs start with surveys, so why not avoid the most common mistakes before you ramp up your program?  We’ll give you best practices for question design and deployment techniques, all the way through to delivering insights that drive action and results.  ...Read More

Surveys are great resources, but they’re only part of a comprehensive CX program. Learn about the options you have to tune into customers in a multi-channel world of surveys, chat sessions, email, social media postings and SMS.Speakers: Brian Koma, VP & Customer Experience Practice...Read More

Effectively collecting feedback is the first step in a successful customer experience program. Without meaningful feedback, it’s next to impossible to gauge satisfaction rates or identify areas to improve and actions to take. But too often, the interactions that your customers are having...Read More

The past year saw an increasing number of consumers opt-in to a variety of different loyalty programs. The Loyalty Report 2015 study shows consumers overwhelmingly agree that loyalty programs are worth the effort, and it appears the extent to which programs are effective in influencing...Read More

Today, customers have more information, more options, and more control over the buying process than ever before. As a result, you must dedicate even more effort and resources to acquiring, engaging, and retaining your customers.Loyalty programs offer a particularly compelling way to build and...Read More

As we get on board with loyalty initiatives have we actually taken the time to understand our customers to deliver effective programs? While most organizations have a wealth of customer data, few Marketers are able to use it effectively, seeing it as a runaway freight train, overwhelmed by its...Read More

This episode of the Loyalty Management podcast series is titled "Surprising and Delighting Customer to Loyalty", written by Naomi Kasolowsky of dunnhumby. Loyalty programs are frequently clustered into “types.” These categories include points or currency based...Read More

How do you know when it’s time for a new value proposition for your  credit card or loyalty program? What is the process to create a customized value proposition that succeeds in fulfilling your strategic goals as well as delighting customers?  Join Synchrony Financial and Sam...Read More

This episode of the Loyalty Management podcast series is titled "Integrated Loyalty: The New Paradigms of Ease, Simplicity, Speed", written by Clay Walton-House of Lenati.For loyalty marketers today, approaching loyalty strategy in an integrated manner means looking holistically...Read More

This episode of the Loyalty Management podcast series is titled "Journey Mapping Has a New Customer – The Marketing Department", written by Nancy Porte of Verint.There is no denying that consumers are in charge of the way business is conducted today. Customer expectations...Read More

This episode of the Loyalty Management podcast series is titled "Keeping your Message Simple Helps to Drive Loyalty to Your Brand", written by Joe Disharoon of Epsilon.“Don’t let your channel be the driver of the content – synchronize your offer set and...Read More

Click to register for this upcoming webinar presented by ResponseTek!Loyalty360 sat down with Peter Oxley, VP of Global Marketing for ResponseTek, who gave a sneak peek into his upcoming webinar to be held April 9th, 2015 at 1PM ET.  For more details on this free webinar or information...Read More

Sadly, we are now many years into retail loyalty marketing programs and as a consumer, I still don’t see much that’s new, engaging or innovative. However, as a retail loyalty marketing professional I can imagine the board room conversations that lead to these uninspired programs. From challenges...Read More

The domination of Amazon has forced retailers to verticalize, whitelabel, and prioritize their own products over those of the CPG brands who, for so long, relied on retailers are their primary sales channel. This squeeze changes everything.In today's market, the acquisition-only strategy is...Read More

Does your loyalty program need a tune-up?  While you can significantly benefit from the convenience of an automated loyalty platform, staying on auto-pilot without regular inspections can be costly. This podcast will outline a comprehensive check list to help you assess the value of...Read More

This episode of the Loyalty Management podcast series is titled "To Cobrand Or Not To Cobrand?", written by Jonathan Gelfand of Partner Advisors.  Cobrand credit card programs can help businesses solve three key objectives for a retailer:Providing an additional...Read More

Huuuge is a next generation social casino network  built upon a promise to provide the most thrilling entertainment experience for casual gamers who love playing free-to-play casino games. How does Huuuge think about keeping these gamers engaged and what’s next for their mobile...Read More

In the era of the consumer review, an increasing number of digital channels and a 24/7 shopping cycle, customers are more empowered than ever before and driving major change within businesses. Since the cost to acquire a new customer is so high, many businesses are looking to increase the...Read More

Many organizations are recognizing that it is absolutely essential to align employee engagement and customer experience initiatives with organizational strategy and purpose.  Without this alignment, it is virtually impossible to realize sustainable...Read More

Brand loyalty is undergoing a major transition. More than ever before, customers are continually reevaluating their brand choices and carefully discerning which are truly worthy of their scarce dollars and even scarcer "attention currency." At the same time, traditional loyalty programs...Read More

It is no longer a point of debate whether it’s important for organizations to deliver highly relevant and personalized customer experiences on every channel. The question facing us today is what exactly is a great customer experience and how do we understand our customers well enough to...Read More

Journey mapping is an interactive approach to discover what customers truly want – the critical moments of truth – that drive business success and customer loyalty. Using multiple points of views (customers, employees, partners), it uncovers perspectives of customer experiences...Read More

Words possess the power to lift you up—and break you down. Especially the words of your customers. Regardless of sentiment, they relay an important message about your brand. Companies equipped to properly listen and act on these messages will create loyal brand advocates. Those lacking...Read More

Showrooming: the apparent scourge of bricks and mortar retailers as they invest in all the stock, the rent, and the staff only to have consumers come along and poke the display product (that they now can't sell as we poked it) with one hand and order it from Amazon with the other.Over the...Read More

This episode of the Loyalty Management podcast series is titled "Programs Worth Launching", written by Naomi Kasolowsky of dunnhumby. Some of the most common client concerns and questions we help to solve relate to loyalty programs – whether to have a loyalty program...Read More

To build loyalty and increase customer retention, brands must create habit and engage their consumers. Netflix broke the mold with it’s original programming, and may have forever changed the loyalty marketing model.I’ve recently binge-watched all of House of Cards season 3...Read More

It’s not difficult to see why consumers embrace loyalty programs, in fact, 71% of online consumers belong to at least one rewards program, according to Forrester Research. Rewards programs can save them money, and sometimes even get them something for free. Plus, participation can be fun...Read More

Do you remember making your holiday toy wish list as a child? How about waiting by the mailbox for your favorite holiday catalog to arrive?  In the late 1980’s, catalogs could be 200+ pages in length. These catalogs created an experience for both children and adults to make their...Read More

With the new year upon us, it is imperative to begin thinking about HOW, not IF, your business will grow in 2015.  After all, that is the resolution of virtually every small business owner I’ve had the occasion to speak with.  When I’m asked what tools a business should use...Read More

For the last 20 years Rymax Marketing Services has succeeded in becoming the most trusted loyalty marketing provider in the industry. Part of this success can be attributed to the fact that, for those 20 years we’ve been solely focused on creating full service loyalty and reward programs...Read More

Big data is an even bigger buzzword, and it can provide incredible insight into customer preferences and market trends. But for a loyalty program, the basic unit of measure is the relationship between a business and a customer, and that relies on small data.In the context of a customer loyalty...Read More

“When rethinking measurement, it’s important to expand your view – and the focus of your measurement and analysis – beyond good customers.  After all, customers with a lot of potential to become good customers are equally important to your future,” shares...Read More

Building relationships is a major goal of any entity: it exhibits reliability, whether it is a person, a brand or company or an object. In recent years, brands have really begun investing in developing relationships with their customers, often down to an audience of one. There are many reasons...Read More

“Big Data” has typically been a big business game. To some, this just makes sense. Larger companies have more customers, more data, and more resources for analyzing their data. Even business intelligence (BI) tools—which mine and interpret large volumes multifaceted data&mdash...Read More

Travel back in time to the early stages of the economic recession and try finding a middle class, banked, mainstream American who relies on prepaid products for day to day transactions and you’re likely to come up empty. In fact, a 2008 survey found that general purpose reloadable (GPR...Read More

As marketers, we strive to continuously provide a positive experience for our customers.  Email is a channel, in which every company is engaged in today. But email offers so much more – it creates an experience for consumers and it provides marketers with an opportunity to have a...Read More

A recent article from Harvard Business Review entitled “Marketing Is Dead, and Loyalty Killed It” states:“For most people, the word “marketing” summons up a single-minded focus on selling products – a one-sided endeavor. But one-sided...Read More

This episode of the Loyalty Management podcast series is titled "Eliminating the “Graffiti” in Your Customer Experience Program", written by Nancy Porte of Verint.There’s no disputing the fact that executive sponsorship is key to driving the success of customer...Read More

This episode of the Loyalty Management podcast series is titled "Way of the Future: An Integrated Approach to Customer Loyalty Strategies", written by Clay Walton-House of Lenati.Developing customer loyalty strategies in the modern consumer landscape represents a number of complex...Read More

Loyalty360 Thought Leadership Video Series: Bruce Rogers, Chief Insights Officer, Forbes & Loyalty360 CEO and CMO, Mark JohnsonLoyalty360's Mark Johnson talks with Bruce Rogers, Chief Insights Officer from Forbes, to discuss the rapidly changing nature of customer loyalty...Read More

In this edition of Loyalty360's Thought Leadership in Loyalty podcast series, Loyalty360's Mark Johnson talks with Bruce Rogers, Chief Insights Officer from Forbes, to discuss the rapidly changing nature of customer loyalty, how brands can transform their culture to enhance...Read More

This episode of the Loyalty Management podcast series is titled "Sit Down...And Listen", written by Lonnie Maybe of InMoment.“Everybody is a teacher if you listen.”Every once in a while you come across an unexpected bit of wisdom. The above pearl is from actress Doris...Read More

Loyalty360 CEO and CMO Mark Johnson sat down with rDialogue CEO Phil Rubin to discuss the state of loyalty marketing today, how brands can truly understand their customers and which brands are setting the highest standards when it comes to creating personalized customer experiences.See...Read More

Loyalty360 CEO and CMO Mark Johnson sat down with rDialogue CEO Phil Rubin, to discuss the state of loyalty and customer experience across top industries in today's marketplace. Listen to the podcast of Phil Rubin's Thought Leadership in Loyalty interview, and ...Read More

Think about some of your top challenges right now in marketing to your channel, retailers and consumers.A few weeks ago, we polled a group of industry folks about challenges they were having around their promotions, and here’s what the results looked like:Q: What is your biggest challenge...Read More

Loyalty programs have been incredibly enduring — from that very first American Airlines frequent flyer program in 1981 to the Starbucks Card Rewards program nearly 30 years later. The average U.S. household now takes part in 21.9 loyalty programs every year, according to Colloquy research...Read More

Despite their title, customer loyalty marketers often fail to sufficiently include the customer.Example:  One of my family members is an elite member of a major airline loyalty program.  She received an offer to get miles for shopping online at several high-end stores that she often...Read More

“A journey is like marriage. The certain way to be wrong is to think you control it.” ― John SteinbeckFrom Line to LoopThere’s a lot of buzz around customer journeys these days.  Interestingly, it used to be shown as a simple straight line, from awareness to...Read More

Customer loyalty is perhaps the most important metric to measure a business’ success by, be it online or offline. Nurturing loyalty among your customers is a wise strategy, especially when considering the fact that it costs 7 times more to acquire a new customer than to retain one.With this...Read More

According to Loyalty360’s most recent Loyalty Landscape Report, 24% of marketers say that consumers expect more personalization now than 2 years ago. And when executed correctly, personalization both improves the customer experience and aligns with business goals. With this in mind...Read More

Lonnie has spent his entire career helping companies focus on the human side of doing business. Whether it’s building a healthy culture for internal teams, or centering decisions around customers and their needs, Lonnie is laser-focused on creating people-centric enterprises that bring...Read More

The interest in customer loyalty has never been greater. We launched our Brand Forum this past summer with an increased focus on brands to understand the challenges they are facing in this new marketing paradigm. We continue to hear from brands about their concerted efforts to understand their...Read More

Q:What are some best practices for aligning on all fronts to ensure a consistent experience that customers love?  A: Teamwork is the beating heart of every successful organization. Without it, communication lines get scattered, goals move off track, and, most detrimentally, customers...Read More

  This fall at Engagement & Experience Expo, Loyalty360 is showing appreciation for the companies that appreciate you, at the inaugural Loyalty360 CX (Customer Experience) Awards.The ceremony will celebrate today’s top companies who deliver exceptional customer experiences to...Read More

Personas and journey maps can be essential tools to help support the design and development of a new digital project. As we create them though, it’s important to remember that these tools have to serve a purpose beyond just the delivered document. In an ideal situation, a persona or journey...Read More

Loyalty is a finicky thing.In the last few decades, the word “loyalty” has gone from representing a strong feeling of support, allegiance, and even love, to being synonymous with points programs and cards. Yet it’s the original sentiment that is most important in the...Read More

The dynamics between buyers and sellers have certainly changed over the years. Phrases like “efficient” and “cost-effective” have been replaced with “delighting” and “building meaningful relationships.”  Rather than just being seen as a vendor,...Read More

Consumers are no longer just sitting back receiving brand messages; they are leaning forward and actively engaging with them. Brands have moved from noise operators to enticement factories. According to Google, in its latest study with AdAge, “more than 2 billion consumers go online...Read More

The recent public relations debacle that KFC experienced provides a painful example of just how important customer service can be. An employee asked a three-year-old girl and her grandmother to leave the restaurant because the girl’s facial wounds—sustained by a dog attack—were...Read More

There is a lot of buzz about content. However, there is a critical difference between relevant content focused on your customer’s needs versus content that is sales oriented and self-serving.The Content Marketing Institute defines content marketing as "a marketing technique of creating and...Read More

Once upon a time, customer data was a commodity. Today, it’s a highly-valuable currency driving business forward. As an influx of data pours in from e-commerce, POS and payment processors, mobile devices and social media outlets, brands now have access to a gold mine of customer...Read More

Is it true that price is rarely on the mind of a satisfied customer? Evidence suggests that whilst price is often on the mind of many customers, it tends to take the backseat if the overall value perception is strong. As Warren Buffet once said “Price is what you pay. Value is what you get....Read More

As our colleague Laura Gardiner mentioned in her article last month, How Benchmarking Brings Valuable Insight to Your Loyalty Program, we’ve determined that the majority of the brands we work with spend most of their time and marketing dollars targeting the top 20% of their customers, as it...Read More

IntroductionYou and your customers have a complex relationship and much of that complexity involves customers’ expectations. For the most part, they expect an ongoing relationship, or at least the availability of one, that will ensure the value of their purchases. In a highly competitive...Read More

Why should health insurance executives be taking a closer look at how Starbucks engages its customers?The MyStarbucksRewards program enables loyal coffee drinkers to earn free drinks or food, receive custom email offers and easy payment via a mobile app.  In fact, the company estimates that...Read More

Customer Experience. It’s a popular term used by loyalty marketers.  Loyalty programs have long lead the industry in capturing customer data, and the best programs have operationalized that data and turned customer insight into marketing and business process improvements. There...Read More

We’ve all had customer experiences where we’ve walked out of a store or hung up the phone frothing at the mouth. Maybe our expectations weren’t met, maybe the rep was having a terrible day, or maybe there were communication issues – regardless, our reactions were the same....Read More

Due to the increased knowledge and success of loyalty programs and elite membership status, more and more organizations have started to reevaluate their loyalty programs and are incorporating key components of their marketing strategies to retain, attract and grow the value of highly desirable...Read More

If there is anything to be said about loyalty in 2014, it’s this: Brands should take an omni-channel approach to communicating with their customers. Whereas the world once operated on strictly traditional grounds for company-customer relations, customers now interact with brands in a wide...Read More

 When it comes to true brand loyalty, emotional decisions trump rational ones every time. Join Bond Brand Loyalty as it discusses what it takes to elevate your loyalty strategy from mere discounting, to consistent repeat action.On December 4, 2014 at 1:00 p.m. EDT, Loyalty360 will host a...Read More

Sometimes it seems as if 2014 is the year of the “moment” in mobile marketing. But moments are, by definition, transient, short-lived and often irrelevant. A moment without a connection before or after it, with nothing to ground it, has no hope of driving genuine and lasting behavior...Read More

The digital media revolution has completely changed the way retailers and manufacturers seek to engage their customers.  Multichannel and direct marketing have become central to the overall shopping experience expected by today’s consumers.  Messages and offers are delivered via...Read More

It’s no surprise that today, more than ever, customers are engaging online.  And the more consumers engage online, the more data brands have at their disposal to help them better understand their customer in order to make deeper, more personal connections that lead to lasting customer...Read More

We are pleased to announce our partnership with Miller Meiers, an award-winning marketing and advertising agency in Kansas City and Lawrence, KS.Mobile is here. Customers expect to have access to a brand anywhere and at anytime all within the palm of their hands. This mind shift in...Read More

Rewards don’t always have to drive purchases – they can also be used to foster important lifestyle changes to increase health and wellness consumerengagement.Health care has been undergoing significant changes in the U.S., and there has also been a renewed focus on preventative...Read More

Figuring out how to deliver the “branch of the future” can be a daunting task in an ever-changing marketplace. Do you know what your customers want, need or expect now? Have you asked them?And if you have, what changes are you thinking of making based on that insight?It’s...Read More

Put in the most simplistic terms, loyalty programs are so valuable because customer satisfaction drives better financial results for payment services providers. The success of these programs lies in the capability to improve the customer relationship to such an extent that it turns repeat...Read More

The proliferation of customer channels, driven by technological developments, have given brands more ways to reach a customer or prospect than ever before. Promotional marketing has been completely transformed by the multi-channel environment, opening the door for brands to become a much larger...Read More

Industry experts, rife with hopeful optimism in the early days of CRM and customer loyalty programs, thought CRM was the ultimate tactic to clinch and sustain a personal rela tionship with their customer. They did not consider the breadth and depth of fundamentals we now know are necessary to...Read More

Driving nearly half of a brand’s total revenue, loyalists hold the fate of your brand in their hands. Having a firm understanding of your loyalist base is critical to the success of your brand. Understanding who your loyalists are is the first step to proper engagement  and learning...Read More

The speed of change brought about by technological advances has brought with it certain expectations. One of those expectations is that customers and prospects will have a consistent experience of your brand across all channels, from your website to your customer service center to your brick-and...Read More

Are you looking for ways to glean important insights from your customers—then make business-impacting decisions from them? Then plan to attend a free one-hour webinar on Wednesday, November 5 at 11 a.m. ET called “Customer Interaction Analytics Is the 'New Black'” where...Read More

We are pleased to announce our partnership with Miller Meiers, an award-winning marketing and advertising agency in Kansas City and Lawrence, KS.Mobile is here. Customers expect to have access to a brand anywhere and at anytime all within the palm of their hands. This mind shift in...Read More

According to recent Neilsen research, time spent using smartphones now exceeds Web usage on computers in the U.S., U.K. and Italy1. That’s wonderful news for smartphone manufacturers and a troubling statistic for any company whose preference collection hub is un-responsive to smaller screen...Read More

It’s no secret that when it comes to marketing, retailers are increasingly shifting more and more of their resources toward delivering a personalized experience for their customers. However, while most retailers will tell you that their communications are truly one-to-one, when in reality...Read More

More and more organizations today are developing strategies to put in place with the goal of exceeding customer needs and expectations. This week Verint took part in a Frost and Sullivan Executive MindExchange conference focused on customer contact and engagement. The primary goal of the...Read More

Loyalty Best Practices Part 1: Barriers to ParticipationRead More

[Podcast] “They’ll Never Forget…”Read More

[Podcast] Taco John’s® Teams Up with InMoment to Optimize Customer FeedbackRead More

The leading mobile shopping app in the Kansas City metro, FINDit Video & Loyalty, now offers its 350 merchant clients the ability to integrate iBeacon technologyto target and connect with shoppers in real time.FINDitKC, a digital media company centered around video, expanded its reach...Read More

New Balance Reshapes Customer-centric Path Toward LoyaltyRead More

Publix Super Markets Treats Customers Like RoyaltyRead More

The Millennial Traveler: How To Attract Tomorrow’s Economic Rising StarsRead More

3 Ways to Optimize CX via Mobile Appointments RemindersRead More

[Podcast] Customer Experience is Loyalty’s Vinyl LPRead More

I have identified three trends that are having great impact on the management of customer loyalty and incentive programs:Pricing and offering of retail e-commerce solutionsMobile adoption and user expectationsNeed to redeem at retailHistorically, incentive and loyalty companies have been able to...Read More

Consumers have even seen significant format and new product changes: from liquids and powders, bleaches for whites, stain removers and pre-treaters, all-in-one detergents,  fabric softeners, varying temperature detergents, biodegradable cleaners, to color safe bleaches, tablets and more...Read More

As today’s discerning consumers increasingly demand to be treated as individuals and receive offers tailored to their interests, personalisation has inevitably become a hot topic.  By knowing what people buy, how much they buy, when and where they buy and what triggers their purchasing...Read More

Sticks and stones may break some bones, but words can bolster your business.Words in the form of customer feedback possess a real power to build up or harm company assets. In a time where masses of data can cloud a company’s outlook, the ability to understand the Voice of the Customer...Read More

White Paper: Inflection Points: Seizing the Moment in Customer LoyaltyWhat is a marketing trend you see today?Loyalty is not just about spend and transactions any longer.One of the more interesting trends we are seeing in the marketplace is the increased interest in recognizing and rewarding...Read More

Retaining loyal customers can be just as challenging as acquiring them. Shoppers switch brands sporadically, for reasons that often seem random or illogical.  Although consumers’ ever-changing preferences and lifestyles can be hard for marketers to keep up with, a recent study by...Read More

When you stop and do the math, employee turnover is expensive.  Replacing employees can cost up to 43% of their annual salary, so ensuring your employees stay loyal to your company and your brand is important.  But there is another benefit to employee loyalty that is often overlooked...Read More

As a recent Accenture study revealed, two out of every three customers changed service providers in a single year due to poor customer service. The reason: many customers see little variation in product offerings across companies and have few to no barriers to switching.In the past, lost...Read More

Last week I came upon a loyalty card from a well-known auto service center that provided the user with a $10 discount on each of five oil changes, the sixth oil change would be done for free.  I called the closest location and my call was answered by Dustin (I’m guessing he was 23) who...Read More

Millennials have been a frequent topic of discussion lately, particularly within the marketing world. Adweek, for example, recently put together an infographic that detailed the technology and buying habits of the Millennial customer while The New York Times published an article that examined how...Read More

Trade-in programs can be a profitable way for mobile retailers to attract and retain customers, but they are now experiencing a financially crippling challenge. With the adoption of anti-theft apps such as Find My iPhone, devices that have these features activated cannot be reactivated in a...Read More

As I’m sure you would agree, anyone in a leadership position has a tough job. They have expectations to meet, metrics to measure, goals to achieve, deadlines to hit, and maybe the most difficult but most important, a team of individuals to engage in a common goal.Think about the people in...Read More

Weather is nature’s original mobile app: it happens to everyone, everywhere, 24 hours a day. Perhaps that explains why The Weather Company has been such a huge hit with mobile audiences. The company was an early mobile adopter, creating its first mobile team in 1999, and today The Weather...Read More

With the option to buy via several different channels, shoppers have become very aware of choosing the best price and often wait for the now inevitable – and seemingly ever present – sales. But is discounting really the most effective way to attract customers?  Lenta, one of...Read More

Loyalty programming—and in essence, the whole customer experience—is constantly changing based on evolving customer needs and expectations, as well as insights, trends, and technology that inform how we interact and what we value. Companies like BigDoor, who have fueled loyalty...Read More

Keeping an organization running smoothly every day is challenging enough. However, that’s only part of the picture. Are you listening to your customers today to know what you’ll need to do to run your business smoothly tomorrow?One way many successful organizations are doing this is...Read More

Many popular apps rely on geolocation technology to provide local information on things like the weather, restaurants and cinemas.  People are also very familiar with navigation software and geotagging their locations via social media.  But what are the implications for the retail...Read More

Loyalty360 recently had the chance to get some insight from Aimia. Read on for an interesting Q&A, in which Aimia addresses customer experience as it relates to CPGs, expanding upon market trends, challenges, and opportunities.What is a marketing trend you see today?Aimia: Loyalty is not...Read More

In a recent Forrester report, survey respondents were asked three questions related to loyalty. They found a strong positive correlation between customer experience index scores, likelihood of recommending to a friend and willingness to consider another purchase. They found a negative correlation...Read More

TechnologyAdvice spoke to Maritz Motivation Solutions VP of Loyalty Strategy Barry Kirk and BigDoor Director of Marketing Ashley Tate on what it takes for a loyalty program to be successful today. Their keen insight led to these seven questions that can help you enhance your current or future...Read More

All brands have them—those wonderful, yet mysterious “secret admirers” who engage on all social media platforms, subscribe to mailing lists and purchase new products almost instinctively. Certainly, as marketers, our appreciation for them is enormous, but do we really know who...Read More

If no action is taken, capturing online customer feedback is just a vanity tool. Equally, if customer feedback is simply stored in a system and nobody looks into it, the organisation is deprived of valuable customer insight. Its common sense to see that action taken on insights almost always...Read More

I often get asked, “How can you help me manage my company’s online reputation?” I know those inquiring are not asking for help in dealing with the glowing customer testimonials they have received on Twitter, Yelp, Facebook, and any other online social medium they use. They are...Read More

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Click to register for this upcoming webinar presented by DataCandy!Loyalty360 sat down with Luc Garneau, VP of Strategic Consulting Services at DataCandy, who gave a sneak peek into his upcoming Webinar to be held August 12, 2014 at 1:00pm EDT.  For more details on this free webinar or...Read More

Speech analytics and text analytics are extremely valuable tools in the battle for that precious data contained in recorded conversations with customers and in the text-based channels where they regularly communicate.Text and speech analytics enable you to understand the drivers of issues...Read More

The pace at which the mobile sector moves has always been incredibly fast, dramatically changing over years as new technologies come to the fore. The arrival of the Smartphone has been a major contributor to this change, and one of technologies it has ‘birthed’ is increasingly having...Read More

While looking for a little inspiration to write this post, I came across a Forbes article about business trends in 2014. One of the top trends identified is company rebranding. The article is quick to mention that “while external rebranding is a big part of the equation, internal efforts to...Read More

In my previous articles, I covered major trends in credit card cobrand profitability and how banks calculate the profitability of your credit card program as well as the key drivers of revenue and expenses.  In this article I will discuss the credit card product.  A quick and accurate...Read More

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On October 9, 1999 I married the love of my life. The following day we were whisked off tobeautiful Hawaii for an amazing honeymoon trip we still talk about now almost 15 years ago.2 days into our trip, I was videotaping the sunset and noticed on the date stamp on the old camcorder screen that it...Read More

Brand loyalty and rewards programs have proven to be an extremely successful way to drive sales through reliable, consistent and passionate customers. These loyal customers deliver 80% of a brand’s revenue on average[1], making them the most important focus for any company looking to grow...Read More

Before launching (or re-launching) a native mobile app, it’s imperative to truly understand your current visitor journey and how an Android, iOS, or Windows Phone app would enhance that experience. Your mobile app should not simply be your website shrunk down to a smaller screen. Brands...Read More

Jason Levesque, CEO and Founder, Argo Marketing Group, participated in an engaging Q&A with Loyalty360 to discuss emerging technologies in marketing with social media and mobile opportunities.  Jason shared his thoughts on the following questions:With the advent of social, mobile and...Read More

One in five customers use social media to engage with a brand after a purchase to make sure they are getting as much value out of their product or service as possible. In many cases, though, what consumers find when they “fan” or “friend” a brand is a social presence...Read More

George Skaff, Chief Marketing Officer at TouchCommerce, spoke with Loyalty 360 during a Q&A session about customer engagement & multi-channel opportunities with mobile devices as well as offering marketing advice on data usage. George shared his thoughts on the following questions:What...Read More

Loyalty 360 had the opportunity of sitting down with Luke Aulin, Co-founder and Mayor of RTOWN.  RTOWN is a growing team of digital professionals aligned around a very audacious mission: to help 10,000 local businesses each increase their revenues by $1,000,000.  Luke shared his...Read More

Consumers can experience a moment of truth at any phase during the purchasing process. Since this “A-ha!” moment may take place at any time, a marketers’ success lies in their ability to connect with consumers in real-time throughout the process to influence their decisions and...Read More

On Southwest Flight 22 from El Paso to Phoenix, the flight attendant accepted assistance from two adoring passengers to help pass out peanuts to fellow passengers.  The most important part of the occurrence was not the obvious fun the two guys in Bermuda shorts and ball caps had.  ...Read More

I’ve talked before about how big data is driving content marketing. And also earlier this week about how customer insights are becoming the main competitive differentiation between old-school traditionalists and modern marketers.But somewhere rolling around in my head was a...Read More

Integrate Your Customer Experience and Employee Engagement Initiatives to Drive Business PerformanceMany organizations are recognizing that it is absolutely essential to align employee engagement and customer experience initiatives with organizational strategy and purpose.  Without this...Read More

Integrate Your Customer Experience and Employee Engagement Initiatives to Drive Business PerformanceMany organizations are recognizing that it is absolutely essential to align employee engagement and customer experience initiatives with organizational strategy and purpose.  Without this...Read More

Michael Fisher, President, Yes Lifecycle Marketing participated in an engaging Q&A with Loyalty360 to discuss the realities of Customer Managed Relationships and why CMR should be a priority for marketers. Yesmail has developed a unique philosophy regarding CMR.Marketers think they know their...Read More

It was April 15, and I was getting ready to undertake the long journey from Rochester to my hometown, Bangalore. As excited as I was, there was also a bit of trepidation, since Rochester’s famously unpredictable clouds had decided snow and a bit of hail was in the offing...Read More

Rick Ferguson Vice President, Knowledge Development, Aimia participated in an intriguing Q&A in advance of the company’s webinar hosted by Loyalty360 titled, “Real Relationships,” which will be held May 22, 2014 at 1 p.m. EDT.Ferguson is the featured webinar speaker and will...Read More

Chris Duskin, VP of Marketing & Services, Extole told Loyalty360 it’s harder and harder for brands to reach new audiences. But Duskin believes referral marketing can help accelerate a brand’s customer acquisition and retention efforts.“What we’re seeing is acquisition...Read More

Is Mobile Gamification and Beacons the Future of Customer Engagement?By Aneesh Reddy, CEO and Co-Founder of Capillary TechnologiesThe retail industry has completely changed dynamics over the last two decades. With the rise of social media and the increasingly faster evolution of technological...Read More

J.D. Power III altered the way the industry viewed customer service, customer satisfaction, and the customer experience. He is the “voice” behind the term “Voice of the Customer” and his impact is indelible. Launched in 1968, the venerable J.D. Power & Associates has...Read More

Chris Duncan, CIO, Hooters of America told Loyalty360 that he wants to know what every customer likes and attempt to fulfill that desire.“We have a very loyal customer base and wanted to reward them,” Duncan said. “The challenge we had was learning more about our customers and...Read More

Companies across all verticals are experiencing an engagement challenge with their two primary constituencies, employees and customers. The real solution may lie in solving both at the same time.  Maritz Motivation VP of Loyalty Strategies Barry Kirk and Maritz Motivation VP of Employee...Read More

With the increasing popularity of showrooming, and the competition from online retailers like Amazon, brick-and-mortar retailers are looking for innovative ways to earn back shopper loyalty. At Amazon, consumers are paying bottom dollar for their favorite products to be delivered in a convenient...Read More

When it comes to customer loyalty it’s very easy for businesses to focus on those people that have had problems or issues and want to complain. In some ways this is the ‘low hanging fruit’ of customer relations because often this group will be proactive in contacting you (they...Read More

The “Q” in QM stands for “quality,” but the definition of quality has evolved over the years. Some people look at the Q in terms of Quality Assurance, or sometimes Management, rather than the traditional “Monitoring.” Despite the changes in vernacular, one...Read More

With all the talk about customers and their use of multiple channels to reach that purchasing decision, physical retail stores retain one distinct advantage: face-to-face time with the customer. Forrester updated their customer life cycle diagram recently identifying two new areas - Ask and Use -...Read More

When the Saudi Investment Bank (SAIB), a leader in Persian Gulf-area banking, wanted to expand their world-renowned investment bank brand into the retail sector, they knew that leveraging customer loyalty would be important.But to create its highly anticipated WOOW customer rewards program, SAIB...Read More

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Despite the promises that gaming, the internet and choose-your-own adventure books would destroy linear storytelling, it seems to be here to stay. Maybe more than ever before, we're drowning in stories: from clever tweets and status updates to bloated Super Bowl spots to multi-season, 60-hour...Read More

  Insightpool helps the world’s most innovative brands develop stronger relationships with their most important influencers, prospects & customers through social media outreach. By instantly identifying and proactively engaging the right people at the right...Read More

Q: Our marketing plan is putting more and more focus on content. What are some tips formaking sense of all of the technology that’s available today to help build a successful content strategy?"Technology is really helpful for distribution, curation, and...Read More

Mult ichannel retailers win while customer loyalty wanes for biggest U.S.retailers; satisfaction stagnates across Web and Mobile channels during 2013 holiday season.The most satisfied shoppers this holiday season were the ones thatinteracted with a retailer across multiple channels. The...Read More

WHAT IS RELEVANCE? “Relevance is the key thing for people involved in content strat-egy to be aware of for the future.Content should fill a consumer interest rather than push a corporate agenda. Content should be focused not on selling, but on educating or ...Read More

Customer Relationship Marketing (CRM) needs to be at the core of your company’s customer strategy. Companies that don’t embrace CRM, or fall behind will risk serious impacts to financial and growth metrics.Declaring yourself a customer centric company does not make it...Read More

In the beginning, loyalty programs were pretty simple – a customer buys something, that customer earns points; that customer burns those points to get something. But this simple “earn and burn” type loyalty program rewards everyone equally for their...Read More

PLAYING FOLLOW THE LEADER IN CPGIf you were doing some homework on how to fine-tune your CRMstrategy, the Consumer Packaged Goods industry is probably a goodplace to start. CPG marketing managers have long been fans of customer insight, and their brands live and die based on ...Read More

Events bring together your customers, prospects, industry influencers, media, senior executives from your company, partners, etc. While there are common goals of leveraging events to drive leads, pipeline and revenue, they also offer a huge opportunity to influence customer ...Read More

Evan Weisenfeld has more than twenty years’ experience in sales and marketing with extensive experience in the loyalty marketing industry. He is currently the US Head of Business Development for Exchange Solutions, helping clients develop innovative customer engagement and loyalty...Read More

Gregg Sauter is Vice President of Business Development and Marketing for the Saskatchewan Roughriders Football Club. Gregg leads all marketing, brand development, ticketing, CRM and communication functions including all things digital. Prior to the Riders Gregg spent eight years with Nokia Mobile...Read More

Every year, Satmetrix® releases our Net Promoter® Benchmarks, a series of reports that rank leading companies using the Net Promoter Score (NPS®). This year we surveyed more than 23,000 U.S. consumers to rank over 200 brands across 22 sectors, including financial services, insurance...Read More

If you’ve ever taken a customer survey, chances are, you’ve been asked how likely you are to recommend a particular product, service, or company to someone you know. It’s the common standard among satisfaction surveys. According to the Net Promoter Score model by Satmetrix,...Read More

InfoTrellis white paper dissects ‘transactional’ and ‘emotional’ loyaltyIs there a gap between what most loyalty programs can achieve and what they are actually achieving? The folks at InfoTrellis say yes, and, what’s more, the way to close the gap is often lost...Read More

The disruptive technology of Social Media, Mobility, Analytics, and Cloud [SMAC] has captivated travelers. The effect of using this technology which allows customers to use an iPhone as a boarding pass at airports and as a tool to move from the middle seat to the aisle seat on their plane cannot...Read More

Paul Brown will be the first to tell you that his relationship with JetBlue is unconventional – he even likens it to the movie Her, which tells the tale of a man falling in love with an artificially intelligent computer operating system. When most people mention or interact with a huge...Read More

Pierre Bourbonniére, CMO of STM, will be one of the featured speakers during a session at the 7th Annual Loyalty Expo, presented by Loyalty360 – The Loyalty Marketer’s Association. The event will be held March 17-19, 2014, at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress in Orlando, Florida...Read More

Gianluca Pogliani, Senior Director of Consumer Insights and Analytics, Luxottica will be one of the featured speakers during a session at the 7th Annual Loyalty Expo, presented by Loyalty360 – The Loyalty Marketer’s Association. The event will be held March 17-19, 2014, at the Hyatt...Read More

JoAnn McCormack, Sr. Digital & Activation Manager, Novartis Consumer Health will be one of the featured speakers during a session at the 7th Annual Loyalty Expo, presented by Loyalty360 – The Loyalty Marketer’s Association. The event will be held March 17-19, 2014, at the Hyatt...Read More

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, NCES, 1.6 million students with a bachelor's will graduate as the class of 2014. While recent graduates are entirely aware of the competition for coveted entry-level positions, many are unaware of the battle between employers to nail...Read More

From polished Midtown luxury to chic downtown style, Triumph Hotels is a collection of six boutique Manhattan hotels with each offering a distinct take on the city experience. The Iroquois New York, Hotel Chandler, Hotel Belleclaire, The Cosmopolitan, The Gershwin and The Washington...Read More

Online retailer Overstock.com was recently named No. 3 in the 2014 Customer Loyalty and Engagement Index conducted by research specialist Brand Keys. The ratings are set by customers who have purchased goods from the retailers cited in the index.Overstock CEO Patrick Byrne recently sat down with...Read More

Offering special promotions, experiences, and discounts to targeted groups of customers is a proven strategy for reaching new customers, increasing incremental revenue, and strengthening brand loyalty. But what happens when that exclusive promo code gets re-posted on Retail Me Not, customers...Read More

Loyalty360 invites you to take a sneak peek into the 2014 Loyalty Expo sessions with our Speaker Interview Series! For more information or to register, visit www.loyaltyexpo.com!Read More

Loyalty360 invites you to take a sneak peek into the 2014 Loyalty Expo sessions with our Speaker Interview Series! For more information or to register, visit www.loyaltyexpo.com!Read More

Loyalty360 invites you to take a sneak peek into the 2014 Loyalty Expo sessions with our Speaker Interview Series! For more information or to register, visit www.loyaltyexpo.com!Read More

Loyalty360 invites you to take a sneak peek into Loyalty Expo 2014 sessions with our Speaker  Interview Series! Read More

Contact center agents are trained to be courteous, but using a pleasant voice means little to an angry mother when an order with guaranteed delivery doesn’t arrive in time for her daughter’s birthday. In such cases, consumers usually join other dissatisfied customers in closing their...Read More

This week, IBMs Institute for Business Value Global Consumer Study found that many customers will share their data with retailers or brands - but that they expect a few things in return. Specifically, they want customized offers tailored to their wants and needs.This is not earth-shattering news....Read More

As Group Director and Vice President for such a large retailer, where do you focus most of your time? Where do you see the greatest opportunities?At the moment most of my time is on creating the CRM team and building the capabilities we need to support our future CRM practices.If you...Read More

If you’re not everywhere, you’re nowhere. That’s the modern mantra for customer service. You have to be omnipresent.Now, this may appear like “playing God”, but even the major religions have proved that customer service is high on their agenda. The Pope, for instance...Read More

As we discussed in Part 1 of this series, the New Year is a great time to review your customer experience efforts—to see what’s worked, what didn’t, and plan ahead for the future. Making the move forward from simple listening to an optimized customer experience program...Read More

“ 92 % of companies recently surveyed by Forrester Research agreed that customer experience is a top priority, yet nearly half admitted that they don’t have the resources needed to give customers what they really want: personalization and convenience.” -The State...Read More

Your online reputation isn't your problem. At least not in the way you may think. Often times, when you're taking a hit in reviews and online conversation, it is because a part of your customer experience isn't up to par. Whether that's customer service, the product you provide...Read More

We are all in the loyalty business but there is a reality we must work around each day, ugly as this truth sounds: incentives alone do not build loyalty.   Price manipulations, rebates, and other sales incentives remain incredibly powerful tools for closing deals on the sales floor, but...Read More

As a recruiter who has specialized in loyalty marketing for more than 20 years, I’ve worked from literally thousands of CRM and loyalty-related job descriptions and written dozens of them myself.   The basic skills required for successful performance as a loyalty marketer are...Read More

A recent study found that the ads that ran during last year’s Super Bowl game didn’t change consumers’ buying habits. While it’s easy to dismiss running an ad during the Super Bowl as a triumph of hubris over the bottom line, marketers have an opportunity to...Read More

Travel back with me to a nostalgically simpler time . . . think summer, baseball, the smell of dirt and cut grass, ice cream . . .You may be wondering, what does summertime have to do with replicating best practices that drive business results?Well, I’ll tell you. I’m asking you to...Read More

Truly, this is my favorite time of the year. No, not because the winter is finally here in full force, please! Snow storms, cancelled school, and frenzied people on the roads do not get me excited. But the chance to review my customer experience efforts with clients and colleagues? Strategy...Read More

In a scramble to shift their operating model from B2B to B2B2C, or B2E (business to everyone), health care organizations are hiring marketing executives and analytics experts from consumer products and retail industries with the experience in building the ultimate customer experience. Yet, their...Read More

Here’s a bit of loyalty news that will perk up your ears: airline frequent flier programs are increasingly adopting a rewards point structure that includes the family pet.Earlier this summer, Virgin Australia became the latest airline to reward travelers for flying with their furry...Read More

The constant connectivity of social media inspires an almost implicit expectation that, if you have a question, someone will respond to it. Customers are watching social media feeds in real time, leading them to logically conclude that, should they need to ask something, they should get...Read More

In part 1 and part 2 of this series, we discussed the challenges and opportunities of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), as well as the importance of listening—carefully—to healthcare plan members.While driving numerous specific changes that have already been...Read More

With overwhelming statistics that reveal the growth and spending power of multicultural markets, it’s no longer a question of whether or not a brand should implement multicultural advertising. Rather, it’s now a question of how to do it.We’ve all seen multicultural ads that miss...Read More

Ok, so you just landed a new role leading an existing, established in-market loyalty rewards program, or perhaps, are providing consulting or agency services to evaluate, enhance and grow it.  Where do you begin?Before we start, let’s first set the proper scope.  It is generally...Read More

Brands must take a proactive approach to using social media to effectively engage customers and drive loyalty according to Adam Wexler, Founder/Chief Strategy Officer for social engagement optimization company Insightpool.As part of its Social Currency Index report, Insightpool examined the...Read More

Accurately determining the value that content brings to a company is something we’ve heard many marketers say they are struggling with. Nearly all brands, across all industries and verticals, are expected to have a presence on social media (not to mention the traditional marketing channels)...Read More

Yalçın Onur has 12 years of professional and entrepreneurial experience regarding business development, strategy, loyalty marketing and sales. After working at Tekfen Eurobank, ABN Ambro and Wunderman, he co-founded Pharos Mobile/Turkey, Move-Z/Turkey, LiberCom Mirax and Ketchup...Read More

In recent times, we’ve seen a number of new loyalty programs announced or revamped by major brands, including Staples, Best Buy, Orbitz and AT&T.  Even affinity-based communities are leveraging this strategy. For example, Club Hockey Canada was created by Hockey Canada to offer...Read More

By the time you finish reading this sentence, 10,000 apps will have been downloaded on mobile devices across the world. Of those, 7,000 will sit forgotten, collecting virtual dust.Companies can avoid this digital graveyard. A new report identifies the factors that increase mobile app engagement...Read More

More and more, online consumers are impatient when trying to purchase online. Many expect answers to their problems instantly, similar to the type of help they would get in-store, suggesting that email and phone customer services alone are not sufficient. Not only will online shoppers leave a...Read More

Nearly two-thirds of Hispanic shoppers' social posts about loyalty programs occur after a purchase has been made, and as much as 20% of the conversation around loyalty programs comes from non-members, according to a new study released by omni-channel loyalty and engagement platform PunchTab...Read More

Crossing the Chasm, a landmark 1991 book, explored the challenges high-technology markets face while moving from obscurity to ubiquity – early adopters and mainstream users have very different needs. What’s needed, the author argued, is a "beachhead" for new technologies to capture...Read More

Nothing compares to power of recognizing people for who they are. Being acknowledged and appreciated serves to build stronger bonds between people and brands. Big business can learn a lot from how small business approaches personalization and a new approach to loyalty is making showing...Read More

Excerpt from MediaPost:For years, companies have been seeking to find and use a simple way to quantify customer loyalty. One example is Net Promoter Score (NPS), which identifies three customer categories: promoters, passives and detractors. Keeping things simple, both for the customer and...Read More

Successful marketers know that creating and maintaining brand awareness is an important key to marketing success; you can't drive sales if your prospects have never heard of you. However, establishing awareness is easier said than done these days.In an exclusive interview with Helena Brito...Read More

Crossing the Chasm, a landmark 1991 book, explored the challenges high-technology markets face while moving from obscurity to ubiquity – early adopters and mainstream users have very different needs. What’s needed, the author argued, is a "beachhead" for new technologies to capture...Read More

IntroductionCustomer relations is an important component to any business, but it’s sometimes difficult to truly know who exactly your customers are. After launching a mobile loyalty program, Sebastians now has access to tons of data about our customers-- like the time of day they visit the...Read More

When it comes to creating serendipity — “the accident of finding something good or useful while not specifically searching for it” — from a marketing perspective, the principle echoes Thomas Jefferson’s thoughts on luck.“I'm a greater believer in luck...Read More

Steven Hoffman, President & CEO at Exchange Solutions, participated in a Q&A with Loyalty 360 and offered insights on a variety of topics, including his company’s loyalty initiatives, what factors influenced those initiatives, customer feedback, industry challenges, and loyalty...Read More

Jeanne Chapman, Executive Vice President of Corporate Marketing Solutions at Entertainment, participated in a Q&A with Loyalty 360 and offered insights on a variety of topics, including her company’s loyalty initiatives, what factors influenced those initiatives, customer feedback...Read More

In part one of this blog series, we reviewed traditional quality monitoring (QM) and its shortcomings. We also explored how speech and text analytics can help improve the historical approach to QM by enabling the identification and categorization of assessable calls, flagging calls of interest...Read More

Would it surprise you to know that there is a direct correlation between employee engagement and customer satisfaction? Want to learn how you can leverage voice of the employee (VoE) feedback to drive employee and customer satisfaction, brand loyalty and bottom-line performance? Join us for this...Read More

Our brand is 6 years old and with a small budget, social media was our Superman, Hulk and Mickey Mouse all rolled into one.  We learned alot over the years:- It's not about money, it's about time - It's not about us, it's about them (the fans) - It's not about...Read More

You can’t create a lasting relationship with someone you have to be reintroduced to every time you meet. However, that’s the problem we were experiencing at Luxottica across our brands and retailers. We believe that data and customer understanding go hand in hand. It was just a...Read More

 Tamara Gruzbarg, Senior Director of Customer Analytics & Research at Gilt, participated in a Q&A with Loyalty 360 and offered insights on a variety of topics, including her company’s loyalty initiatives, what factors influenced those initiatives, customer feedback, industry...Read More

The current state of the insurance market is characterized by increased commoditization, eroding customer loyalty, and ballooning marketing spend. This has heightened the competitive environment, putting increased pressure on leading insurers to innovate to differentiate themselves in the...Read More

Procter & Gamble’s Olay brand, its premiere beauty brand, was looking to launch a new product – Regenerist Eye & Lash Duo – and wanted to drive brand engagement through social and mobile channels. What better way to turn customers into advocates and create instant brand...Read More

This interactive panel will explore how to leverage loyalty and sophisticated CRM to drive multi-channel engagement including next best offers and enhanced customer experiences. In a world where channels are added daily and there are a growing number of market forces that retailers cannot control...Read More

The most important word in relationship marketing is relationship, but true relationship takes time and requires a deep level of understanding and trust. Is there a way to speed up that process and move customers more quickly along the relationship path?From this session, you will learn:  ...Read More

Join us to learn how Hilton Worldwide and its nine hotel brands have transformed their global franchise owner relationships to build engagement with hotel owners all over the world. With a unique data management solution, everyone that touches these high-value owners has detailed customer...Read More

The founders of a mobile technology company, a destination marketing firm, and an auto mall walk into a conference. No, it’s not the beginning of a joke; it’s the story of three fiercely energetic entrepreneurs and how their use of technology is transforming customer engagement and...Read More

Roger Woolley has more than 20 years of marketing and product management experience in the high-tech industry, with a special interest and background in driving the development of Workforce Optimization (WFO) and Voice of the Customer (VoC) software. In his role as vice president, solutions...Read More

When the Building Technologies Division of Siemens Industry, Inc., launched its Voice of the Customer (VOC) initiative Engineering Innovative Experiences in 2007, the primary focus was to increase customer loyalty and engagement. Since that time, the Customer Excellence department has...Read More

Merchants are looking for an easy loyalty program that works, but the challenge is that most loyalty programs require consumers to carry punch cards, magnetic stripe rewards cards, or mobile phone apps. Consumers do not want to carry punch or reward cards or download an app.  While there has...Read More

Join American Airlines, BNSF Railway Company and partner Confirmit as they engage in a mini-panel discussion about how they garner the power of technology to better understand the voice of their customer, deliver valuable insights throughout their organizations and effect meaningful change. ...Read More

Technology has transformed both the way we market and how we connect with consumers.  Having an online presence is now as important as a traditional storefront. Social Media has given us an opportunity to directly reach and interact with our customers in ways like never before.  While...Read More

Emily Collins, Customer Loyalty Analyst at Forrester, participated in a Q&A with Loyalty 360 and offered insights on a variety of topics, including her company’s loyalty initiatives, what factors influenced those initiatives, customer feedback, industry challenges, and loyalty...Read More

“You can look but you can’t touch,” means many - sometimes inappropriate - things for a lot of different people, but personally it takes me back to my childhood. For as long as I remember, the moment I’d enter a store with mom, she or the employees would harp on that...Read More

Webinar Title: Loyalty Solution Design: Optimizing to Stand Out in a Cluttered Market Date & Time: October 22, 2013 at 1pm ETLoyalty 360 Hosts a Webinar Presented by Maritz Loyalty Marketing, which will showcase best practices and key considerations for anyone planning to build...Read More

Launching a co-branded credit card program may not be a big deal in the U.S., but in Canada it’s a bit different especially when a non-bank – Toronto-based telecommunications company Rogers Communications – is involved, according to Sean Collins, Managing Member of Wellesley, MA...Read More

On August 15 Loyalty 360 hosted a webinar titled, “Rewards in Interesting Times”, presented by Bob Grothe, Vice President of Strategy and Analytics with Loyalty and Reward Solutions at MasterCard & Nicole Klein, Vice President & Senior Business Leader of...Read More

Eben Sermon, Director Relationship Marketing and Loyalty (EU) at eBay, participated in a riveting interview with Loyalty 360 CEO Mark Johnson. Sermon discussed several topics, including customer-centricity, the importance of engagement and use of new channels.Customer-centric Focus at eBaySermon:...Read More

Tessa Burg, Vice President of Product & Program Management at Sparkbase, participated in a Q&A with Loyalty 360 and offered insights on a variety of topics, including her company’s loyalty initiatives, what factors influenced those initiatives, customer feedback, industry...Read More

How Can the Use of Mobile Technology Enhance Your Customers Experience Whilst Helping You Market More Effectively?The use of the mobile device is perfectly suited to the delivery of the core requirement in any successful loyalty program - member engagement.Using the mobile device as the point of...Read More

The mobile payments space is crowded and confusing. With many players and technology options emerging, retailers are confused as to which mobile strategy is right for their business. Because of this, retailers often don’t realize that they already have the tools available to build the...Read More

Customers’ satisfaction rates with contact center experience have universally dropped four years in a row, Forrester Research reports.[1] And only 26% of consumers responded positively when asked if they believe contact centers provide great support, compared to 49...Read More

Brands today understand the importance of enhancing customer loyalty. Where brands fall short, is not leveraging the power of Intelligent Loyalty to do so. Steve Hoffman, President and CEO of Exchange Solutions, and Emily Collins, Analyst, Customer Insights Team, Forrester, discuss this exciting...Read More

Neeraj Sripuram, Associate Partner, IBM SAP Mobility & Innovation CoE, participated in a Q&A with Loyalty 360 and offered insights on a variety of topics, including his company’s loyalty initiatives, what factors influenced those initiatives, customer feedback, industry...Read More

Adding Value to Your Consumers Lives  We’ve all grown up hearing it: “things are not what they seem.” And though it seems to be a deceitful and menacing concept, it has become the strongest tool in the marketplace’s arsenal in recent years and marketers have...Read More

Thanks to a slow-growth economy, competitive pressures, and regulatory challenges, getting closer to customers is a must for today’s banks. The financial crisis that came to a head five years ago eroded consumer trust – and movement towards a customer-centric mindset is a clear step...Read More

It is interesting this idea of data (big, small, transaction, structured, unstructured, modeled), and if I have read one article on “big data,” I have read 10,000. The uniqueness of the topic has waned, as the cauldron call of relevancy in the cacophony of dissonance continues to...Read More

In the age of Big Data, we know what shoppers are buying, when they’re buying it and how frequently. We know their household size, social media activity, brand preferences, trade-offs, and what sort of promotions entice them to purchase. We can connect with them through various channels to...Read More

In the past, a common perception existed that distinctly divided the B2B and B2C industries. But as the collection of customer data becomes more voluminous each day, and customer experience is a key differentiator for nearly every brand, that old perception may need further review. Sean Otto...Read More

We’re entrenched in the experience economy – consumers expect experiences that meet them wherever they are. For marketers, there are four critical elements inherent in any good customer experience: people, products, purpose and passion.PeopleHow likely are people to recommend your...Read More

The visual social network Pinterest emerged on the scene last year and has quickly become the online social community of choice for companies looking to drive visual brand engagement and social ROI. Since May 2012, Pinterest traffic has more than doubled in size and is now the third largest...Read More

The use of the mobile device is perfectly suited to the delivery of the core requirement in any successful loyalty program - member engagement.Using the mobile device as the point of delivery for services such as member identification, account information, location based rewards & promotions...Read More

Loyalty card schemes are as popular as ever in the UK and continue to experience positive growth. In fact, a new survey shows the overall number of cards rose by three per cent over the last year, with retail schemes from Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Boots topping the list.  On average...Read More

Founder and Chief Strategist of Laddering Works, and acting VP and GEM of Professional Services at PossibleNOWERIC V. HOLTZCLAW is founder and CEO of Laddering Works, a marketing strategy firm, and Vice President of Professional Services at PossibleNOW, the industry leader in preference...Read More

Dave Mangano is Senior Vice President, Field Operations for Siemens Industry, Inc., Building Technologies Division for the America region. The Siemens Building Technologies Division is the world’s market leader for safe and energy efficient buildings (“green buildings”) and...Read More

I love comparisons, and search and social go together like actors and awards shows, like football and players, like seeds and trees. You simply can’t have one without the other; it would be impossible. While it may seem a bit off topic, search and social, like sports and players, are...Read More

Thanks to a slow-growth economy, competitive pressures, and regulatory challenges, getting closer to customers is a must for today’s banks. The financial crisis that came to a head five years ago eroded consumer trust – and movement towards a customer-centric mindset is a clear step...Read More

In the inaugural survey ("Rising above the Clouds:  Charting a course for renewed airline consumer loyalty,") from Deloitte LLP. it was revealed that 72 percent of high-frequency business travelers participate in multiple programs, and over one-third participate in four or more programs...Read More

It’s an all-too-common scenario: You’re trying to get resolution, make a purchase or find an answer to your question, and the person on the other end of the line or across the desk from you seems to be on a completely different wavelength, unable to connect with you to get you what...Read More

Last month, I ordered a toy train set for my nephew’s 7th birthday. I was happy with the purchase and he loved the train. Naturally, you’d expect I’d shop with this retailer again. Not this time. So what was the problem? The overall experience – including after-purchase....Read More

The growth of electronic distribution channels has led to a sea change in the way our society gets its news, purchases music and pays bills Even the most successful business models now must constantly evolve in order to include the latest technology. Incentives, loyalty and rewards are no...Read More

Customer loyalty is essential for business success, especially in an economy that is just now starting to recovery after years of distress. In fact, companies that wish to be successful not only now but also in the future have to make customer loyalty an integral part of their operations...Read More

In early July, shoppers at Shaw’s, Albertsons, Acme, Jewel-Osco and Star were greeted at the door and asked to hand in their store loyalty cards.  These chains, recently acquired by Cerberus Capital Management LP, all shut down their loyalty programs, focusing instead on everyday low...Read More

We all know that eCommerce is booming. As we, the consumer, become more accustomed to purchasing products online and the technologies that power eCommerce become more sophisticated, we see more and more product categories cross the chasm into eCommerce. Even five years ago, who’d have...Read More

As smartphone usage has increased to more than 50% of adult Americans, more and more brands are using mobile rewards apps as a way to engage customers personally and improve brand loyalty. Taking advantage of mobile as a marketing resource makes perfect sense. It is the one and only marketing...Read More

As I think about the upcoming Engagement & Experience Expo, while reflecting on the concept of expectation matching, I decided to do a little market research. For the last week, I tracked all emails I received from both B2B and B2C organizations – which revealed some very interesting...Read More

When developing or enhancing a loyalty program, brands should focus on their most loyal customers – and not on acquiring new ones, according to David Robinson, senior marketing lecturer at the University of California-Berkeley. Robinson told Loyalty 360 that customer acquisition and...Read More

David Kravetz, Co-founder, Catalog & Web Team Leader, at Fairytale Brownies, told Loyalty 360 that his company began discussing loyalty initiatives and/or programs a few years back and were unsure which path to take. During an engaging interview with Loyalty 360 CEO Mark Johnson...Read More

Peter Vogel, Co-founder and CEO at Plink, participated in a Q&A with Loyalty 360 and offered insights on a variety of topics, including his company’s loyalty initiatives, what factors influenced those initiatives, customer feedback, industry challenges, and loyalty philosophy.  ...Read More

  Through the Loyalty 360 Meet the Speaker series we invite you to get a sneak peek into the upcoming webinar Rewards in Interesting Times. Bob Grothe, Vice President of Strategy and Analytics & Loyalty and Reward Solutions at MasterCard, participated in a Q&A with Loyalty 360...Read More

Tracey Moss, Director of Owners Loyalty at Hilton Worldwide, participated in a Q&A with Loyalty 360 and offered insights on a variety of topics, including her company’s loyalty initiatives, what factors influenced those initiatives, customer feedback, industry challenges, and loyalty...Read More

Shopping used to be more fun.  Like most, I am ready to say “No thanks” when the salesperson at check-out starts talking about specials. You almost sigh in resignation by the time you reach the sales counter at this chain. While I hate them for not having a mobile POS check-out...Read More

Beata Kovacs, Head of CRM at Deutsche Telekom, participated in a Q&A with Loyalty 360 and offered insights on a variety of topics, including her company’s loyalty initiatives, what factors influenced those initiatives, customer feedback, industry challenges, and loyalty philosophy...Read More

These days mobile technologies open up a realm of possibilities for engaging customers and building brand loyalty that the guys in MadMen could have only dreamed about. Brian Solis, recognized as one of the most prominent thought leaders in new media, talks about ‘connected customers’...Read More

Simon Uwins is currently an adjunct lecturer at the University of Southern California, and his website promotes the following taglines: “Visionary and Inspirational Marketing Leader” and “Creating Loyalty in a Connected World.” Uwins holds a very unique perspective that...Read More

"You're 120 days overdue on your payment." No one looks forward to getting a call, email, or text about outstanding debt. It can be uncomfortable, especially when businesses are expecting payment immediately. But some forward-thinking companies are finding that they can turn what is...Read More

We have reached the point where it has become impossible to neglect the impact and importance of “international” in retailing. Whether it is Zara or H&M, Ikea or Sephora, Aldi or Amazon, the list of leading retail companies now has a decidedly global tone. Yet at the same time...Read More

Customer service in the today’s economy needs to be “super-sized.” If ever there were a time when a business could get away with offering a good product without caring about customer satisfaction, that time is long gone.Read The Full Article       Read More

Most companies know that it’s less expensive to keep existing customers than to acquire new ones – right?  I thought about this the other day after reading a LinkedIn post showcasing a time-tested list of data points highlighting the advantages of customer retention vs...Read More

Canada and the US are different. Canadians (and Americans) love to point out this fact. According to a recent report by COLLOQUY, on average, Canadians are active members of fewer loyalty programs when compared to Americans, 6.4 and 7.1 respectively. Is it because Canadians are less frugal or...Read More

  Jerry Preyss, CEO at Interbrand, participated in a Q&A with Loyalty 360 and offered insights on a variety of topics, including his company’s loyalty initiatives, what factors influenced those initiatives, customer feedback, industry challenges, and loyalty philosophy.   ...Read More

It is no secret that organizations looking to build strong relationships with employees and customers can do so with well-designed reward programs.  What might be a surprise, however, is how successful non-cash versions of these programs can be.  A recent study by Aberdeen[1] showed...Read More

Marc Goodman, Manager Petro Points, Refining & Marketing, spearheaded a relaunch of an 18-year-old loyalty program in mid-March to engage customers with faster and easier rewards. Armed with extensive knowledge of the logistics and necessary steps involved in designing a successful loyalty...Read More

What would you like to see change in the market’s approach to the customer experience, engagement and loyalty? The market has an opportunity to define industry terms such as, customer experience, engagement and loyalty more clearly. These common terms are often used interchangeably, but...Read More

Euan White, Senior Vice President at dunnhumby participated in a Q&A with Loyalty 360 and offered insights on a variety of topics, including his company’s loyalty initiatives, what factors influenced those initiatives, customer feedback, industry challenges, and loyalty philosophy...Read More

The recent Black Forest fire near Colorado Springs was deemed the most destructive wildfire in Colorado’s history. It destroyed at least 509 homes and killed two people. And, last month, two raging wildfires in Colorado and Arizona caused massive evacuations. As wildfire season kicks into...Read More

Tommy Hilfiger is one of the first fashion retailers to improve customer service and loyalty with customer facing and interactive displays connected to the point of sale system. The Tommy Hilfiger CRM has achieved higher average spending per customer and offers digital membership registration...Read More

Following a successful product launch in 2009 and after achieving unprecedented retention rates of cardmembers in 2010, U.S. Bank FlexPerks Travel Rewards Visa Signature entered unchartered waters in 2011 by hosting a series of exclusive events in the hopes of creating memorable experiences for...Read More

Live Nation Entertainment, the world's leading live entertainment and eCommerce company (comprised of four market leaders: Ticketmaster.com, Live Nation Concerts, Front Line Management Group and Live Nation Network), set a goal to build fan loyalty by creating a 360-degree excitement...Read More

Competition in the health club industry is fierce. Every player in the industry faces enormous pressures. Gold’s Gym, the industry leader, is no exception. Because most health clubs offer similar services, it is difficult to differentiate on product alone. So Gold’s Gym decided to...Read More

Employee buy-in through all levels of the organization is one of the biggest challenges facing any incentive program manager. The key to employee buy-in starts with a strategic cross-promotional multi-channel communication plan that ensures all employees understand the program’s goals...Read More

Most companies know that it’s less expensive to keep existing customers than to acquire new ones – right?  I thought about this the other day after reading a LinkedIn post showcasing a time-tested list of data points highlighting the advantages of customer retention vs...Read More

Customer service in the today’s economy needs to be “super-sized.” If ever there were a time when a business could get away with offering a good product without caring about customer satisfaction, that time is long gone. Today, how well you engage and treat the customer...Read More

Establishing a strong customer experience program can differentiate a business and, quite often, Voice of the Customer (VoC) initiatives play a strategic role in the support of those efforts. However, VoC programs can become just data collectors unless the organization acts on insights from...Read More

Millennials are the generation everyone is talking about. With an estimated $200 billion in direct spending power and comprising nearly 25% of the population, Millennials are an undeniable demographic of individuals born between 1977 and 1996. Through a joint partnership with The Boston...Read More

The average Canadian consumer has 14 loyalty cards, so it is difficult for brands to differentiate themselves. As a result, personalized offers and personalized service become critical for setting brands apart in their ongoing quest to attract new customers. Since its launch in the fall of 2010...Read More

Youth engagement has been defined in some circles as “involving young people in the creation of their own destinies." Creating, encouraging, and maintaining engagement in youth sports can be a tricky proposition, especially today when children have so many options for activities outside of...Read More

The Apple Experience: Secrets to Building Insanely Great Customer Loyalty Author:  Carmine Gallo Publisher:  McGraw-Hill; (March | 2012) Reinvent your business to deliver Apple-like customer satisfaction and profits Apple Stores earn more money per square foot than any other retailer...Read More

In the age of real-time marketing, omnichannel access to customers, Big Data, personalized communication, and aggressive competition, it’s becoming increasingly vital for brands to implement a framework to leverage all of this stimuli (data) seamlessly. The reason? Marketers need to...Read More

In my previous articles, I covered some major trends in credit card cobrand profitability and how banks calculate the profitability of your credit card program.  In this article, I will cover the key drivers of revenue.    Creating revenue growth sometimes seems like magic –...Read More

I like stories!  Let me tell you one about customer service As I read websites, sales literature, and interact with business managers, customer service is seen as important but not often a featured element of a company’s strategy.  A bit like motherhood and apple pie&mdash...Read More

“My favorite A-ha moment...  We saw a twitter post reading, ‘Going to a business dinner at Wow Bao, is it going to suck as much as I've heard?’  We reached out via social and invited the guest in prior to his dinner after receiving his cell phone number to send him...Read More

Innovating and successfully launching new products –be they loyalty programs or sneakers – is a difficult job requiring significant investment and navigating initiative-sinking risks.  Compounding the problem, for many firms, the innovation process itself is poorly -defined and...Read More

A friend of mine recently planned a surprise 40th birthday party for his wife. He secretly arranged for her friends to gather at her favorite bar, and booked her favorite local band to play. He even managed to get her younger brother to fly in from out of state for the big event. Needless to say,...Read More

Q.  I'd like to empower my employees to provide a personalized customer experience.  How do we enable a personal experience without crossing the line to creepy?  Any recommendation as to what type of information is appropriate to provide employees; how much is too much?BJ...Read More

CUSTOMER LOYALTY vs CRM The Loyalty 360 LinkedIn group recently engaged in a great debate when David Thomson, from Canada Post, asked for the group to comment on the differences between loyalty and CRM.  We thought we’d bring you some of the highlights.  Hear what your peers...Read More

When I was in college, I studied science and spent many hours working in labs. The experiments I conducted were full of calculations of one form or another, so formulas were often on my mind. Among them were Newton’s three laws of motion.You know the laws—they end with “for...Read More

In a world where consumers are exposed to thousands of marketing messages a day it is hard to be heard above all the noise. However, with over 6 billion mobile subscriptions globally and a open rate of 98%, mobile messaging offers both brands and operators an opportunity to deliver targeted...Read More

We have reached the point where it has become impossible to neglect the impact and importance of “international” in retailing. Whether it is Zara or H&M, Ikea or Sephora, Aldi or Amazon, the list of leading retail companies now has a decidedly global tone. Yet at the same time...Read More

From its beginnings, the philosophy of Entertainment® has always been to provide “best in class” and relevant value to consumers through a wide spectrum of lifestyle discounts geared to their wants and needs.  This has provided the company with unprecedented consumer...Read More

As marketing professionals responsible for increasing customer loyalty and LTV, there are many levers to consider when planning how to meet our objectives. One of our biggest challenges is that customer loyalty can be affected by the entire customer experience, and so we have to consider the...Read More

In the face of continuing economic uncertainty, retail banks and insurance companies are facing the combined pressure of having to find ways of increasing revenues whilst also reducing costs. At times, it can seem like an unsolvable equation: there doesn’t seem to be a ‘golden egg...Read More

Jason Phillips, Senior VP of Product Strategy at Bridge2 Solutions participated in a Q&A with Loyalty 360 and offered insights on a variety of topics, including his company’s loyalty initiatives, what factors influenced those initiatives, customer feedback, industry challenges...Read More

Customer lifestyles and preferences have been evolving, forcing issuers and merchants to keep up with customers changing needs and expectations. Loyalty innovations are enabling cardholders to save wherever and however they shop.  To achieve deeper engagement with customers, it is critical...Read More

These days everyone is talking about data! As marketers, we all agree that transforming data into meaningful customer intelligence will enable us to better identify opportunities and devise strategies to create and maintain profitable customer relationships. Yet many of us are still struggling...Read More

Customers are becoming their own CMOs, defining their own marketing mix, and deciding which businesses and messages will make the cut. In this hyper-connected, hyper-competitive, customer-driven world, creating sustainable business growth requires much more than data mining and singular tactics...Read More

In 2011, Forrester Research predicted that marketers and merchants will take the training wheels off mobile programs and start investing in cohesive mobile marketing and commerce strategies. For many, the question is how? A merchant seeing great success is Wow Bao, a quick service restaurant...Read More

Today, marketers are seeking innovation opportunities to engage customers in a deeper, more relevant manner at all touch points. Smart applications of video leverage profile, historical and situational data to speak to the consumer as an individual, delivering differentiated, “wow&rdquo...Read More

What a paradox: Program Members increasingly crave more personalization, and are willingly share information about themselves, but they’re also increasingly concerned about privacy.  So, what is the proper balance between delivering personalization and respecting your Members&rsquo...Read More

Nu Skin always had their customers in mind first, from how they develop their products to building customer relationships.  They had in place a loyalty initiative which allowed their customers to register and earn different points categories based on their purchases and redeem these points...Read More

Big data has allowed marketers to get more detail than ever before about their customers. With big data comes big challenges. As customers expect a more personal connection with brands and their offerings, organizations are struggling with data residing in disparate silos making personalization...Read More

Loyalty programs are being transformed by mobile technology, utilizing them to build personal and long-lasting customer relationships. But many programs are at a crossroads of how to mobilize their databases or how to build one from the ground up. But mobile databases can’t be purchased...Read More

While loyalty has been increasingly attached to payments since American Express first funded triple miles in the 1980s, the convergence is increasingly universal.  What is changing is that payments are increasingly attached to, and driving loyalty.  This sweeping transformation...Read More

  Thought Leadership Series: Anu Shukla from RewardsPay. Read More

Many brands pay lip service to the ongoing quest of “listening to the customer”, but at JetBlue Airways it’s not just another catchphrase. It’s an abiding belief that drives the company on a daily basis. Just ask David Canty, Director, Loyalty and Partnership Marketing...Read More

Laura Rick is Director of Member Retention for the Miami Dolphins and Sun Life Stadium. The Dolphins launched The Fin Club loyalty rewards program last year. How would you like to take a limo to a Miami Dolphins home game on the teams tab? Or how about leading the team out onto the field waving a...Read More

Report from the trenches – At Dunkin’ Donuts, loyalty runs a lot deeper than just coffee and donuts. Hear from Marianne Balfour, Dunkin’s’ Loyalty Manager on Dunkin’s approach to loyalty, recent wins and lessons learned. In addition Peter Vogel, CEO and Co-founder...Read More

How do you make a loyalty program work when the economics are built on a $3 box of cereal or crackers? And, what are the challenges in running a program with 800 SKUs?  In this session you will hear how Kellogg’s IS building an engaging relationship with their consumers with Kellogg...Read More

  Thought Leadership Series: Jennifer Schmitt from Siemens Read More

The challenge of relevance; an opportunity for loyalty marketers Loyalty 360 has had the good fortune of hosting two recent webinars that were comprehensive loyalty studies on the state of the loyalty market by Colloquy and Maritz. Although there was some variance regarding the number of...Read More

Incorporating elements of game play into a person’s life usually begins at a very young age when a parent or caretaker turns a spoon into an airplane, and a child’s mouth is transformed into a destination. Dinnertime becomes (at least for the child) an engaging experience with &ldquo...Read More

When Laura Saati, VP of Strategic Marketing Services for customer engagement firm 89 Degrees, began thinking about launching a loyalty program for home furnishings company IKEA, she was quietly confident about a successful outcome because of her company’s history with IKEA. The IKEA Family...Read More

Richard Char is the Managing Director and Global Head of Digital Networks and Retail Services for Citi Enterprise Payments (CEP) – which, among other things, delivers offers on behalf of third-party merchants. What was an email-based platform transformed to a mobile campaigning platform. ...Read More

Thought Leadership Series: TIBCO Loyalty Lab Read More

Thought Leadership Series: Rajat Paharia from Bunchball   Read More

In 2011, the average consumer was a member of 18 programs with an astounding 2-billion loyalty program memberships in the United States according to the 2011 COLLOQUY CensusTalk white paper. Two years later, new research has confirmed that the growth in loyalty program memberships has continued. ...Read More

Sounds easy doesn’t it?!  How do you start such a strategy? Do you even know who your most profitable customers are? Typically most data led organisations understand the need to identify different segments of their customer base to drive better marketing plans.  However, there...Read More

Today’s shopper may be more informed, empowered, sophisticated and demanding than ever before, but they are still driven by the same emotional needs they always have been. However, meeting those needs, engaging customers and securing the sale continues to present retailers with challenges...Read More

These days it seems the term “customer engagement” is becoming one of those terms that gets thrown around like insight, actionability and many others.  Customer engagement is something every company really wants. It’s like the Holy Grail that everyone pursues, but no one...Read More

Through the Loyalty 360 Webinar Teaser series we invite you to get a sneak peek into the upcoming webinar 2013 Maritz Loyalty Report™: US Edition – “Benchmarks, Trends and Lessons in Brand Loyalty and Customer Engagement”. The Maritz Loyalty Report is a comprehensive...Read More

Any marketer knows that the key to increased and sustainable loyalty requires doing a lot of little things well as part of an ongoing customer engagement strategy. Loyalty builds like trust over time, and maintaining this relationship is like cultivating a garden. There are so many tools...Read More

Today’s shopper may be more informed, empowered, sophisticated and demanding than ever before, but they are still driven by the same emotional needs they always have been. However, meeting those needs, engaging customers and securing the sale continues to present retailers with challenges...Read More

New & Interesting Reads in Customer Expereience, Engagement & Loyatly!  Creative Control: The Secret to Perfect Innovation Author:  Brian W Bickford Publisher:  CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (April 2013)How is customer loyalty tied to innovation? ...Read More

For retailers, talking about omni-channel is very fashionable nowadays.  At a high level, the concepts behind providing great customer experience across channels are easy to understand.  However, those in the business know that executing on a great omni-channel strategy is pretty...Read More

Sounds easy doesn’t it?!  How do you start such a strategy? Do you even know who your most profitable customers are? Typically most data led organisations understand the need to identify different segments of their customer base to drive better marketing plans.  However, there...Read More

Christian Peck is vice president and managing director for Acxiom United Kingdom. As managing director Christian leads the entire Acxiom UK enterprise, with oversight of product, sales, delivery and all operations in the country. Responsible for driving marketing and data services revenue...Read More

Offers. Deals. Promotions. Rebates. Coupons. No matter what they are called, offers are a mainstay of loyalty marketing. Customers expect offers from brands and deals have become an integral part of the customer buying behavior. (Recall JC Penney’s recent experience.) This is also true of...Read More

The Key to Perfect Innovation - C.R.E.A.T.E.The creation of something new feels individual and can be the most rewarding and satisfying event you and your company can experience. Giving life, in any form, is full of wonderful rewards. The drive of emotions at the beginning, middle, and end are...Read More

When the loyalty expert sits down with the social media guru, everything we thought we knew about digital engagement is rebooted. Bryan Pearson, CEO of global loyalty marketing firm LoyaltyOne, interviews online authority Mitch Joel for a Q&A on how to build emotional loyalty in the digital...Read More

Rajat Paharia is widely recognized as the father of gamification, which applies the data-driven motivational techniques from video games to engage and motivate customers, partners, and employees. In his new book, Loyalty 3.0: How to Revolutionize Customer and Employee Engagement with Big Data and...Read More

These days it seems the term “customer engagement” is becoming one of those terms that gets thrown around like insight, actionability and many others.  Customer engagement is something every company really wants. It’s like the Holy Grail that everyone pursues, but no one...Read More

Through the Loyalty 360 Meet the Speaker series we invite you to get a sneak peek into the upcoming webinar 2013 Maritz Loyalty Report™: US Edition – “Benchmarks, Trends and Lessons in Brand Loyalty and Customer Engagement”.   The Maritz Loyalty Report is a...Read More

Negative brand mentions are an inevitable consequence of a social media-savvy consumer marketplace. Armed with a high-tech array of mobile gadgetry, consumers can instantly tweet, post and even take pictures of their negative experiences to vast online followings — forcing retailers and...Read More

Chief Marketing Officers should play a lead role in analyzing and disseminating deep customer insights that drive business performance, according to a report from the Economist Intelligence Unit. According to the report titled, “Voice of the customer: Whose job is it, anyway?” CMOs...Read More

On April 18 Loyalty 360 hosted a webinar titled, “Seize the Moments: Capturing the 10 Most Important Customer Experience Moments,” which was presented by Aimia. The webinar demonstrated how capturing the core elements of real relationships with customers will help marketers gain...Read More

Brands in the life sciences industry are not utilizing digital marketing to its full potential. For many, it seems easy enough to collaborate with the digital agency and legal teams to prepare the assets for distribution through digital media and channels. But this may not yield the results you...Read More

Every so often, changes throughout our industry cause us to challenge ourselves on the way we approach our business.  While we learn, implement and refine our processes to adapt to these changes, we sometimes settle into a normal way of doing business, which makes it hard to recognize when...Read More

Every so often, changes throughout our industry cause us to challenge ourselves on the way we approach our business.  While we learn, implement and refine our processes to adapt to these changes, we sometimes settle into a normal way of doing business, which makes it hard to recognize when...Read More

The Information Age has brought a myriad of changes for industries and businesses worldwide, presenting opportunities and challenges in the way they communicate with their customers. Social media and mobile technologies represent a unique risk and challenge for traditional businesses, but also...Read More

The theme for Merkle’s 10th Executive Summit, taking place from June 10 to June 12 in Charleston, SC, is “Connected CRM – Monetizing Your Customer Strategy.”  Given the recent focus in the Life Sciences industry about moving from a brand / tactic centric focus to a...Read More

A recent webinar was being promoted with the following information:  “94% of executives polled suspect that their customer and prospect data is inaccurate in some way. In fact, respondents think that, on average, as much as 17% of their data might be inaccurate.”  Numbers...Read More

A recent webinar was being promoted with the following information:  “94% of executives polled suspect that their customer and prospect data is inaccurate in some way. In fact, respondents think that, on average, as much as 17% of their data might be inaccurate.”  Numbers...Read More

Steve Gass is the Director of Product Marketing for Angel.  With more than 25 years of experience within the customer engagement industry, Steve has successfully collaborated with enterprises to affect revenue increases and improved customer satisfaction scores while reducing costs.On...Read More

Much is expected of chief marketing officers, today. With perpetually connected and highly informed customers, old marketing approaches are no longer effective, and marketing professionals that aren’t ready for this shift are vulnerable. As Jonathan Becher, SAP’s own CMO, points out...Read More

For Marc Ellis, Founder and CEO of Thanks Again – touted as the world’s only airport-centric coalition loyalty program – his business has taken off and is flying in the past three years. When Ellis launched Thanks Again in 2004, its loyalty solution targeted local businesses...Read More

Since the Armstrong v. Maytag showdown, social media outlets have continued to grow as the go-to place for people to hang out — and air out their grievances. Which means that brands that wish to remain relevant in today’s marketplace must not only deliver a customer service...Read More

Barnacles … over time they can attach themselves to your marketing ship. They impact speed, performance, and direction. If you continue to let them build, they could even stall and sink your ship! In the explosion of the overused term - “Big Data,” I have observed many...Read More

Barnacles … over time they can attach themselves to your marketing ship. They impact speed, performance, and direction. If you continue to let them build, they could even stall and sink your ship! In the explosion of the overused term - “Big Data,” I have observed many...Read More

One of the biggest challenges facing small merchants is differentiating from the competition. Local businesses are continually on a quest to provide their customers with a pleasant experience and keep their best customers coming back. Loyalty programs, mobile marketing and social media...Read More

Six qualities define engagement – value, efficiency, trust, consistency, relevance and control. Which term do you think the market finds the easiest to implement and what term does it find the most difficult? TIBCO Loyalty Lab developed this framework with Razorfish two years ago &ndash...Read More

Just when it seems that an economic spring has arrived – stocks are up and unemployment continues to fall – we’re treated to a blizzard of hard-to-stomach restaurant industry statistics. According to the latest Knapp-Track Index of monthly restaurant sales, casual restaurant...Read More

Our world has changed dramatically over the last 100, 50, 20, 10 and even 5 years. The pace of innovation has accelerated with no end in sight. In technology, Moore’s Law once stated that computing microchips became obsolete every 18 months. Now 18 months might as well be in the age of...Read More

Most professional marketers describe shopper media in terms of its best known products -- the free standing inserts, retail circulars, broadcast ads, door shrouds, loyalty discounts, coupons, aisle violators, sweepstakes, contests, shelf talkers and door clings that influence a shopper’s...Read More

The days of opening mail from the post office are nearing an end.  I still get maybe eight pieces of direct mail a day; I open just two or three a week.  Why? Without opening the envelope, I know the offer is unlikely to be timely, relevant or, most importantly, based in any way on who...Read More

Consumers are more frugal than ever and also often short on time. This combination makes it especially difficult for marketers to break through to them in meaningful ways. In an answer to that challenge, new research released last month examined consumers’ willingness to participate in an...Read More

Way back in 2006 (a lifetime ago in digital-era years), Heather B. Armstrong, a celebrity blogger known across the Internet as “Dooce,” purchased a $1300 washing machine from Maytag. Within hours of its installation, the washing machine had broken down.What followed is now a part of...Read More

A friend in Singapore recently lamented to me that when he was younger, kids in restaurants would say grace before meals, now children are using Instagram before their meals. While he was recounting this story lightheartedly, it occurred to me just how quickly habits and human interaction have...Read More

I recently shopped at a retail store while on vacation. At the register, I was asked if I wanted to enroll in the store’s loyalty program. I politely declined explaining I was from out of town. That did not seem to faze the sales clerk who proceeded to explain all the benefits of the...Read More

Six qualities define engagement – value, efficiency, trust, consistency, relevance and control. Which term do you think the market finds the easiest to implement and what term does it find the most difficult? TIBCO Loyalty Lab developed this framework with Razorfish two years ago &ndash...Read More

Mobile is an exciting, engaging, and seemingly ever-changing form of communication. There seem to be new ways of engaging customers via mobile every day. Below we take a look at six of the current trends we’re seeing in the mobile environment and their potential impact on customer loyalty...Read More

Negative brand mentions are an inevitable consequence of a social media-savvy consumer marketplace. Armed with a high-tech array of mobile gadgetry, consumers can instantly tweet, post and even take pictures of their negative experiences to vast online followings — forcing retailers and...Read More

Through the Loyalty 360 Thought Leadership series we invite you to hear first-hand insights and perspectives from the thought leadership driving the customer engagement and loyalty industry today. In this video blog, Loyalty 360 interviews Paul Gordon, Vice President of Sales, Rymax Marketing...Read More

Gamification is not considered a new concept, but it is getting quite a lot of attention recently. Numerous articles have been devoted to covering its effectiveness as a consumer engagement tool. Heated debates of its merits exist in the blogger sphere and there seems to be a back and forth...Read More

In a recent Loyalty Management article, I introduced five imperatives that set the foundation for customer centricity. The premise being that, for marketers to achieve sustainable competitive advantage, they must use customer strategy to shape business strategy. Over the next few months, I...Read More

Barbara Millette, VP, Loyalty Programs Management, Cards & Payments, for Regions Financial Corp., told Loyalty 360 that her company wanted to deliver value-added benefits for their customers based on everyday banking actions. Less than three years after launching two loyalty programs...Read More

When it comes to loyalty among mobile phone users in the U.S., wireless carriers should start thinking long and hard about their ability to retain customers. According to a recent study released by WDS, a Xerox Company, 36% of U.S. customers will consider leaving their mobile carrier in the...Read More

Fifty-three percent of mobile industry leaders believe that improving customers’ retail experience will be essential to creating a successful mobile wallet scheme. That’s what a recent SAP survey at the 2013 GSMA Mobile World Congress in Barcelona uncovered.Read Full Article Here! Read More

Through the Loyalty 360 Thought Leadership series we invite you to hear first-hand insights and perspectives from the thought leadership driving the customer engagement and loyalty industry today. In this video blog, Loyalty 360 interviews BJ Emerson, VP of Technology, Tasti D-Lite &...Read More

Through the Loyalty 360 Thought Leadership series we invite you to hear first-hand insights and perspectives from the thought leadership driving the customer engagement and loyalty industry today. In this video blog, Loyalty 360 interviews Nancy Porte, VP of Customer Experience, Verint.Nancy...Read More

Voice of the Customer (VoC) is a market research technique used to capture customers’ expectations, preferences and aversions. Driven by today’s need to create actionable insight out of data, VoC has converged with business process improvement and change management to create Customer...Read More

Through the Loyalty 360 Meet the Speaker series we invite you to get a sneak peek into the upcoming webinar Seize the Moments: Capturing the 10 Most Important Customer Experience Moments.In this video blog, Loyalty 360 interviews Paul Sage, Product Management Director, AimiaPaul shares his...Read More

Fifty-three percent of mobile industry leaders believe that improving customers’ retail experience will be essential to creating a successful mobile wallet scheme. That’s what a recent SAP survey at the 2013 GSMA Mobile World Congress in Barcelona uncovered. Over the last two years...Read More

Gamification is not considered a new concept, but it is getting quite a lot of attention recently. Numerous articles have been devoted to covering its effectiveness as a consumer engagement tool. Heated debates of its merits exist in the blogger sphere and there seems to be a back and forth...Read More

Let’s face it, everyone loves a great deal.  So the decline of daily deal giants LivingSocial and Groupon might seem puzzling to some, but a closer look provides a clear lesson on customer loyalty.Read Full Article Here Read More

The “cauldron call” for today’s marketing strategist is engagement.  Loyalty 360 asked, David Rosen from TIBCO Loyalty Lab to address the following topic:  How do you define engagement? What key step can best drive audience engagement today?Here’s what he had to...Read More

Baby boomers might get credit for breaking the cultural mold, but Millennials, their second generation of offspring – the first being Generation X –  are proving just as exciting and lucrative in their own unique way. This is especially true as it relates to their brand loyalty...Read More

In 2009, GameStop executives realized they needed to improve the way they used customer data. So they hired Jenn McMillen, VP Loyalty and Customer Relationship Management, to build a best-in-class loyalty program to help jumpstart GameStop’s customer engagement initiatives.  “As...Read More

The indicators used to measure loyalty and customer value have changed, proving that calculating loyalty is more powerful when companies can measure more. Enjoy the following Q&A with CrowdTwist’s head of marketing, Adam Trisk as we examine issues around social influencers, multi...Read More

Traditionally, data has been considered the exhaust of IT systems. Going forward, data will increasingly be the fuel that drives competitive advantage. Data-driven companies significantly outperform their peers, yet 90% of companies do not describe themselves as data-driven. And despite 90% of...Read More

Loyalty is defined as “unswerving in allegiance… faithful to a cause, ideal, custom, institution, or product.” Sure, we expect loyalty from a spouse, from friends, even from children, but can we expect loyalty from guests who frequent our restaurants? Of course, by now you...Read More

Let’s face it, everyone loves a great deal.  So the decline of daily deal giants LivingSocial and Groupon might seem puzzling to some, but a closer look provides a clear lesson on customer loyalty. In late 2012, LivingSocial dismissed a third of its staff in the United States. ...Read More

The data is in and diners are hungry – not just for what’s on their plates at restaurants but what’s on their smartphones and tablets too, as it relates to new forms of restaurant loyalty and engagement. Call it the rise of “digital dessert.” As seen in other...Read More

Successful B2B organizations thrive on client relationships.  In professional service firms where engagements are complex and evolve over time, managing the client relationship is critical to growth.  This requires aligning needs and capabilities across multiple functional areas and...Read More

Through the Loyalty 360 Thought Leadership series we invite you to hear first-hand insights and perspectives from the thought leadership driving the customer engagement and loyalty industry today. In this video blog, Loyalty 360 interviews Irving Fain, CEO & Co-Founder, CrowdTwistIrving...Read More

Just when it seems that an economic spring has arrived – stocks are up and unemployment continues to fall – we’re treated to a blizzard of hard-to-stomach restaurant industry statistics. According to the latest Knapp-Track Index of monthly restaurant sales, casual restaurant...Read More

Thought Leadership in Loyalty: Interview with Thomas Hutchison, Raley's and Bryan Baecker, dunnhumbyUSAIn this interview, Mark Johnson, Loyalty 360 CEO & CMO asks Loyalty Expo speakers, Tom Hutchison and Bryan Beaker to address the following topics: Why do you believe the Loyalty Expo is...Read More

Stuck to the TV this weekend after a week at the Loyalty Expo, unable to physically do much else, I’m finding a metaphor between topics at the show – achieving the perfect customer experience - and what it takes to win in the tournament.    Yelling at Marquette through...Read More

I'd feel compelled to apologize to Abraham Lincoln for my title, but he didn't originate the other, more common use of this phrase. You see, "a house divided" as a concept was biblical and Lincoln, being an avid reader of said book, knew a best practice when he saw one. A house divided...Read More

Ask David Andreadakis, VP of Loyalty Strategy for Kobie Marketing his thoughts on loyalty and he’ll tell you many in the loyalty marketing space – and elsewhere – have got it wrong. Loyalty isn’t some tit-for-tat reciprocity; it’s about something more exciting and...Read More

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Leslie McNamara will be speaking during the session: The Impending Convergence of Loyalty and Payments Read More

Scott will be speaking during the session: From Cool to Creepy: Balancing Personalization with Privacy Read More

Combining loyalty programs with payment methods is not a new concept. (Think private label credit cards, co-branded credit cards). However, over the last 24 months we have seen an evolution in how these two important retailing components work together with the introduction of mobile wallets. At...Read More

Chuck will be speaking during the Loyalty Expo session: Beyond Everyday Spend: New Techniques for Engendering Experiences and Engagement Read More

Bob will be speaking during the Loyalty Expo workshop: Turning Likes into Buys: How to Convert Your Digital Community into Paying & Loyal Customers Read More

Yanni leads the analytics strategy team for Merkle’s insurance, wealth management, nonprofit and global analytics practices. Over the past 15 years, Yanni has had the good fortune of working with clients like, AIG, GEICO, Nationwide, 21st Century, AARP, Citizens, PNC, and others. Yanni...Read More

How many loyalty cards do you carry? Consumers share their sentiments about all those loyalty cards. I have been wishing for a single loyalty card for a very long time! My key chain is far too swamped with these little things and my purse just can’t hold any more! I want ONE card...Read More

In a recent report forecasting mobile growth, Cisco Systems, Inc. revealed an astounding statistic: the number of mobile-connected devices exceeded the number of people on earth by the end of 2012. By 2016, there will be over 10 billion mobile-connected devices—or 1.4 mobile devices per...Read More

Loyalty is THE prized possession for all brands. Aware of the financial benefits and incremental ancillary attributes of having truly loyal customers, many organizations still fail to truly pursue a process to deliver the short-term experiences and engagement opportunities. These short-term...Read More

In today’s economic surroundings, it’s clear that customer relationships are a key to success at Sylvan Learning. And, referrals are key to driving revenue for their business. As a result, the Sylvan Marketing team was looking for systematic, scalable methods of building a strong...Read More

Omni-Channel, Cross Channel Connections Merging the Silos Multichannel lines are blurring and the future of connected channel engagements, delivering well-matched customer experiences, is NOW.  Omni-channel marketing is being embraced by marketers who strive to meet the expectations of...Read More

A brand’s knowledge of individual customer preferences is critical for nurturing long-term relationships. This ensures an optimal customer experience, which is becoming a strategic imperative for companies to differentiate themselves and maximize acquisition, retention and growth. Whether...Read More

Doug Dwyre, President of Mocapay chats with Geoff Alexander, Vice president and Managing partner of Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises’ Wow Bao division. The two will be sharing details of the mobile-enabled Frequent Diner Program and successful mobile marketing strategies at the 6th...Read More

Q: We’d like to build on surprise & delight offerings to improve the customer experience and engender loyalty, without the commitment and liability of a points (or miles) based program. How do I best approach this type of program structure?A: Our culture is so accustomed to points...Read More

To improve the brand experience and differentiate themselves in the eyes of consumers, companies must integrate digital information into the traditional customer view, and use insights to refine a brand’s overall marketing strategy.  This requires not only re-orienting the nature of...Read More

The future of the mobile wallet is upon us! 27% of you are already offering a mobile wallet and 67% of you are evaluating technologies for your solution or to upgrade and existing solution. I think product companies are rushing into wanting to be the first to try to grab market share of users by...Read More

Like castaways bobbing in an ocean of digital content, consumers are adrift in a sea of endless choices. They can go anywhere. And as readers of this magazine know too well, they often do. This may explain why 58 percent of brands expect to spend more on customer retention this year and next...Read More

Greg oversees the consumer marketing strategy for Choice Hotels, a leading hotel franchisor with 6,200 hotels worldwide.  His principle focus is on global growth of Choice privileges, the comprehensive, award-winning rewards program for Choice Hotels, which has tripled membership to over 16...Read More

Loyalty rewards programs have grown in recent years, not only in industries with a longstanding history of rewards programs but also new ones. Companies launch these programs to increase salesand grow their underlying business, market a brand or product, increase customer retention, and improve...Read More

Thanks to technology’s continued advance, consumers are more product-aware today than at any point in history. Before an in-store or online purchase is made, they’ve done their research, they know what they want and they’re reluctant to compromise. Armed with smartphone in...Read More

Voice of the Customer  (VOC) strategies are increasingly important for both B2C and B2B organizations as the market demands greater attention to customer experience, engagement and retention efforts.  At Siemens Building Technologies, they have invested in making their customer...Read More

DropTank: “Pump Rollback Cards” Who doesn’t like to see prices at the pump rollback?  Drop Tank’s new cents-off-per-gallon cards, called Dropoints cards, do just that…drop the price at the pump instantly.   When a consumer swipes the card at a...Read More

Kelly Passey is EVP of Business and Product Development for Access Development.  Below he shares his perspective on customer experience, loyalty and the trends influencing the industry today.What is your customer philosophy and how does this perspective help influence the customer experience...Read More

Mark Johnson interviews Brandon Hayes, of The Home Depot. Read More

For many loyalty programs, mobile marketing offers the potential to explore new heights in record time, creating positive customer experiences and ensuring customer loyalty. Like building a house, your loyalty program has a solid foundation, but needs to be up to code before construction on...Read More

Has the rise of digital, social and mobile technologies affected your marketing organization? In response to these rapid changes in the way everyone on the planet gets and processes information, governments, businesses and individuals are all facing the challenges of adapting to continuous...Read More

Shoveling snow, grocery shopping, folding laundry, some daily activities just don’t scream fun…but maybe they should.  We’ve all heard about gamification– using game design elements to drive desired behavior while making life a little more enjoyable.  While the...Read More

Loyalty 360 Interview with Cindy Faust, Aimia Cindy Faust, Vice President, Product Management at Aimia, offers her insight into the technology and data-based challenges that confront today’s loyalty focused marketers.What concerns keep your clients and others up at night? Marketers are...Read More

The emergence of the mobile wallet is about to change everything. Maybe not this year or next, but within five years it will happen. Consumer’s expectations of loyalty programs will change, marketers will have unprecedented opportunities to track and motivate consumer behaviors and the...Read More

Marketers have invested millions of dollars in gaining social media followers, yet few have had much luck following the sales that result. the speed and breadth with which social media platforms have grown has made it too challenging to correlate the value of a “like” with a...Read More

In the first post in this series, I introduced the collection of terms that describe how organizations manage their customer engagements: customer intelligence, customer analytics, integrated marketing management and marketing analytics. It's important to define them, as well as understand...Read More

As mentioned in my previous post, there are a number of terms that describe how organizations manage their customer engagements: customer intelligence, customer analytics, integrated marketing maangement and marketing analytics. It's important to define them, as well as understand what...Read More

Often retailers and other organizations don’t understand how banks make money on credit products offered to their customers (like private label and cobrand cards tied to loyalty programs) and how value is created.  This gap in understanding limits the value partners can realize over...Read More

Loyalty Expo speaker, Mitch Kennedy, executive vice president of All Digital Rewards, shares his perspective on customer loyalty and how the Loyalty Expo will influence the future of marketing. Why do you feel the Loyalty Expo is an important event?Kennedy:  I call it the &ldquo...Read More

What is the Holy Grail for business? Customer loyalty.  Rather, true loyalty that is undying allegiance to a brand or product.  Establishing true loyalty is the ONLY way to create a sustainable competitive advantage.  So, how does a business achieve true loyalty? They have to...Read More

Brands always want to gain the upper hand on customer engagement. Forging meaningful relationships with customers is the key to success for any brand. Debra Ellis, president of Asheville, NC-based Wilson & Ellis Consulting, shared her 10 Tips for Better Customer Engagement with Loyalty 360...Read More

Take a look at the retail landscape around you. No matter where you direct your gaze, you’ll see a company or brand engaging in some kind of charitable activity or cause marketing initiative. One example is L.L. Bean donating $1 million to the National Park Foundation through its Million...Read More

Mark Johnson interviews Larry Freed, the President and CEO of ForeSee. They discuss CEM insights for the next five years, as well as mobile strategy to ensure customer loyalty and financial success. Read More

Loyalty 360 invited Loyalty Expo speakers, Adam Russell, Group Vice President - Consumer & Small Business Credit Card, SunTrust Bank and Chuck Christianson, Group Vice President - Sales & Strategy, Affinion Loyalty Group to share their perspectives on customer experience and the...Read More

As a retailer, it’s good to make friends with your customers. It’s even better when you can build loyalty and foster long-lasting relationships. According to The Gartner Group, 80% of your sales will come from 20% of your existing customers. As a central part of the checkout...Read More

Most loyalty efforts focus on what happens post-sale. And while a robust post-sales relationship marketing program is critical in developing customer loyalty, your customer acquisition strategy can be one of the more effective levers in building a high value customer base. If you’ve...Read More

Retail marketing consultant Mary Portas recently said that, “our town centres are like old friends that we don’t have a lot in common with any more. We used to look forward to seeing them on a Saturday, but now we find it a bit of a chore. We try to keep the friendship going for old...Read More

Why use SMS for Marketing and CRM? Using SMS for marketing or operational purposes will allow you to send messages directly to your customers’ mobile, meaning that you can contact them wherever they are. This immediacy means that your message can be timely and relevant creating sticky...Read More

What is the Holy Grail for business? Customer loyalty.  Rather, true loyalty that is undying allegiance to a brand or product.  Establishing true loyalty is the ONLY way to create a sustainable competitive advantage.  So, how does a business achieve true loyalty? They have to...Read More

Al Bhakta, CEO of Genghis Grill Franchise Concepts, sat down with Paytronix for a one-on-one interview that delves into how important data is to the chain’s sustained growth and plans for future expansion.Paytronix: Tell us a little about Genghis Grill. What makes it special?Bhakta: Genghis...Read More

A Forrester Report and CMS Wire critique reiterates a point which Kobie has endorsed  for quite some time in our efforts to educate clients and the loyalty industry. There is compelling evidence suggesting that consumers increasingly expect an enhanced brand experience,...Read More

Loyalty 360 invited Loyalty Expo speakers, Jennifer Schmitt Director of Customer Excellence, Glenda Cardenas Marketing Manager, Customer Excellence and Linette Myland, Marketing Manager, Customer Voice for Siemens Building Technologies to share their perspective on how the customer experience...Read More

Customer loyalty was a top theme at the recent National Retail Federation Big Show, where thousands of retailers gathered to discuss trends and learn from the industry’s top names. This theme frequently overlapped with another important topic that is linked to loyalty: a strong focus on...Read More

I remember speaking to a department store retailer many years ago about what exactly customer loyalty was, and he said to me, “Loyalty? If you want loyalty, buy a dog!” I have never forgotten that phrase, and it still makes me laugh. What does having a loyal customer mean? In sports...Read More

Watch Loyalty 360's own Christine Peterman interview Sylvan Learning's Sara Costello, Senior Director of Marketing, and Francesca Muhlbaier, Local Marketing Manager about their upcoming Loyalty Expo 2013 session, "Optimizing Your Referral/Loyalty Program through Integrated Marketing and...Read More

Mark Johnson interviews Metro, Inc's Vice President & Chief Marketing Communications Officer, Marc Giroux. In addition to sharing insights about Metro, Inc's own loyalty program and it's success, they discuss why customer loyalty and retention is important to an overall...Read More

Eric Tejeda interviews PossibleNOW's Eric Holtzclaw. Holtzclaw is the Vice President & General Manager of PossibleNOW's Preference Management Professional Services Organization. Eric shares his perspective on the importance of branding, multi-channel challenges, and how customer...Read More

At Merkle, Craig Dempster’s responsibilities are diverse. He oversees Merkle’s marketing strategy as well as the business unit devoted to designing, creating and delivering highly personalized customer experiences across established and emerging media. Craig also leads Merkle’s...Read More

We invited Loyalty Expo speakers, Jason Barbrow, Vice President, Customer Lifecycle Experience, of Time Warner Cable and Jim Dicso, President & Chief Revenue Officer of SundaySky to share their perspective on how the customer experience influences loyalty.     Do you believe...Read More

In this interview with Scott Hays, Senior Director of Product Marketing, KANA, we get a sneak peek look at the webinar: "If You Love Your Customers, Don't Break Their Hearts: Minimize Effort to Maximize Loyalty," which will be presented February 14, 2013. In this video, Mark Johnson, CEO...Read More

Customer experience leads to customer loyalty, but how do we provide exceptional customer experience? We can do so by proactively managing the buyer journey.  Customer analytics equips executives with knowledge-driven tactics to improve the customer experience at various touch points...Read More

Recently, I found myself mesmerized by my five-year-old’s battery-powered Hex Bug toys that move in and out of different habitats in an impossible-to-predict fashion. It got me thinking that today’s consumer is like one of those Hex Bugs: moving in and out of different media on...Read More

The New Orleans Superdome was in the dark, literally, for 34 minutes during the third quarter of Super Bowl XLVII, but many marketers involved in the most watched television event of the year have seen the light.  What marketing lessons did we learn from Super Bowl XLVII? How about the...Read More

Through the Loyalty 360 Thought Leadership series we invite you to hear first-hand insights and perspectives from the thought leadership driving the customer engagement and loyalty industry today. In this video blog, Loyalty 360 interviews Kris Duggan, CEO and Founder of Badgeville.Kris ...Read More

Although big data presents huge marketing opportunities, many companies simply can’t keep up with the amount of customer information being generated every day. So while marketers have become adept at capturing large quantities of data from a variety of sources, they have a long way to go...Read More

There’s a common misconception in the market today.  The perception is that sales drives company success.  Makes sense.  After all, businesses make money and gain share when they increase sales.  But this is only part of the story. The fact is, it’s service...Read More

Although big data presents huge marketing opportunities, many companies simply can’t keep up with the amount of customer information being generated every day. So while marketers have become adept at capturing large quantities of data from a variety of sources, they have a long way to go...Read More

Good business owners may disagree on how best to increase their margins, motivate their employees or beat the competition. But there’s one thing that they all know for sure:  customer service is king. Yes, competitive pricing, differentiation and convenience helps. But at the end of...Read More

There’s a common misconception in the market today.  The perception is that sales drives company success.  Makes sense.  After all, businesses make money and gain share when they increase sales.  But this is only part of the story. The fact is, it’s service &ndash...Read More

Loyalty 360 had the opportunity to hear from Jeff Fromm, Executive Vice President for Barkely, Inc. Jeff has more than 25 years of hands-on experience working on major brands including SONIC, Hallmark, Build-A-Bear Workshop, KC Masterpiece Brand BBQ Sauce and Payless Shoesource. In the...Read More

When it comes to the qualities that enable us to connect as people, and as organizations, I’ve come to believe there are two measures: the IQ and the EQ. For people, IQ stands for intelligence quotient, which, as we all know, measures our smarts. People with high IQs build rocket engines...Read More

The U.S. Department of Commerce reported online retailers generated $57 billion in sales during the third quarter of 2012, up over 17% from the same period a year earlier.  As of this writing, the annual 2012 e-commerce sales figures have not yet been confirmed, but they are anticipated to...Read More

Breaking news – major changes to travel loyalty programs!  Lots of discussions are happening around this topic lately.  As jaded as I may be, these changes didn’t seem like breaking news to me, my initial reaction was, “What’s all the fuss about? No surprise...Read More

The UK’s high-street woes have continued into 2013 as winter brings dark days for some well-known brands. Music retailer HMV followed photographic equipment specialist Jessops into administration, with movie rental chain Blockbuster completing a triumvirate in trouble during January. Yet...Read More

Welcome to 2013. The New Year is a time for looking back to the past and forward to the coming year, to reflect on the changes we want to make and resolve to implement them. The same holds true for your recognition programs. As we embark on a new year, take this opportunity to evaluate your...Read More

The New Year is always a time when our industry reflects on how things went, but it’s also a time to peer into our crystal ball and boldly lay down predictions on where we think things are headed. This year, Loyatly 360 has kindly asked me to share my thoughts on some of the trends that I...Read More

U.S. Bank FlexPerks Visa is providing customers excellent value in terms of rewards and is reaping the benefits as a result, according to Bob Daly, the bank’s senior vice president retail payment solutions. For several years, many airline frequent flyer programs have devalued their...Read More

In today’s marketplace, brand loyalty must be earned on an everyday basis as consumers have an ever-increasing number of options from where they can obtain products and services. A struggling economy has raised expectations for customer service and support to unprecedented heights...Read More

BJ Emerson is an award winning social technology executive who has a long and consistent track record of innovation and leadership within the organizations he serves. His curious blend of creative and technical abilities makes him a sought after speaker and consultant. BJ's unique perspective...Read More

With so many companies positioning themselves as loyalty solutions, choosing the one that’s right for you will likely take some time. Following are some tips for making sure you find the right partner for your brand’s needs.CHANGE THE WAY YOU THINK ABOUT YOUR VALUE PROPOSITION...Read More

Cyber fraud rings continue to be more creative in their attacks and continue to go after ever smaller businesses, according to Andreas Baumhof, chief technology officer of ThreatMetrix , San Jose, Calif. “They used to go after only large financial institutions, now they go after smaller...Read More

Leveraging customer loyalty data to deliver highly effective promotions is one of the benefits a loyalty program brings to any marketing team. Motivating a customer to come back for a visit after a period of dormancy, also known as winning a customer back, is the first step toward compelling...Read More

The message to merchants is clear: go social or go home. According to the Burson-Marsteller’s Global Social Checkup report for 2012, 93% of Fortune 100 companies update a Facebook page at least weekly and 79% interact directly with customers via Twitter. But unlike Fortune 100 companies,...Read More

Welcome to 2013. The New Year is a time for looking back to the past and forward to the coming year, to reflect on the changes we want to make and resolve to implement them. The same holds true for your recognition programs. As we embark on a new year, take this opportunity to evaluate your...Read More

Times are tough and that means grocery shoppers are looking around to get the best deals. But what you might not expect is the level of retailer disloyalty they are displaying, along with the fact that almost half of all purchasing decisions are made in-store, even in this digital age. ...Read More

Coupon. The word itself has some odd connotations, doesn’t it? For many, it brings to mind thoughts of spending hours with scissors and the Sunday newspaper, or perhaps that one date who wouldn’t dine anywhere unless they had a coupon. Those perceptions are changing. The humble...Read More

In the seller’s mind, customer loyalty certainly exists. It is seen as the holy grail of revenue generation. The oh-so-desired “loyal customer” comes back again and again, spends more, and tells others about the positive experience. This special breed of customer generates...Read More

I love New Year’s Resolutions!  Every December, I enjoy reflecting on what I’ve learned in the last 12 months, and set goals to grow professionally and personally.  On my list again this year, is studying opportunities to drive customer engagement—understanding how...Read More

Times are tough and that means grocery shoppers are looking around to get the best deals. But what you might not expect is the level of retailer disloyalty they are displaying, along with the fact that almost half of all purchasing decisions are made in-store, even in this digital age. In the...Read More

As President of Pitney Bowes Software, John O’Hara brings 28 years of experience in the high tech industry. John led Pitney Bowes Business Insight (PBBI)’s expansion strategies in Europe, The Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific (EMEA) focusing on key vertical markets across these...Read More

Outside In: The Power of Putting Customers at the Center of Your Business  Harley Manning and Kerry Bodine New Harvest | August 2012  What simple innovation brought billions in new investments to Fidelity? What basic misunderstanding was preventing Office Depot from achieving its...Read More

Brand loyalty experts are often the most data-savvy individuals at a company. So the discussion of big data might seem like old news to you. It shouldn’t. The simple calculations that have driven loyalty programs are about to become old news. Staying abreast of the rapidly evolving big...Read More

For years companies have implemented employee engagement and incentive programs that largely focus on a “do this, get that” reward strategy. What happens if a company challenges this norm and places an emphasis on what appeals to and motivates each individual? Comprehensive engagement...Read More

Milista Anderson is chief customer officer for SunGard’s energy business, leading the organization in its voice of the customer program and retention strategies.  Ms. Anderson has more than 20 years of experience in the design, development and delivery of systems, processes and...Read More

Recent articles on the “new economics” of loyalty programs and the choices program managers face may be important to read, but many of them leave me bewildered. These articles warn that in the new loyalty environment, credit card companies will play an increasingly disruptive force...Read More

Most executives have always known—or at least been told—that customer loyalty is the best path to long-term profitable growth. Today that knowledge is impossible to ignore with increased competition across industries, more power in customers’ hands, and fewer dollars flowing...Read More

Google released a field trial in August of this year for one of its newest features: displaying Gmail messages within personal search results. As with many of Google’s recently added features, the net is buzzing with negative sentiment and resistance to yet another seemingly invasive...Read More

A successful customer loyalty program is a two-way street. The program owner rewards customers for desired behavior, in exchange for higher sales and repeat customer visits.  Ultimately, loyalty is one of the strongest tools to influence and track customer spending. Communications seems...Read More

Lettuce Entertain You has lowered the threshold for its loyalty rewards in order to improve communications with customers and drive more business into its 80-plus restaurants, most of which are located in the Chicago metropolitan area.  Chicago-area members of the restaurant chain’s...Read More

As another blazingly fast year comes to a close, we must look forward to 2013 and the decisions that will shape programs through 2014.  So, as loyalty marketers and major brands alike come back to pick apart strategic and budget decisions they have been kicking around all year,there are...Read More

Do the same shopping motivations still matter in 2012 that inspired shoppers in 1972 when Watergate was news, flares were HOT, ABBA was IN and The Brady Bunch was on, and an average house cost under $8,000?  With “Shop Talk: Building Brand Loyalty by Understanding...Read More

FIVESTARS—LOYALTY SOLUTION  The FiveStars co-founders began as top business consultants at McKinsey, where they were first exposed to the power of customer loyalty programs. They quickly realized why almost every Fortune 500 willingly spends MILLIONS of dollars on their in house...Read More

Play.com, the online entertainment retailer owned by Japanese digital firm Rakuten, has found social success using Facebook to engage fans and earn referrals from top advocates. In fact, in 2011 Play.com was able to attribute £2m worth of sales to Facebook, and direct sales through the...Read More

The road to poor performance is paved with good intentions and bad execution. Recent data indicates that some loyalty programs may actually be counterproductive to supporting customer acquisition and retention, encouraging purchase and improving the bottom line. CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING: 44%of...Read More

What do you think of when someone says “loyalty program”? A wallet crammed with retailer reward cards, perhaps? The latest developments in payment methods and digital technology have changed today’s loyalty landscape into an ever increasingly complex environment. The key...Read More

The concept of cause marketing originated in 1976 by Bruce Burtch. Burtch orchestrated the first cause marketing campaign by creating a symbiotic relationship between the Marriott Corporation and the March of Dimes.  The results from the campaign were an overwhelming success and exceeded...Read More

The LEGO Group, the parent organization of the company that makes the ubiquitous plastic building blocks loved by children and their parents around the world, is famous as the largest toy manufacturer in the world. It is less well known that the privately held company also is extremely successful...Read More

Q: For the last few years, our focus has been on discounting and coupons. We’re concerned about what this approach does to our brand message as well as our bottom line so we’d like to explore alternatives as we plan for 2013. Where do we start? What are our best options for the...Read More

Planning for 2013, we reflect on the gains, opportunities and challenges overcome during the course of this year. Looking back on the anticipated trends for 2012, I noticed that a number of them came into fruition while some of them are still looking for the internal corporate advocacy...Read More

As marketing director for Safelite AutoGlass®, Kerry Hurff is responsible for consumer insights, business-to-business marketing and leading the creative team. Prior to joining Safelite AutoGlass, Hurff served as director of marketing—scientific products for Cardinal Health. In his...Read More

At the beginning of 2012, we landed on three words that would demand our attention and guide our work in loyalty marketing during the year. The words were Data, Social, Mobile. Each has significance, though for reasons you might not expect. As we enter Q4 of 2012, we realize that another...Read More

For retailers, the final quarter of the calendar year is when sales targets are either made or missed. Marketers try every method in the book to attract shoppers into stores, from BOGO (buy-one-get-one) and couponing to Santa’s visits and puppies in the windows – and for good reason...Read More

For retailers, the final quarter of the calendar year is when sales targets are either made or missed. Marketers try every method in the book to attract shoppers into stores, from BOGO (buy-one-get-one) and couponing to Santa’s visits and puppies in the windows – and for good reason...Read More

Jon Ezrine is SVP & Chief Operating Officer of Nexidia. Jon joined Nexidia from Witness Systems, a call center recording and optimization software company, where he served as CFO. Jon was responsible for all aspects of Witness Systems financial management from its start-up stage, through...Read More

In order to drive employee retention and maintain company morale, it’s critical for business leaders to understand how to effectively acknowledge and reward employees.   Fortunately, new research provides information that can help employers develop meaningful incentives programs...Read More

The loyalty industry has a rich history of producing tangible behavioral results. From the earliest days of S&H green stamps to today's modern programs, the effect of loyalty can't be understated. But in recent years, the standard “earn and burn” program has begun to...Read More

For many brick and mortar retailers, the stats are frightening: 15 percent year-on-year increase in US holiday season online sales1 20 percent average increase in online sales a year in Asia in the near term and by as much as 40 percent annually in some markets such as Japan2 45 percent of...Read More

The holiday season tends to bring out what Abraham Lincoln referred to as “the better angels of our nature.” By and large, people caught up in the holiday spirit are more patient, friendly, forgiving and generous.  That feeling of generosity and of gratitude for what one has...Read More

To be successful in today's marketplace, marketers must consistently take what they learn about their customers and apply it to new campaigns and promotions. The marketing goal is to heighten awareness, reach the right consumer with the right product or service, drive the consumer to take...Read More

To be successful in today's marketplace, marketers must consistently take what they learn about their customers and apply it to new campaigns and promotions. The marketing goal is to heighten awareness, reach the right consumer with the right product or service, drive the consumer to take...Read More

Engaging all players through identical promotional vehicles and loyalty tactics is no longer an effective strategy. An average casino generates a disproportionate amount of revenue from a relatively small base of core VIP players with a high coin-in play. These players must be segmented and...Read More

The holiday season tends to bring out what Abraham Lincoln referred to as “the better angels of our nature.” By and large, people caught up in the holiday spirit are more patient, friendly, forgiving and generous.  That feeling of generosity and of gratitude for what one has...Read More

Marketers have long understood that for any loyalty marketing initiative to succeed, there needs to be recognition and an integrated view of the customer at all points of brand interaction. The capability to effectively link, consolidate and augment a brand’s view of its customer base...Read More

It is widely proven that employee engagement is directly linked to the profitability and sustainability of a business.  Why is it, then, that—according to the Gallup Organization (which has done extensive research on the subject)—only 11 percent of all employees worldwide are...Read More

For most retailers who have some form of recognition and reward program in place daily, weekly and monthly reporting on program performance is enough to know whether the program is driving business metrics successfully.  Success defined by pre-established measures, or KPIs (key performance...Read More

1) Deeper connections: Retailers will develop a deeper and more meaningful connection with consumers, inviting  them to take an even greater part in the conversation. Social media will play an even bigger critical role. Brands can no longer simply push information and hope it sticks...Read More

Craig McLaughlin is President, Chief Executive Officer and founder of Bridge2 Solutions. Under Craig’s leadership, the company has tripled revenue over the past three-years, and grown from a regionally-based establishment into an international corporation doing business with some of the...Read More

The title of this piece is a “catch-phrase” beckoning throughout the global loyalty industry and is seen as one of the top loyalty trends of 2012. I say “globally”, because coming from the South African loyalty market place, I can confidently state that South Africa is...Read More

There are five critical factors that can make or break a concierge program for loyalty marketers, Mark Robeson, senior vice president, sales and marketing, for VIPdesk, said during a Loyalty 360 webinar discussing the topic:1) Passionate People “First and foremost, the people that you...Read More

The title of this piece is a “catch-phrase” beckoning throughout the global loyalty industry and is seen as one of the top loyalty trends of 2012. I say “globally”, because coming from the South African loyalty market place, I can confidently state that South Africa is...Read More

Through the Loyalty 360 Thought Leadership series we invite you to hear first-hand insights and perspectives from the thought leadership driving the customer engagement and loyalty industry today. In this video blog, Mark Johnson, President and CEO of Loyalty 360 interviews Bob Macdonald,...Read More

Through the Loyalty 360 Thought Leadership series we invite you to hear first-hand insights and perspectives from the thought leadership driving the customer engagement and loyalty industry today. In this video blog, Mark Johnson, President and CEO of Loyalty 360 interviews Phil Rubin, CEO...Read More

Milista Anderson is chief customer officer for SunGard’s energy business, leading the organization in its voice of the customer program and retention strategies. Ms. Anderson has more than 20 years of experience in the design, development and delivery of systems, processes and...Read More

Through the Loyalty 360 Thought Leadership series we invite you to hear first-hand insights and perspectives from the thought leadership driving the customer engagement and loyalty industry today. In this video blog, Mark Johnson, President and CEO of Loyalty 360 interviews Doug Dwyre, CEO...Read More

In reflecting on the last few months for our annual trends issue of Loyalty Management, the biggest trend I’m seeing is focus back to the basics - focus on the overall customer experience, at the top. For the last 12 years we’ve been chasing the latest shiny thing. ...Read More

Customer analytics is a key enabler for loyalty success, David Rosen, TIBCO Loyalty Lab head of strategy, analytics and consumer insights, explained during a recent Loyalty 360 webinar on the subject.  “We know that analytics is really critical to loyalty,” Rosen said. &ldquo...Read More

Analytics, knowing how a company’s customers think and knowing how competition reacts to changes can help companies successfully use pricing as part of their marketing model in order to create revenues David Andreadakis, director of strategy and business development for Aimia said during...Read More

2012 has been the year of “testing” new mobile and payment technologies including loyalty and reward programs. These new technologies have driven more change in the payments industry in the past year than over the last decade and there is sure to be an acceleration in this movement...Read More

FreeMonee CMO, Jim Taschetta has 25 years of leadership experience across a name-brand selection of blue-chip companies and start-ups. Jim previously served as the CMO of Bare Escentuals, FRS Healthy Energy and Yodlee.com. Additionally, he served in various executive positions leading brand...Read More

2012 has been the year of “testing” new mobile and payment technologies including loyalty and reward programs. These new technologies have driven more change in the payments industry in the past year than over the last decade and there is sure to be an acceleration in this movement...Read More

Google, IBM, Apple, Facebook and Microsoft all have the same goal — to connect with consumers. Thanks to the democratization of information technology, the global retail landscape has drastically changed in the last decade. Welcome to the Knowledge Era — it’s the...Read More

According to the latest figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, customer service representatives hold over 2.2 million jobs. Many work in telephone call or customer contact centers. Others work in insurance agencies, banks, stores, or other organizations that interact with customers...Read More

Due to the crowded market and fierce competition, capturing customers’ attention has become quite a challenge nowadays. Let’s say the retailers succeed and grab their customers’ attention, what becomes more challenging now is making them come back to the store and become loyal...Read More

As we’ve just elected a president, we thought it only fair to acknowledge another group of notable leaders: the brands elected to the 16th annual Brand Keys Loyalty Leaders List. Election to the list isn’t actually a matter of counting votes, although it does involve counting things...Read More

For 8+ years I (as well as many of you) have been talking about the importance of bringing point and mile currencies to the point of sale.  Today, innovative retailers like Best Buy are driving the POS redemption capability.  Why? For two major reasons 1) estimates of outstanding...Read More

As we’ve just elected a president, we thought it only fair to acknowledge another group of notable leaders: the brands elected to the 16th annual Brand Keys Loyalty Leaders List. Election to the list isn’t actually a matter of counting votes, although it does involve counting things...Read More

In recent years, customer relationship goals have evolved from a linear client satisfaction to a more holistic, 360-degree customer experience. And not without reason. A difficult economy forces sales personnel to fight a constant battle with competitors to acquire and retain clients, and...Read More

Rick Joutras is Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer of SG360° a Segerdahl company.  Rick’s vision is to always be the world-class producer of direct marketing, utilizing the most innovative technologies and methods to improve consumer response. Under his leadership...Read More

In reflecting on the last few months for our annual trends issue of Loyalty Management, the biggest trend I’m seeing is focus back to the basics - focus on the overall customer experience, at the top. For the last 12 years we’ve been chasing the latest shiny thing.  Remember...Read More

Sue is the Director of Marketing Communications at Destination Rewards, provider of loyalty, engagement and incentive solutions. Sue oversees the creation of various marketing communications for multiple clients. Her areas of expertise include branding, client relations and email marketing. In...Read More

Customer experience management has earned increased clout over the past few years. More than a strategic concept, customer experience is a real influential construct worth as much, if not more, than any product or service. Take a moment to consider your own purchasing decisions. When choosing...Read More

Healthcare professionals often cite patient retention as a key to success, when in reality, it’s patient loyalty that causes long-term, exponential revenue growth.READ FULL ARTICLE HERE Read More

Healthcare professionals often cite patient retention as a key to success, when in reality, it’s patient loyalty that causes long-term, exponential revenue growth. Every new patient should make a doctor feel like a nervous 20-something courting a potential girlfriend. This applies to...Read More

The market is increasingly crowded with multiple entities claiming expertise in mobile marketing – legacy software vendors, integrated marketing agencies, marketing consultants, rebranded startups – the list goes on. But for reputable brands that measure, and survive by successful...Read More

While every Concierge program is unique (for the same reasons that no two customer loyalty programs are the same, reasons which include customer demographics, psychographics, expressed desires and needs, etc.), there are seven factors that—across the board—can make or break a...Read More

Loyalty marketers are facing a host of opportunities and challenges as they look to build or maximize the potential of their programs, according to loyalty experts who discussed industry trends during the Loyalty 360 Engagement & Experience Expo.  READ FULL ARTICLE HERE. Read More

Loyalty marketers are facing a host of opportunities and challenges as they look to build or maximize the potential of their programs, according to loyalty experts who discussed industry trends during the Loyalty 360 Engagement & Experience Expo.Big Data According to Forrester Research...Read More

By following six recommendations companies can resolve operational issues with loyalty programs, Don Hughes, CIO of Kobie Marketing, said during a webinar hosted by Loyalty 360 that discussed loyalty technology pitfalls and how to avoid them. Marketing executives, service providers and...Read More

Hear how the LOC Card Solution unlocks the barriers to enrollment into all loyalty programs while providing the consumer a secure, universal card or mobile app and the merchant a simplified process to access and enroll an extended audience of consumers in their new or existing programs. ...Read More

In this session, Martie Woods will share how Deluxe developed a client-centered research engine to stay close to its market, gain new insight and raise the bar on the experience it delivers to its clients. Attendees will explore:     Our social economy and the progression of...Read More

Consumers are being bombarded with more offers, deals and coupons than at any point in the history of commerce. Marketers are spending billions of dollars annually on these promotions hoping to drive consumers to their businesses. An outside observer might conclude that coupons and offers must be...Read More

Voice of the Customer is about helping the enterprise create and execute a better strategy.  To be successful you need deliver an optimized service experience that leads to satisfaction, trust and confidence with the customer.  In this session learn how Verint and Vovici are helping...Read More

Integrating Point of Sale data directly into your Email and Sms Service Provider and Centralizing customer data for insight, access and execution. Bob Hoffer, Loyalty Marketing Director at Mister Car Wash will discuss proven strategies that will help you:     Put engagement on...Read More

Many brands are inadvertently holding the exit door for their customers when it comes to their direct marketing campaigns. We need to challenge the way we think about campaign success.    We’re not meeting customers’ expectations when we send mass emails and messages...Read More

Consumers are now more than ever inclined to share their experiences, whether positive or negative, around the web. If not carefully monitored, reputation management concerns can quickly spread – impacting the brand itself and the bottom line. By identifying and energizing both internal...Read More

You have developed a great customer experience management vision for your organization, but how can you start enabling your vision?  What are the first steps to making your vision a reality?   Join this session to learn about the key technologies and solutions that you need to...Read More

Whether it’s the performance of a program or quantitative insights of consumer behavior, analytics play a major part of the success of loyalty programs.  This workshop will offer a step by step approach to generating the right information to create the right offers for the right...Read More

The current “holy grail” every marketer is after is truly determining ROI on social media efforts. How much can you really tell about sales with “likes” and “chatter levels”? We think it’s time “Likes” started becoming “Buys&rdquo...Read More

Customers engage your business the way they want, not the way we want them to.  These customers interact differently base on who they are and at different points in their lifecycle with your business.  This complexity challenges a company’s ability to effectively assess feedback...Read More

Just where are the boundaries when it comes to Social CRM and providing a great online experience? The limits are being tested as the competition is heating up for the hearts of consumers and brands contend for trust and ultimately loyalty. This interactive session will explore these boundaries...Read More

Are your customers exclusive to you?  Do they shop with competitors in your category and if so, how much is their overall spend?  Are you aiming to increase the size of your slice or grow the size of the pie?  Achieving a deeper understanding of your customers by leveraging big...Read More

Where is the power in a loyalty program and what influences that performance? The goal of acquiring, engaging and retaining your top customers and loyalty program members is not an easy task.  Those goals seem impossible when combined that with the multitude of competitors, channels, and...Read More

BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. (NASDAQ: BJRN) is one of the most innovative and profitable casual dining restaurant concepts in the world and, unlike many established foodservice brands, continues to thrive despite the economic downturn. A major reason behind their ongoing success is a...Read More

Collaboration, Community, Content, Commerce: the backbone for driving successful marketing strategy and sustainable relationships with your customers. Mark Johnson, CEO, Loyalty 360, kicks off this year’s Engagement & Experience Expo with an examination of key tactics for matching the...Read More

Today’s customers have a host of options for interfacing with brands, but no matter which one they choose, they expect a level of engagement that goes beyond transactional in favor of insightful, two-way relevant conversations that develop long-lasting relationships.  Are you or your...Read More

Whether the relationship is business-to-business or business to consumer, the value proposition to the buyer is a complex. It is an ever-changing and vital set of decisions and perceptions. If this complexity is managed efficiently, deep and sustainable engagement can be achieved. Maybe the...Read More

In today's world of marketing, loyalty can only be earned by offering sustained engaging experiences. Smart gamification techniques enable marketers to influence and measure user behavior across their own digital properties and external social networks. In this workshop, learn how to take...Read More

As President and CEO, Jim Milton is responsible for leading the team at SoundBite towards attaining the undisputed market leadership position in Proactive Customer Communications. Jim brings more than 25 years of high technology sales, marketing and general management experience to his role.On...Read More

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There are eight questions a company should ask before selecting a global rewards provider, according to experts who discussed the topic in a recent webinar sponsored by Loyalty 360, The Top 8 Questions You Should be Asking Your Global Rewards Provider. The Top 8 Questions You Should be...Read More

As President of Kobie Marketing, Michael Hemsey is responsible for leading all facets of the loyalty marketing organization including business development, IT initiatives, client services, as well as the overall direction of the Kobie brand. For 20 years, Michael has cultivated a rich background...Read More

In preparing to sell executives on a loyalty marketing plan, advocates first must understand the state of loyalty today and plan for success of their ideas, according to experts who discussed these issues during a webinar, Securing C-suite Support for your Loyalty Program hosted by Loyalty...Read More

In building its rewards program, RewardsOne, Best Buy learned five important insights about loyalty promotions, Ana Grace, senior manager of emerging platforms, said during a recent Loyalty360 webinar on What’s Hot in Rewards. Best Buy built its program around the concept of thrilling...Read More

Wow! I just chaired a meeting of mobile industry executives and even they are confused about the new emerging payments landscape. So, I can only imagine how you can be a “deer in the headlights” if you are a brand, hospitality company, retailer, or bank. This article provides you with...Read More

Think about it. When was the last time you felt you came away having just had a great customer experience—after dealing with an employee that appeared to act as if they could have cared less about you, what you were buying, or your satisfaction with the experience and the interaction...Read More

If retailers were lawmakers, showrooming would be a punishable offense. The act of consumers examining a product in-store, not purchasing it there, then finding a lower price elsewhere, is an increasingly common phenomenon facing brick and mortar retailers. This includes consumers using...Read More

In a Q&A with Loyalty 360 Kim offers her loyalty philosophy, a perspective on emerging technologies and best practices for engaging consumers today. What is the state of marketing today? Brault:  In a word, fragmented! There are so many channels available now to reach people beyond...Read More

Theresa Wabler is the Director of Marketing for Parago, a leading provider of end-to-end engagement management programs for consumers, sales channels and employees around the globe.  In a Q&A with Loyalty 360 Theresa shares her loyalty philosophy as well as a perspective on opportunities...Read More

Think about it. When was the last time you felt you came away having just had a great customer experience—after dealing with an employee that appeared to act as if they could have cared less about you, what you were buying, or your satisfaction with the experience and the interaction? Allow...Read More

When building a consumer mobile service, the initial focus is on working toward a successful launch, meeting deadlines and ensuring the system works properly for the “grand opening,” the press release, the ribbon cutting and photo opportunities. That is important. Planning for long...Read More

As part of the Loyalty 360 Executive Insights series, Mr. Kroghrud shares his perspective on driving more effective customer engagement & loyalty today.What is your customer philosophy and how does this perspective help drive more effective engagement and loyalty?Kroghrud: Today, the customer...Read More

If retailers were lawmakers, showrooming would be a punishable offense.  The act of consumers examining a product in-store, not purchasing it there, then finding a lower price elsewhere, is an increasingly common phenomenon facing brick and mortar retailers. This includes consumers using...Read More

It’s a new era for loyalty programs, an era of balance and mobility. Led by empowered consumers, fast-paced technology adoption and data-driven interactions, loyalty today is literally in consumers’ hands. While the mobile channel allows marketers to interact with...Read More

Tim Suther is responsible for Acxiom’s global marketing, strategy and business development activities. Previously, he led Acxiom’s worldwide digital, agency and multichannel marketing services business. He has more than 30 years of experience driving transformational...Read More

The Tasti D-Lite Way: Social Media Marketing Lessons for Building Loyalty and a Brand Customers Crave  James Amos, Chairman and CEO, Tasti D-Lite & BJ Emerson, VP Technology, Tasti D-Lite,  McGraw-Hill | September 2012 Their uncanny grasp on the latest social media—and...Read More

In order to understand the effect that price fluctuations have on customer loyalty and engagement, marketers need better visibility into not only how the customer treats price during the current buying decision, but also all buying decisions over time.  It...Read More

It’s a given of loyalty marketing that the more engaged your customers are with your brand, the more likely they are to stick around. Keeping the spark of engagement in your relationship with your customers can be challenging enough in one market. Scatter those customers...Read More

The New York Times recently wrote a rebuke of companies that badger customers for feedback relentlessly. They argue American consumers are tired of weighing in on “coffee makers, hand creams, triple-bypass operations, veterinarians, dry cleaners and...Read More

The link between employee benefits and loyalty is clear. The fact is, employees are more likely to stick around if they feel like they’re getting great benefits. This is true in every job function in every industry across every level of experience. Although making sure...Read More

Dickey’s Barbecue Restaurants, based in Dallas, Texas, is constantly revising and tweaking various aspects of marketing efforts not only to bring in new customers, but also to entice them (and regulars) to continue to be loyal, repeat customers, according to Roland...Read More

Last week I took my girlfriend out on a date to our favorite Japanese Curry House in Los Altos, CA. Upon arrival, Akiko, the hostess, promptly greeted us by name with a wonderful smile and reassuringly said, “We’re very busy tonight, but I’ll try...Read More

One of the hottest topics facing marketers today is how to engage consumers in conversation about their brands, products and services. Recently, Keller Fay conducted a study of U.S. consumers and how word-of-mouth recommendations influence consumer purchases across...Read More

In our travels we speak to marketers about their data. We learn about what are they collecting, how they’re collecting it, how they bring it together, and then what they plan to with it. It’s clear to us that everyone understands the ...Read More

Self-service can be like herding cats. On the one hand, some people dislike the lack of any online self-service tools when making a payment or modifying account settings, while others distrust doing business with a machine. Intelligent Virtual Assistants (IVAs) bridge the chasm...Read More

Times are tough in a global economy turned upside down. Competition is stiffer, regulatory compliance increasingly stringent, and perhaps nowhere more than in the financial services industry has customer trust become that much harder to earn. Although...Read More

In a world with ever increasing competition how do you build customer loyalty to grow and sustain market share?  We’ve watched several hundred clients grapple with this question.  While the answer always comes down to value, how well you understand your customer and the role...Read More

From Klout to Kred to Peer Index, social influence has been a hot topic garnering much debate recently. Businesses work to identify the influencers in their industry because getting their attention could bring in lots of new leads. Influencers are highly sought after, in short, because they'...Read More

The last decade was spent chasing the proverbial “360 degree” or comprehensive view of the customer. A shift is now underway to the consumer driving the conversation, causing a need to deliver a 360 degree view of the company instead. That is, creating a consistent customer...Read More

Thad Peterson has more than 20 years of experience in services marketing, database marketing, new product development, loyalty, strategy consulting and payments. His experience includes developing and managing marketing programs for global corporations as well as startups, leading new product...Read More

From Best Buy to Borders, retail stores are closing their doors forever: the shop has lost its connection to its shopper. FAST SHOPPER, SLOW STORE:  A Guide to Courting & Capturing the Mobile Consumer is a book about what companies can do to build the mobile tools necessary to re...Read More

Jeffrey oversees and directs the Solutions Sales team, which provides innovative incentive solutions for many of Rymax’s largest clients, including Fortune 500 companies within the automotive, financial, insurance, and beverage manufacturing industries. Jeffrey is responsible for the...Read More

Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn. You have them … probably for yourself, and maybe even for your organization, too. It’s easy enough to chat with a Facebook friend about your new car or your kids, but it’s quite another thing to share part of your organization using a corporate...Read More

The last decade was spent chasing the proverbial “360 degree” or comprehensive view of the customer. A shift is now underway to the consumer driving the conversation, causing a need to deliver a 360 degree view of the company instead. That is, creating a consistent customer...Read More

In an age where attention spans are short and marketing avenues are many, how can you successfully reach, maintain and nurture your customer relationships to drive sales, increase loyalty and support the business processes necessary to thrive in today’s ...Read More

Gamification has quickly grown to be more than an industry buzzword. Games, ratings, ranking and rewards are some of today’s most successful motivators of consumer behavior. In a Q&A with Badgeville’s CEO, Kris Duggan, we uncover a bit about the...Read More

Despite various references to the potential negative impact of recent payments industry difficulties on rewards programs, they continue to form a central part of payment products, including serving as the basis of account acquisition and retention strategy. In fact, new...Read More

Givex – Givex Helps Businesses Augment Mobile Apps with New Gift & Loyalty Wallet Capability Many businesses have been restricted to card-based gift and loyalty programs because of their POS and are hesitant to invest in NFC wallet technology as it still faces...Read More

It seems every organization these days has a loyalty program, whether it’s relevant or not. But to be successful with any loyalty program, it’s important to first examine the question of why. Does it benefit the consumer? The business? Does the organization actually...Read More

Many travelers view the benefits of membership in loyalty programs a necessity for frequent travel—so much so that nearly three-quarters of the business travelers surveyed in February 2012 by the Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) program have taken an extra trip solely to rack...Read More

Weary about loyalty programs, today’s consumers will often seek instant gratification as soon as rewards are accumulated, even in small amounts. Enter the case for the newest trend in loyalty program redemption offerings: digital rewards. A digital reward is often instantly...Read More

Kellogg is going beyond boxtops in an attempt to build loyalty among customers through its recently announced Kellogg’s Family Rewards program. Consumers can log onto a new website, KelloggsFamilyRewards.com, to register and enter unique codes found inside...Read More

There’s a fundamental shift underway. Whereas traditional airline loyalty programs were essentially intended to reward those already loyal—by dint of them being frequent flyers for various reasons—we’re now seeing airlines explore a truer...Read More

While there are many successful loyalty programs, there are three common mistakes that many companies make as their programs are developed or evolve, according to Mike Romano, senior vice president of mobile sales and client services at SoundBite Communications, Bedford, Mass. The biggest...Read More

As the challenging economic environment persists, we continue to see opportunities to create true brand loyalty in the market. We also see dissonance in the expectations of the customer versus the service level and reciprocity given by some brands. We have discussed the...Read More

Martie Woods is Vice President and Chief Experience Officer at Deluxe Corporation. With expertise in consumer psychology and buying behavior, Martie’s chargeis to improve customer engagement and loyalty throughout the financial services industry. In her twelve years at Deluxe...Read More

Loyalty 360 had the opportunity to hear from Alexandra Best, VP of Marketing at RewardStream.  We asked Alexandra to share insights and perspectives on current trends, customer engagement and loyalty philosophies.Tell us first a bit about yourself and your history in loyalty marketing...Read More

CurriculumLoft is the maker of the Kuno, perhaps the most successful Android challenger to date against the iPad in K-12 schools. That’s right – this family-owned Indianapolis, Indiana firm has succeeded against mighty Apple with its $375 tablet where Google,...Read More

Recently I attended Content Marketing World with over 1,000 other passionate marketing and business professionals. The topic was content marketing and how to effectively deploy content strategies. Some of the sessions were very specific to content approaches, such as Joe Chernov and Todd...Read More

In this video blog, Mark Johnson of Loyalty 360 interviews David Andreadakis, Director of Business Development Strategy at Aimia. David is a Behavioral Economist and leads Business Development for Aimia out of the Loyalty Strategy team. As a core part of this team, his primary focus is to...Read More

Mark Johnson, President and CEO of Loyalty 360, speaks with Tim Suther, Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer at Acxiom for an exclusive look at the thought leadership Behind the Brand. Tim is responsible for Acxiom’s global marketing, strategy and business development activities...Read More

Service with a smile is cliché in any customer service or sales industry, but those who go above and beyond to provide service that makes the customer smile are the ones who reap the rich rewards of customer retention. Simple service is not enough anymore. When was the last time you...Read More

More than 955 million people are active on Facebook each month. Over 800 million different people visit YouTube each month, watching more than 3 billion hours of content. Twitter recently reported that more than 150 million tweets were sent about the Olympics alone. Undoubtedly, today’s...Read More

This should be a golden time for telecom service providers. Traffic volumes are rising inexorably, while ever-larger numbers of ever-more diverse types of devices, from smartphones to connected TVs, are being adopted around the globe. While things might seem rosy on the surface, the individual...Read More

On August 23rd, 2012, Mark Johnson, President and CEO, spoke with Chris Bucholtz from SugarCRM about CRM challenges and strategies. With 17 years as a technology and business under his belt, Chris took over the role of editor in chief of the CRM Outsiders blog in 2011. He first focused on...Read More

The numbers are staggering. With a potential reach of more than 5 billion people across the globe, and an impressive 98% of messages being opened and read, it hardly comes as a surprise to learn that SMS is currently witnessing resurgence in enterprise customer engagement activity. Many...Read More

Brian Boardman, responsible for developing CRM industry solutions, strategic sales engagements and CRM marketing for Avanade, a joint venture between Microsoft and Accenture, recently discussed with Loyalty360 some of the CRM challenges and opportunities facing companies today.What is the biggest...Read More

The numbers are staggering. With a potential reach of more than 5 billion people across the globe, and an impressive 98% of messages being opened and read, it hardly comes as a surprise to learn that SMS is currently witnessing resurgence in enterprise customer engagement activity. Many...Read More

In today’s ultra-competitive retail business climate, customer engagement is more important than ever. But with margins already under pressure, many chains feel that one of the most effective tools to promote customer engagement – a points-based loyalty program – is...Read More

A few months ago, my wife was shopping online for a gourmet food item as a housewarming gift. She entered her email address as part of the order process so that she would receive a confirmation that the gift had shipped. The next week, my wife received an email from this store about their...Read More

Conversion rate is like the Rodney Dangerfield of retail metrics – it gets no respect. It’s been around for decades, but to a great extent has been ignored by most retailers. However, things are changing. Retailers are starting to pay attention to this uniquely insightful...Read More

Retailers are in a race for the customer. If they are not growing, acquiring new customers and generating higher incomes over an extended period they are going backwards. They are fighting for share from current and new competitors, in current and new markets and through current and new devices...Read More

As consumers gain access to progressively more information and choices, effective customer service has become a key factor in earning their loyalty. Industries across the board are strategically focusing on what it takes – above and beyond the quality of core products and services –...Read More

The history of Russian loyalty market started not so long ago. In 1998 it consisted of just three members – 2 air companies (Transaero and Aeroflot) and a restaurant chain Rosinter with its “Honored guest” program. Today no one knows exactly how many loyalty programs exist in...Read More

A recent Maritz Motivation Solutions study, of more than 1,000 U.S. employees across several industry sectors, found that more than 50 percent of employees in the current workforce do not feel meaningfully rewarded and recognized by employer offered programs.  The study also reflected a...Read More

Joe Leader is a Ph.D. level expert on new marketing technologies and strategic business development and serves as Vice President of Strategic Business Development for PossibleNow.  Previously, Mr. Leader led guerilla marketing efforts at AMI, a company ranked #2 on the Inc. 500. ...Read More

Marc Goodman is the Manager of Petro-Points & Partnerships with Suncor Energy.  With 13 years experience in the oil & gas channel, covering wholesale and retail, Mark has held positions in the industry encompassing sales, operations, business integration and marketing.  In a Q...Read More

The customer experience retailers work so hard to create is quickly evolving thanks to internet-enabled smartphones, barcode scanning apps, and comparison-shopping tools. Indeed, the balance of power has shifted to consumers, and retailers are scrambling to fend off competition in every aisle...Read More

Conversion rate is like the Rodney Dangerfield of retail metrics – it gets no respect. It’s been around for decades, but to a great extent has been ignored by most retailers. However, things are changing. Retailers are starting to pay attention to this uniquely insightful...Read More

Now that I can stream television, check the weather and email, hail a cab, and plan my optimal commute home on my smartphone, it’s amazing that I have time each day to use any other device. Smartphone owners are spending an increasing portion of their day on these intelligent devices and...Read More

Voice of the Customer programs are becoming more evident throughout different lines of businesses of financial institutions as they look for a competitive advantage, according to Steven Ramirez, CEO of Berkley, Calif.-based Beyond the Arc, a social media and analytics consulting and...Read More

On August 23rd, 2012, Mark Johnson, President and CEO, spoke with Chris Bucholtz from SugarCRM about CRM challenges and strategies. With 17 years as a technology and business under his belt, Chris took over the role of editor in chief of the CRM Outsiders blog in 2011. He first focused on...Read More

First off, I am not writing this article as a “band wagon” piece to jump in on the financial results released by Groupon last week, and did not plan to discuss the challenging economic week that they had post release, actually I was planning this article for quite some time and the...Read More

First off, I am not writing this article as a “band wagon” piece to jump in on the financial results released by Groupon last week, and did not plan to discuss the challenging economic week that they had post release, actually I was planning this article for quite some time and the...Read More

On August 21st, 2012, Mark Johnson, President and CEO, spoke with Raju Vegesna at Zoho about CRM challenges and strategies.   Raju Vegesna is the evangelist for Zoho. Raju is one of the key people responsible for developing the strategic direction of the Zoho Suite. Prior to joining Zoho...Read More

Imagine for a moment: You have landed five, 10 or maybe 20 years in the future. As a loyalty marketer, you are excited to learn that the ultimate customer loyalty experience has been discovered and implemented. This ultimate experience is the thing that all consumers want.  So, what is...Read More

Last month, Nectar, the UK’s largest loyalty program, launched Nectar Daily Deals, a new initiative that offers daily discounted deals on products and services from leading brands, as well as from local gems. Nectar secured exclusive deals that range from dining to homeware, gadgets...Read More

Every era has its own great marketing trends and dynamics that rule the conversations. We can talk about tons of great major trends that rule our marketing conversations today from QR codes to augmented reality and the importance of visual expression. Still, what may be the most striking thing...Read More

PAYBACK is Europe's biggest marketing and couponing platform. In Germany, customers can collect points every day from over 500 companies in-store, online and on the move and redeem these for vouchers, rewards or Lufthansa miles or donate them to aid projects. Over the past few months, PAYBACK...Read More

While most organizations use CRM applications to manage the information they have about their customers, many focus on company-centric metrics rather than the customers themselves. The goal might be to give companies a holistic view of the customers in order to drive sales, but this data rarely...Read More

Kobie Marketing, a recognized leader in the loyalty marketing industry, will be conducting a webinar on Thursday, August 9 at 1:00 PM EST on the emerging topic of Omnichannel Loyalty and what it means for brands today. An outgrowth of multi-channel retailing, omnichannel loyalty focuses on...Read More

Adina Dahlin, Vice President, Customer Experience for Aimia is responsible for the team that designs and delivers compelling, holistic experiences leveraging data and technology to meet both consumer and client expectations. Ensuring that all new programs are engaging, relevant and rewarding...Read More

Gerrit McGowan is founder and CEO of KULA Causes, Inc., a social enterprise that empowers consumers and businesses through democratized transactional philanthropy. He is an award-winning strategic planner, decision analyst, and economic development expert whose client base includes United Nations...Read More

Companies need to balance customer requirements with corporate strategy in order to better manage the customer experience, John Georgesen, senior director, Convergys Analytics Solutions, told attendees at the 8th Edition Customer Experience Conference in Chicago. Companies devise their...Read More

Sodexo Health Care, “the largest company you never heard of,” provides meal, housekeeping and similar services for thousands of health care and senior care facilities across the country. “As experts in the healthcare market, Sodexo has focused on the growing patient...Read More

The Relevance Requirement Market research demonstrates that consumer attention and interest are directly proportional to the salience of the message. The more compelling, valuable and relevant you make your messages and offers, the more impactful the messages become -- and the more likely it is...Read More

Fifty-four percent of consumers surveyed said they are thinking of leaving loyalty programs of brands that offer low-value incentives, impersonal engagements and a rash of irrelevant messages, according to a new report from the Chief Marketing Officer’s Council. Even though they complain...Read More

As the deafening stream of marketing messages becomes greater, so does the need for improved customer engagement and relevant messaging.  The overwhelming amount of impersonal marketing messages has become unbearable for consumers and they are voicing their frustrations and demanding more...Read More

It’s been a long time since we were clipping coupons from the Sunday paper to save a few dollars on groceries. We were content to clip our coupons while reading the paper until the loyalty card came along, acting as a new friend to us consumers. Its convenience made us feel like we...Read More

Loyalty programs have been around a long time.  Over the years there have been many new innovations in rewards options including online travel, gift cards, electronic gift cards and digital/media products. While, merchandise has long been believed to be the most engaging reward categories,...Read More

Earlier this year, two Citibank customers sued the financial institution on the grounds that it used unfair and deceptive trade practices by not fully disclosing that frequent flyer rewards offered as a incentive for opening a checking account could be taxed. The promotion, which amounted to as...Read More

Imagine for a moment: You have landed five, 10 or maybe 20 years in the future. As a loyalty marketer, you are excited to learn that the ultimate customer loyalty experience has been discovered and implemented. This ultimate experience is the thing that all consumers want.  So, what is...Read More

Local businesses seem to be slaves to the daily deals, offering huge discounts for customer acquisition (but rarely retention), and consumers are addicted to the deal, making decisions about where they go or what they buy based on which coupon they have.  It is becoming more and more evident...Read More

Monetary incentives don’t buy workplace happiness. The age old methodology of motivation, using monetary ‘carrots’ – such as perks or financial remuneration – has a weak exchange rate with today’s knowledge worker, for whom the most valuable currency is...Read More

It’s been a long time since we were clipping coupons from the Sunday paper to save a few dollars on groceries. We were content to clip our coupons while reading the paper until the loyalty card came along, acting as a new friend to us consumers. Its convenience made us feel like we...Read More

For students learning about the 4Ps of marketing today, there is a clear winner: Price. The great recession forced shoppers to learn how to be frugal and spend smarter and trend data points to a permanent shift in shopping mentality. Now, amidst positively growing economic indicators, consumers...Read More

For students learning about the 4Ps of marketing today, there is a clear winner: Price. The great recession forced shoppers to learn how to be frugal and spend smarter and trend data points to a permanent shift in shopping mentality. Now, amidst positively growing economic indicators, consumers...Read More

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In the travel business, loyalty programs are like fuel. They are precious, expensive and absolutely critical to running a business. In fact, the travel business even has its own award program for loyalty programs. It’s called “The Freddie Awards”. They were announced on May 3...Read More

When last we spoke to Ellen Brasse of Swiss grocer Coop, she told us how her team had successfully launched in 2009 an mobile grocery home delivery app for smartphone-wielding consumers who did not have time to get to the store. We profiled that Coop@home success story in an in-depth case study...Read More

Engagement is a buzz word of late, with every marketing firm and brand waking up to the notion that—stop the presses—engaging with and rewarding customers in relevant, timely ways generates word of mouth and increases sales.  For one segment of the population however...Read More

As President of Kobie Marketing, Michael is responsible for leading all facets of the loyalty marketing organization.  For (almost) twenty years, Michael has cultivated a rich background in CRM, client services, product development, marketing, technology, finance and operations, serving the...Read More

Brandwashed—Tricks Companies Use to Manipulate Our Minds and Persuade Us to BuyMartin Lindstrom with Foreword by Morgan Spurlock Crown Business | September 2011 From the bestselling author of Buyology comes a shocking insider’s look at how today’s global giants conspire...Read More

Managing customer sentiment has always been a difficult task.  It’s now even tougher, thanks to customers’ ability to air their opinions—good or bad—on social media sites.  You have probably searched a review site like Yelp for a restaurant or TripAdvisor for a...Read More

MoneyGram International, a leading money transfer company, has revamped the MoneyGram Rewards program.  Initially planned for an official launch on February 1st, MoneyGram Rewards members in the US were given an early opportunity to start 2012 by diving into the new rewards...Read More

Progressive Insurance believes in the value of customer service and the importance of retaining loyal customers.  In a Q&A with Loyalty 360, Bart Blackburn, Marketing Process Manager at Progressive shares the Inside Scoop behind their success. In the interview below, we learn about the...Read More

The changing marketing landscape The most important factor affecting the way consumers are marketed to today is the digitalization of media and channels —and the resulting proliferation of customer touchpoints.  While we’ve been professing the benefits of one-to-one marketing...Read More

Today’s marketers are increasingly challenged with how to integrate data, campaigns and measurement across multiple customer channels. Recent Experian marketing services survey data revealed that 46% of marketers named multi-channel coordination as their biggest marketing challenge in...Read More

Everything is converging to the three pillars of new commerce: hyper-local, mobile and deals. Venerable brand Valpak, a coupon and deals company for over 40 years, is evolving its well-honed direct marketing strategy of connecting local merchants with local consumers to be at the forefront...Read More

Loyalty Tomorrow…and Today Due to changing customer needs and technology, the loyalty industry will see major evolution in program design and customer experience over the next few years.  This applies to many industries, and retail is no exception.  Like never before...Read More

Sierra Trading Post, a multichannel retailer known nationwide for offering “Great Deals. Great Brands,” has been providing customers everyday savings on outdoor gear, shoes, men’s clothing, women’s clothing, accessories and home furnishings for more than 25 years. ...Read More

Pure Romance is one of the nation’s fastest-growing woman-to-woman direct sellers of relationship enhancement products.  Founded in 1993, the company’s products are marketed through a variety of channels, including via the web and catalog, but its signature sales experience is...Read More

Enterprise Rent-A-Car is committed to great customer service and believes it is a large reason the brand has built and maintained a loyal legion of followers.  This spring, Enterprise launched a new and improved Enterprise Plus loyalty program to maintain this commitment to service...Read More

Gift and prepaid card provider SVM LP has formed a new business unit that will focus on gasoline rewards.  The new business, named FuelCircle, will initially use SVM'srelationships with oil companies like BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil and Sunoco to create a branded, nationwide network...Read More

Plink – Facebook credits-based online-to-offline loyalty programLaunched in late January, Denver-based Plink is a Facebook Credits-based loyalty program that rewards Facebook members for dining and making purchases at restaurants and offline retailers.  The company believes the social...Read More

T.G.I. Friday’s partners with Travelocity to offer loyalty members a chance to experience that Friday feeling—any day of the week, anywhere in the world. Everyone Needs A Break Sometimes. Whether it is a cocktail at happy hour or a beachfront vacation getaway, we know our...Read More

Experiential programs—unforgettable, exclusive events, ranging from unique access to once-in-a-lifetime, money-can’t-buy occasions—have been an important part of the customer loyalty landscape for over a decade.  Recently there has been an increasing amount of interest in...Read More

Even when your marketing program is delivering excellent results, it’s always a good idea to ask: “What could we be doing better?” A prime example is Rug Doctor, a company that was experiencing healthy sales growth and an expanding sales network.  Rug Doctor also...Read More

As I write this, it’s springtime in New England.  It’s time to plan the garden.  Select the seeds.  Prepare the beds.  There are limits on everything—time, space, resources.  I’m thinking a lot about how I can optimize my resources...Read More

"Customer data has always been important in enabling organizations to better sale, market, and service their customers.  But today, as organizations focus on delivering consistent customer experiences across multiple channels, customer data is the lifeblood to starting and executing...Read More

“Social media” is the loyalty buzz phrase of the day.  There is an endless stream of commentary and recommendations on how to best leverage social media in marketing.  In fact, you can’t throw a stone without hitting a social media expert. With ALL the...Read More

Q: "I see retailers like Bloomingdales and Express moving toward tender neutral loyalty programs.  We are looking to launch a new loyalty program in the retail space—should we base the platform on our store branded credit card or offer a tender neutral loyalty program?"A: Ideally,...Read More

Prevalent in the marketplace today, one of the things we continue to see and was eloquently discussed at the 2012 Loyalty Expo is the idea of “Hostages.”  As espoused by Pamela Prentice (Chief Researcher from SAS) in the Keynote address, the idea of “Hostages&rdquo...Read More

CHRISTA CARONE is responsible for global marketing strategy and initiatives that include advertising, experiential marketing, public relations, internal communications, integrated campaigns, interactive and social marketing, and the Xerox Foundation. She is also the steward of the company...Read More

From a recent discussion on the Loyalty 360 Linkedin Group... "Excellent Customer Experience Management …Does it Require a Loyalty Program?" A chain of restaurants has delivered excellent service generation after generation over the last 60 years.  They have no loyalty rewards...Read More

Through economic evolution, experience has become the soul of engagement. Think about our economic history: We pulled vegetables out of the ground in agrarian society. We harnessed the power of steam, textiles and iron and began mass producing goods during the industrial revolutions. We...Read More

Through economic evolution, experience has become the soul of engagement. Think about our economic history: We pulled vegetables out of the ground in agrarian society. We harnessed the power of steam, textiles and iron and began mass producing goods during the industrial revolutions. We...Read More

In this video blog series, Mark Johnson speaks with attendees of Forrester's Customer Experience Forum held in New York, June 26-27, 2012. In this video, Mark interviews Martie Woods of Deluxe. Read More

In this video blog series, Mark Johnson speaks with attendees of Forrester's Customer Experience Forum held in New York, June 26-27, 2012. In this video, Mark interviews Blair Lyon of Monetate. Read More

In this video blog series, Mark Johnson speaks with attendees of Forrester's Customer Experience Forum held in New York, June 26-27, 2012. In this video, Mark interviews Jeff Nicholson of Pitney Bowes Software. Jeff will be presenting the webinar: Anonymous Web Users: How to...Read More

In this video blog series, Mark Johnson speaks with attendees of Forrester's Customer Experience Forum held in New York, June 26-27, 2012. In this video, Mark interviews Larry Freed of ForeSee Results. Read More

In this video blog series, Mark Johnson speaks with attendees of Forrester's Customer Experience Forum held in New York, June 26-27, 2012. In this video, Mark interviews Ian Truscott of SDL. Read More

In this video blog series, Mark Johnson speaks with attendees of Forrester's Customer Experience Forum held in New York, June 26-27, 2012. In this video, Mark interviews Donald Chestnut of SapientNitro. Read More

In this video blog series, Mark Johnson speaks with attendees of Forrester's Customer Experience Forum held in New York, June 26-27, 2012. In this video, Mark interviews Alex Sion of SapientNitro. Read More

Petco, the specialty pet retailer, has seen its market position increasingly challenged by discount general merchandise stores, such as Wal-Mart, and large grocery chains that have expanded their product lines of pet food and other pet-related merchandise. Like other traditional retailers...Read More

Contextual intelligence used in conjunction with advanced analytics can improve the customer experience and reduce churn – in other words, improve loyalty, as well as increase revenue for telecom providers, according to new research from Comptel and Heavy Reading. Improving customer...Read More

In the virtual world, merely unlocking the front door of your online store is hardly enough to bring in shoppers. Web surfers aren’t curious enough to open just any door—they need an incentive to come in and wander around, to tell their friends about what they see there and to come...Read More

Text analytics is evolving from a technology that simply analyzes text at the contact center into a technology that not only analyzes text, but also provides recommendations on how to react to customer sentiment in social media, according to Sid Banerjee, CEO of Clarabridge. As companies and...Read More

Mr. Graham oversees the Loyalty and Customer Experience programs for Pilot Flying J and its 1.9MM daily customers at over 590 travel centers and restaurants. During his two-year tenure in this capacity, he has managed the merger of the two legacy loyalty programs for professional drivers from...Read More

Robin joined Wyndham Hotel Group as Senior Vice President of Loyalty and Strategic Partnerships one year ago. She has extensive loyalty experience in financial services and hospitality and is currently changing the face of Wyndham Rewards, the world’s largest hotel loyalty program with 14...Read More

Successful businesses have the power to influence customers utilizing the power of recognition to encourage a customer to purchase.  Because personalization technology has become easily accessible for any business to use, from large, nation-wide franchises to small local shops, businesses...Read More

In the travel business, loyalty programs are like fuel. They are precious, expensive and absolutely critical to running a business. In fact, the travel business even has its own award program for loyalty programs. It’s called “The Freddie Awards”. They were announced on May 3...Read More

Being committed to your customer and taking a voice of the customer approach is a current best practice for creating positive customer experiences and building strong relationships.   The industry is talking about the importance of VoC, but are we really sharing best practices? ...Read More

Today’s digital marketers have a multitude of search marketing tactics at their disposal for reaching their target audiences, including SEO (search engine optimization), local search, PPC (pay per click advertising), and social media marketing. These can also be combined with traditional...Read More

Tran Hang oversees Google's advertising relationships with some of the most reputable brands in the travel industry. In this role, she is responsible for revenue generation and business operations for the lodging segment, and is a key driver of Google's thought leadership in the Travel...Read More

Brad Ball is the president and cofounder of LoyaltyMatch Inc. LoyaltyMatch provides a loyalty and engagement platform that makes it easy for brands to increase user loyalty and engagement across social, web, mobile, in store, and machine experiences.  Brad also co-founded and was...Read More

Tammy Lucas is managing director, marketing programs for Best Western International. She oversees all aspects of the hotel chain’s global loyalty and gift card programs, related strategic partnerships, Loyalty Digital Marketing and national and regional promotions.  She also oversees...Read More

The market is rapidly shifting, BIG data, mobile, payments and demanding customer expectations have created a dynamic environment for marketers to evoke loyalty and engage consumers.  In this installment of the Executive insights series, Loyalty 360 hears from the thought leadership at...Read More

In the 21st Century retail environment, where consumer confidence and spending patterns can shift with the speed of a Tweet or Facebook post, for good or ill, traditional market research just isn’t enough anymore. While market research can add rich and robust insight, it still doesn...Read More

Received the following today from United: “Recognize excellent customer service and you could win big.  United's new Outperform Recognition Program rewards eligible employees who provide excellent service and the eligible MileagePlus® members who nominate them.” It...Read More

Merchants can boost sales by improving customers’ payment experience, according to a new report from Digital River World Payments, Minneapolis, Minn. Few online merchants pay much attention to customers’ experience with the payment process, which can be a costly oversight...Read More

Despite their desire to provide feedback, most U.S. consumers are disenchanted by most brands lack of responsiveness, according to a survey by Empathica Inc.’s Consumer Insights Panel. Survey results showed that 85 percent of consumers have provided some form of feedback to big box...Read More

Loyalty marketers are faced with many options and channels in which to spend their marketing budget, and finding the best way to engage ones target market is key.  As social communications continue to proliferate the marketplace and reach millions of consumers daily, many loyalty marketers...Read More

With great challenges come great opportunities. This is why it has never been more exciting—or more daunting—to be a marketing professional. Let’s start at the top: old models simply don’t work in today’s fast-paced environment. The rise of social media and...Read More

  Today’s shoppers are being presented with a dazzling array of loyal programs that reward everything from making purchases, to merely walking into a store, to “liking” a Facebook page online. And while consumers can choose whether or not to play the loyalty game...Read More

In this video blog, Rob Morgan, CMO of CAC Group discusses the following questions: What do you think is the most important issue related to customer loyalty and retention? What brand would you consider a "best practice" customer loyalty example and why? How will data/analytics impact...Read More

These days, more and more brands are focusing their attention and budgets on loyalty to better connect with consumers to drive sales and advocacy. In today’s world, where social media is cutting more into consumer perception, a loyalty strategy really is essential to the overall...Read More

In this video blog, Tim Suther, Chief Marketing Officer at Acxiom and Mark Johnson, President & CEO of Loyalty 360, discuss the recent white paper, "Making Every Interaction Count: How Customer Intelligence Drives Customer Loyalty." What is the key message from the recent Loyalty 360...Read More

Loyalty 360 Executive Insights series continues as we hear from some of the thought leadership at Kobie Marketing.  Marc Glazer, VP Brand Loyalty and Joe Easley, Director of Global Product Strategy share their insights into current trends in marketing today, customer experience and...Read More

Mark Robeson, Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing with VIPdesk, has over 18 years’ experience designing and managing bespoke B2B and B2B2C customer loyalty program enhancements for Fortune 500 clients, luxury brands, and other brand-conscious companies. Over the course of his...Read More

With over 13 years of experience, Dana oversees and directs creative and content management of all marketing and communication materials for Rymax’s marketing department. This encompasses corporate events, public relations, advertising, copywriting, web development, and graphic design. Her...Read More

The next wave of mobile financial services will include new payment options for business and nonprofit organizations, enabling faster payments, adding security and reducing risk.   Person-to-person, or P2P, payments dominate the news coverage about mobile payments today. It is true that...Read More

Recyclebank’s Eco-system combines gamification for mother earth with a growing global community. Recyclebank is in the business of increasing the consumers Eco-IQ and changing the world both on and off-line. Their combination of the green movement, engagement strategy, gamification...Read More

John Boyd is the co-founder and chief operating officer of ShopSavvy, the leading mobile shopping assistant, with over 25 million downloads and 10 million active users. ShopSavvy recently announced $7 million in funding from investors including Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saveri. Serving as an...Read More

It’s been said before but bears repeating: it’s a fascinating time to be in the loyalty business. Consumers have more sway and authority than ever, and competition for their attention is fierce. Which makes it disheartening to see the rising costs of loyalty rewards force a large...Read More

Stripped to its concrete rafters and struts during Hurricane Katrina the former Gulf Towers Building, a coastal landmark of the 1960’s and the city’s first high-rise was destroyed. Following the aftermath and a $7 million dollar renovation in a classically modern design, Four Points...Read More

The mobile revolution is having a major impact on bricks-and-mortar retail, and with global smart phone penetration at 27 percent and rapidly growing, the importance of the mobile phenomenon will only increase. The sight of shoppers scanning bar codes (and making instant price comparisons) has...Read More

The Container Store, a leading retailer of storage and organization products, is listening to and engaging with their customers through a new Voice of Customer (VoC) platform; enlisting OpinionLab’s multichannel feedback solutions to listen to and learn from shoppers at anytime, from...Read More

Kris Duggan CEO & Co-Founder of Badgeville has been described as a serial entrepreneur with a passion for building innovative, fast-growing SaaS companies. He is dedicated to helping brands on the web increase user engagement by leveraging proven techniques in social gaming and loyalty. A...Read More

With the growth of social media channels, consumers’ ability to broadcast their experiences with products and services can affect perceptions of even the world’s largest brands. As the volume of social reviews increases, so does the complexity of managing all that feedback...Read More

In this video blog, Chuck Christianson, Group VP of Affinion Loyalty Group discusses the following questions: 1) Is your existing customer strategy focused more heavily on acquisition or retention?  2) What do you think is the most important issue related to customer loyalty and...Read More

Smashburger like other brands faces the challenge of creating a consistent customer experience across all of their locations. Local customer feedback provides local insights for one location. In many instances, local managers are too caught up in day-to-day operations to even think about...Read More

In the 21st century Loyalty=Permission, CVS ExtraCare Loyalty Program boasts the largest retail rewards program with 66 million active members and more than 10 years in existence. CVS is using that foundation of loyal followers to take their business to the next level. CVS’s forward...Read More

Promotions play a big part in the success of many brands’ marketing initiatives and have attracted millions of members to join, engage, and advocate the fun and excitement promotions generate.  A successful promotion can drive strong recruitment into a brand’s CRM strategy to...Read More

In a F3Q12 earning call with the management of Bebe Walter Parks, Bebe COO, and Emilia Fabricant, President of Bebe discussed the philosophies of the brand, brand structure and the tack that they were taking to encompass more of a 360 view of the customer to positively affect their bottom line....Read More

Arby’s is using gamification elements to turn their “Good to Gourmazing” promotion into a $10,000 Giveaway for one lucky winner.  The gamified giveaway is in celebration of the return of a fan favorite the Arby’s ® Market Fresh® Pecan Chicken Salad Sandwich....Read More

According to a recent Nielsen report, Americans now spend more time on Facebook than on any other website. An average American spends 23 percent of their online time on a social networking site – twice the amount of time spent on the number two category, online games. To further put this...Read More

Restaurant experiences can turn on a dime; one minute it is a positive experience the next minute it is all going downhill fast. Restaurants with an entire staff focused on positive customer experience, repeat business, referrals and a pulse on what the customer is feeling in the “now...Read More

Mode 1: Brand to Consumer - This involves a one-way, brand-centric message, where brands “push context” to consumers. For example, a television commercial takes consumers away from the program they are watching and makes them consider buying a new product. Often referred to as...Read More

Mode 1: Brand to Consumer - This involves a one-way, brand-centric message, where brands “push context” to consumers. For example, a television commercial takes consumers away from the program they are watching and makes them consider buying a new product. Often referred to as...Read More

In the new landscape of loyalty and engagement marketing, brands today are striving to offer greater personalization and relevancy.  Providing messaging and offers specific to the consumers needs and desires is shifting to become the new expectation of service. Delivering the right message...Read More

Two years ago, Aeroplan started a journey. They were looking for a way to inspire and engage members - to create a deeper emotional connection to their brand. They asked Better The World to help them explore opportunities to do this. They were looking for a program that was designed for and...Read More

People have fundamental needs and desires - for reward, status, achievement and competition, among others. Games have long been a place where those needs have been met. But how do you satisfy these needs outside of actual games? Say, in a loyalty program? Gamification. Gamification is emerging...Read More

Carl Sagan’s Pale Blue Dot quest, in which he had the earth filmed from 4 billion km’s away by Voyager 1 and created the furthest photo of the earth, inspired Blue Dot World. In his writings Sagan spoke to “having us cherish our world and deal with one another more kindly...Read More

Judy Melanson leads the Travel and Entertainment practice at Chadwick Martin Bailey, a Boston-based custom market research agency.  Judy enjoys extracting insight from data to help clients like Hilton, Royal Caribbean and Avis Budget make better decisions about how to get, keep and grow...Read More

Pinnacle Entertainment is enriching their mychoice guest loyalty program, again.  Building on the already superior selection of program benefits, just one year after previous rewards program enhancements, Pinnacle is adding to the rewards opportunities.  Atlantis, Paradise Island...Read More

Scott Bell is Trase Miller’s VP and re-joined the company in 2009 after 10 years away.  Chicago based, he has worked for and with the biggest brands in the travel. During his years away, Scott was Vice President of Domestic Sales at Alamo Rent A Car, founded an Internet travel...Read More

In a social loyalty experiment, Starwood Preferred Guest and American Express are targeting the blogosphere and social networks with a new campaign to showcase the benefits of the co-branded Starwood American Express Card.  The SPG Amex Star sweepstakes provides cardholders opportunities...Read More

In the first year since Expedia launched their rewards platform, Expedia Rewards, 3.7 million travelers have joined; averaging 7,000 enrollments each day.  The first year success is not limited to just the number of enrolled participants.  Members of Expedia Rewards are actively...Read More

Customer loyalty: It’s the Holy Grail of most businesses today. And yet study after study shows that loyalty is on the decline, especially as consumers grow ever more empowered, thanks to the surfeit of information, advice and opinions on the ever-present Web. Experts say most products...Read More

Over half of customer loyalty programs either have a social media or mobile communication-enabled component currently in place or in development, according to research recently conducted by VIPdesk and Banyan Branch.  Research findings also reveal: 27% of loyalty customer program members...Read More

David Cuthbert, WVT Communications Group COO & President of Alteva & USA Datanet was recently quoted,  “A differentiator in customer service is providing proactive vs. reactive service. With reactive customer service, reps only respond to issues and correct the given issue...Read More

Doug Bobenhouse is a seasoned loyalty marketing and prepaid strategist with extensive experience in the technology sector. As President and Co-Founder of Synchology, he works with brands to design and manage loyalty and rewards focused payment products that increase the connection and...Read More

Southwest Airlines continues to spread its wings by acquiring AirTran Airways while keeping its commitment to excellent customer service. Southwest, known for its easy to understand low-cost structure, is now the largest low-fare domestic and international airline. With the new acquisition of...Read More

The good news about the current state of the loyalty industry is that in some ways it is more vital than ever, with new industry participants appearing continuously. The not-so-good news is that despite new entrants, the complexity of managing loyalty memberships has become only more...Read More

In this video blog series, Mark Johnson speaks with attendees of Forrester's Customer Intelligence Forum held in Los Angeles, April 18-19, 2012. In this video, Mark discusses with Suzy Cox, SVP Olson 1 to 1, Olson, the following questions: 1. With the advent of social, mobile and other...Read More

In this video blog series, Mark Johnson speaks with attendees of Forrester's Customer Intelligence Forum held in Los Angeles, April 18-19, 2012. In this video, Mark discusses with Robert Carroll, CMO of Web Content Management Solutions, SDL, the following questions: 1. What will be the...Read More

In this video blog series, Mark Johnson speaks with attendees of Forrester's Customer Intelligence Forum held in Los Angeles, April 18-19, 2012. In this video, Mark discusses with Tim Suther, Chief Marketing & Strategy Officer, Acxiom, the following questions: 1. What will be the...Read More

In this video blog series, Mark Johnson speaks with attendees of Forrester's Customer Intelligence Forum held in Los Angeles, April 18-19, 2012. In this video, Mark discusses with Melissa Boxer, Vice President, CRM Product Management and Strategy (Marketing, Loyalty and Customer Hub...Read More

In this video blog series, Mark Johnson speaks with attendees of Forrester's Customer Intelligence Forum held in Los Angeles, April 18-19, 2012. In this video, Mark discusses with Mark Smith, SVP & General Manager -Customer Analytics and Interaction of Pitney Bowes Software the...Read More

In this video blog series, Mark Johnson speaks with attendees of Forrester's Customer Intelligence Forum held in Los Angeles, April 18-19, 2012. In this video, Mark discusses with Emily Murphy, Researcher, Forrester Research, the following questions: 1. With the advent of social, mobile...Read More

In this video blog series, Mark Johnson speaks with attendees of Forrester's Customer Intelligence Forum held in Los Angeles, April 18-19, 2012. In this video, Mark discusses with John Bastone, Global Product Marketing Manager, SAS Institute, the following questions: 1. Can you tell us...Read More

In this video blog series, Mark Johnson speaks with attendees of Forrester's Customer Intelligence Forum held in Los Angeles, April 18-19, 2012. In this video, Mark discusses with Russ Mann, CEO, Covario, Inc. the following questions: 1. Can you tell me a little bit about Covario and your...Read More

In this video blog series, Mark Johnson speaks with attendees of Forrester's Customer Intelligence Forum held in Los Angeles, April 18-19, 2012. In this video, Mark discusses with Christian Wright, CTO & General Manager North America, eDialog the following questions: 1. What is the...Read More

The world is being transformed by data.  New communications tools and technologies are opening the door to greater personalization and customization, and the explosion of social media has created numerous opportunities to capture and use data to better inform and connect with customers...Read More

Birds Eye® Voila!®, a portfolio brand of Pinnacle Foods Group LLC, is launching a new digital advocacy hub at birdseyevoila.com.   This spring, digital initiatives will become part of the brand's commitment to inspire, enable and reward their community throughout the year....Read More

How would you like to start receiving gifts from your bank?  Dollars in the form of gift credits to use at top merchants and restaurants are being gifted to select U.S. Bank customers.  U.S. Bank, in partnership with FreeMonee Network is offering cash incentives from popular national...Read More

In this video blog series, Mark Johnson speaks with attendees of Ad Tech held in San Francisco, April 12-14, 2012. In this video, Mark discusses with Kevin Knowles, VP Product Marketing of First Data Corporation the following questions: In traditional push marketing we measure effectiveness...Read More

In this video blog series, Mark Johnson speaks with attendees of Ad Tech held in San Francisco, April 12-14, 2012. In this video, Mark discusses with Dennis McGuire, CEO of Codebaby, the following questions: Loyalty 360 believes that loyalty is the most important facet to consider in any...Read More

In this video blog series, Mark Johnson speaks with attendees of Ad Tech held in San Francisco, April 12-14, 2012. In this video, Mark discusses with Antonio Tomarchio, CEO & Founder of Beintoo, the following questions: With the advent of social, mobile and other emerging technologies...Read More

In this video blog series, Mark Johnson speaks with attendees of Ad Tech held in San Francisco, April 12-14, 2012. In this video, Mark discusses with Brian Bulkowski, CEO & Founder of CitrusLeaf, the following questions: What will be the biggest challenge for marketers in the next 3-5...Read More

In this video blog series, Mark Johnson speaks with attendees of Ad Tech held in San Francisco, April 12-14, 2012. In this video, Mark discusses with Samantha Skey, Chief Revenue Officer of RecycleBank, the following questions: With the advent of social, mobile and other emerging technologies...Read More

For so long all forms of online marketing have existed inside of a vacuum where nary the many variations would meet.  Whether it was out of convenience or a genuine belief that the different approaches to online marketing had no impact with each other, they were typically segmented and un...Read More

In this video blog series, Mark Johnson speaks with attendees of Ad Tech held in San Francisco, April 12-14, 2012. In this video, Mark discusses with Tom Burgess, CEO of Linkable Networks, the following questions: With the advent of social, mobile and other emerging technologies, how do...Read More

Martie Woods is Vice President and Chief Experience Officer at Deluxe. With expertise in consumer psychology and buying behavior, Martie’s charge is to improve customer engagement and loyalty throughout the financial services industry. In her twelve years at Deluxe, Martie has been a leader...Read More

For so long all forms of online marketing have existed inside of a vacuum where nary the many variations would meet.  Whether it was out of convenience or a genuine belief that the different approaches to online marketing had no impact with each other, they were typically segmented and un...Read More

Loyalty marketing, as we know it, has never been more in the mainstream of marketing than it is today.  We’re seeing greater attention paid to our niche, with record attendance at Loyalty Expo and growing interest from more brands in more categories. As great as Loyalty Expo was...Read More

Most brands incorporate a rewards program into their customer loyalty initiatives.  With the average person having 14 loyalty cards in her wallet, it seems to reason that rewards are an effective way to retain customers. While a retention strategy should contain a rewards program...Read More

How much do you really know about the items in your rewards program?  Customers – and the customer experience – are at the center of the success of your loyalty and rewards program.  Your customer wields such significant power – particularly with the advancement of...Read More

In recent years, digital platforms have taken our everyday activities and enhanced them virtually. Facebook started with the “real world” concept of friendship and gave it some online benefits. LinkedIn granted the networking lunch and the business card a virtual home... Read More

In recent years, digital platforms have taken our everyday activities and enhanced them virtually. Facebook started with the “real world” concept of friendship and gave it some online benefits. LinkedIn granted the networking lunch and the business card a virtual home...READ THE...Read More

In recent years, digital platforms have taken our everyday activities and enhanced them virtually. Facebook started with the “real world” concept of friendship and gave it some online benefits. LinkedIn granted the networking lunch and the business card a virtual home. The...Read More

Game-Based Marketing, by Gabe Zichermann and Joselin Linder, introduces us into a new world of marketing.  Don’t over think the meaning of game-based marketing too much; defined by the authors as the application of game mechanics to everyday situations, the book provides a good summary...Read More

Recent Industry Research38% consumers who switch brands when another brand is on sale [Colloquy]$134 billion PwC's estimated spending on digital goods in 201426 million  mobile transactions made in the eleven months post launch of  Starbucks' mobile payment app.Why did you...Read More

In my past experience, even when working closely with SEO and PPC marketing firms, our online marketing campaigns have yielded a few big ugly doughnuts. And those dog campaigns are demoralizing, even when done in the context of “testing”. Given the amount of investment and hard...Read More

Game-Based Marketing: Inspire Customer Loyalty Through Rewards, Challenges, and ContestsBy Gabe Zichermann and Joselin Linder Wiley | March 2010 Harness the power of games to create extraordinary customer engagement with Game-Based Marketing. Gamification is revolutionizing the web and...Read More

Zain is the president and chief executive officer of the SolutonSet MediaWhiz Partnership, an integrated performance marketing company, that represents some of the nation’s most recognized brands.  His first book, Brand Rituals, How Successful Companies Bond Customers for Life, will be...Read More

Loyalty goes beyond a simple transaction. Loyalty is about providing a connection between a customer and a brand. It is about building a relationship whereby a customer knows their business partner will be there to support them and to provide the needed service. At Philadelphia Insurance...Read More

In 2011 Sprint phased out their Premier loyalty program, a difficult transition for any marketer to tackle.  In an interview with Loyalty 360, Melinda Parks, Director of Marketing and Kim Whitehead, VP,  Customer Loyalty for Sprint share the challenges overcome, plans for the next...Read More

For years, the electricity utilities in Texas were monopolies. That changed when the state's legislature deregulated the industry. Before this, a single utility would provide electricity service—including sales, transmission, and distribution—to an entire area of the state. One...Read More

Loyalty 360 had the privilege to hear from Whataburger restaurants and learn about how they are showcasing the voice of their customers and employees to embrace a growing Whataburger fanbase. Through social media, a fan favorites menu and a unique advertising campaign featuring real customers...Read More

Just as in real estate, marketing programs can increase or decrease in value due to location. The number one rule in real estate is now becoming the number one rule in driving customer engagement and deepening brand loyalty. And because the best way to leverage a customer’s location is...Read More

In the non-profit world where every penny counts, organizations can not afford to miss any potential donations. Stakeholder engagement is key and with more existing and potential donors spending time online, Compassion International is one non-profit that decided to revamp its online engagement...Read More

Mobile has been the “next big thing” for what seems like more than a decade now. But with 15 percent of all search traffic emanating from mobile devices, mobile has become a big deal. Big enough that being good at it can drive incremental Internet sales and foot traffic for...Read More

Embracing their new motto, “Lowe’s: Never Stop Improving” Lowe’s Home Improvement is taking the customer experience to the next level, and we’ve got the inside scoop on the new MyLowe’s program. Below, Lowe’s shares insights into the program creation...Read More

Billeo Connects Card Issuers to eWallets As card revenue continues to decline and online transitions continue to rise, issuers need innovative products that drive brand loyalty with current cardholders by making it easy for them to use their card while shopping or paying bills online. A...Read More

For organizations in the healthcare industry, such as hospital networks, medical device manufacturers and pharmaceutical firms, the needs to comply with regulatory mandates, manage costs and provide excellent patient care are driving leaders to evaluate their business practices. For some, the...Read More

The New Global Currency-Data According to IDC, the global volume of digital data will increase more than 40-fold by 2020. The emergence of customer data—information about customer’s needs, behavior and value is generating a new wave of opportunity for economic and societal value...Read More

Affluent consumers in search of an unforgettable customer experience have historically been able to trust well-known luxury brands to provide just that. Luxury icons including the Ritz-Carlton, Four Seasons, Lexus, Porsche, Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Tiffany & Co have consistently been...Read More

Millennials, those under-30 consumers, are a fickle group that marketers are still trying to figure out. They want to be thought of as individuals, but they’re collaborative in nature and group-minded. They’re living at home and watching cartoons, but are aching for more...Read More

Q: In 2012 we are looking to integrate our social media efforts with our loyalty platform. We have several thousand followers and fans on Twitter and Facebook; how do I recognize and reward my best customers in the social space?A: Congratulations on recognizing the necessity of integrating social...Read More

Marketers are at a very critical juncture. Customer loyalty, versus acquisition, is critical for driving sustainable growth. Yet, businesses report that retaining and engaging customers remains one of their greatest challenges. Here is a look at the key trends we believe are going to impact...Read More

Jonathan Clarkson is Director of Rapid Rewards, Southwest Airlines’ frequent flyer program which encourages Customer loyalty and maximizes Customer value.   His responsibilities include Member acquisition, communication, and partnerships for the industry-leading program, which re...Read More

One of the questions clients focused on customer satisfaction and loyalty often ask me is “how do my NPS scores compare to others?” NPS*, or Net Promoter Score, is a metric for measuring customer loyalty based on the question, “Please rate your willingness to recommend us to a...Read More

Social networking isn’t new—it is a concept that has existed for centuries.  What is new is that the influence of a consumer’s social network has been recently amplified by the digital organization of our existing social touch-points through social media tools such as...Read More

In February, Loyalty 360 member Merkle, a customer relationship marketing (CRM) firm, announced the acquisition of Social Amp, a leading Facebook Open-Graph developer. Merkle has confirmed that Social Amp will continue to be a capability brand, positioned within Merkle Connect, the company's...Read More

E-Gift cards are hot among consumers and a number of marketers have added e-Gift cards to their existing physical gift card shopping cart in the past year. During the holiday season (October 1st through December 31st) an average of 33% of sales moved to e-Gift cards; one brand saw their sales...Read More

According to research conducted by the British Finaccord company in 2011, 14.5 percent of the world’s population – an estimated 650 million people – are participating in at least one loyalty program and these figures are constantly growing. Significantly, the early phase of the...Read More

Stay ahead of the competition or get buried – it’s as simple as that. As leading technology companies around the world have shown, to compete in today’s world companies need to be smarter, react faster, and maintain a militant focus on creating a wonderful consumer experience...Read More

If true loyalty is defined as garnering the largest possible portion of category spend, from each and every customer, do you really know how well you are doing? Sure, you can see the transactions that move through your own cash register… But what are those same “loyal&rdquo...Read More

For a long time the good people who market brands and look to build loyalty have understood that changes in demographics almost always equals a shift in how people see the world. However, the demographic lens has really only in the last 10-15 years been effectively widened beyond gender, age...Read More

Demystifying the Use of a Mobile Loyalty Wallet and NFC TOP Mistakes and Strategies for Deployment TodayAuthors: Bob Gold and Jeff FraserPresenters of a Loyalty Expo Workshop on Tuesday 1:30-3:00PM; Room SEBASTION L-3In-the-Moment Lifestyle Engagement - Attendees Create and Experience Mobile...Read More

Marketers today have some tough decisions to make. They are faced with the task of responding to a consumer group that simultaneously wants real-time personalized outreach but is also hyper-concerned with the use of their personal information and their digital interactions. This juxtaposition of...Read More

Taking a fresh approach to search, Bing offers their user community rewards for using Bing to search and explore the web! In an interview with Loyalty 360, Liz Tassey Gerber, Director of Marketing Communications, Bing and MSN, shares the inside scoop on the Bing Rewards program.  Below we...Read More

I started my career in sales.  In sales, you learn very quickly that it is much easier to sell to an existing – rather than a new - customer.  The fact that existing customers are valuable isn’t a difficult concept to grasp.  Customer loyalty researchers report that...Read More

Today’s shoppers are being presented with a dazzling array of loyal programs that reward everything from making purchases, to merely walking into a store, to “liking” a Facebook page online. And while consumers can choose whether or not to play the loyalty game, retailers can...Read More

In this world of exploding global proliferation, the next breakthrough in marketing, sales, product/service development and sustainable customer loyalty will be achieved by tightly integrating WHY the consumers buy with the currently available WHAT and WHERE of consumers’ actions. ...Read More

It’s no surprise that the average consumer is concerned with value in the current economic environment.  Interestingly, this sentiment expands to the luxury market as well.  According to a recent survey from Empathica Inc., a leading provider of Customer Experience Management...Read More

As with most relationships, it is not what you say but how you say it that matters. These days, it is difficult to find a medium customers are not using to voice their opinion and they certainly aren’t shy about expressing their needs, wants and opinions. Turning customer feedback into...Read More

Those in charge of service and the customer experience today are faced with challenges both large and multifaceted. With both customer expectations and the cost of service delivery rising, service and support owners are faced with increasing pressure to close the gap.Social Media Is a Game...Read More

This is Part II of the presentation. View B2B-Focused Session: Using Defined Touchpoints to Ensure a Superior Customer Experience:Part IPart IIIPart IVPart V   Read More

This is Part III of the presentation. View B2B-Focused Session: Using Defined Touchpoints to Ensure a Superior Customer Experience:Part IPart IIPart IVPart V   Read More

This is Part IV of the presentation. View B2B-Focused Session: Using Defined Touchpoints to Ensure a Superior Customer Experience:Part IPart IIPart IIIPart V   Read More

This is Part V of the presentation. View B2B-Focused Session: Using Defined Touchpoints to Ensure a Superior Customer Experience:Part IPart IIPart IIIPart IV   Read More

Online communities are one of the most efficient ways to listen to the customer. When a company hosts an online community for its customers, and the goal is truly to listen and be a valuable resource for them, something special starts to happen. The good intentions and efforts will begin to...Read More

This is Part I of the presentation. View B2B-Focused Session: Using Defined Touchpoints to Ensure a Superior Customer Experience:Part IIPart IIIPart IVPart V FARO Technologies, Inc., a high tech company in Lake Mary, Florida, provides 3D Imaging and Metrology solutions to our customers. We...Read More

Many companies want to participate in the ever-broadening digital landscape but often don’t know where to start. Some companies quit before making an attempt because they don’t want to jeopardize positive perceptions of their services by misrepresenting them online. How do you...Read More

In financial services, customer referrals can provide a steady flow of profitable new customers of a similar demographic profile as the referring customers. However, referral programs underperform when they are not targeted to the correct customer segment at the right time. 1st Advantage has...Read More

You will learn how the best practices of “Customer State Management”, the combination of revolutionary predictive analytics, impactful member segmented message content and design, delivered through multiple member preferred media channels, can propel new member engagement and CRM to...Read More

Many talk about being customer-centric, but few have successfully managed the transition to become truly customer centric retailers. In this session, attendees will hear what customer centric retailing means for GAME and how CRM has led the way to clear differentiation and GAME brand leadership...Read More

We’ve all heard that it’s easier to keep existing customers than it is to attract new ones. However, today’s consumer and competitive business environment places tremendous pressure on organizations to provide amazing customer experiences in order to establish and maintain a...Read More

This is Part I of the presentation. View Workshop: Loyalty Technology: Empowering Intuitive Customer Engagement & Better Results - Part II here. Technology, it’s not only about efficiency. While there is a strong impetus to do more with less, and technology speaks directly to that...Read More

This is Part II of the presentation. View Workshop: Loyalty Technology: Empowering Intuitive Customer Engagement & Better Results - Part I here. In part 2 of the workshop, presenters will demonstrate new technologies that are helping companies reduce costs and maximize efficiencies in the...Read More

There is an interesting article in today’s Wall Street Journal about how Nordstrom Inc. in enhancing their loyalty program by lowering the price of its rewards.  As the article explains, “The store’s frequent customers will be able to get perks like custom shopping...Read More

In any business, customer loyalty can be fleeting, elusive, and sometimes virtually non-existent, as customers look around for the bigger, better deal.  It’s also vital to any business that depends on consumers to survive, and pivotal in determining which companies generate the most...Read More

For our ancestors who lived thousands of years ago, the ability to recognize people, to correctly judge their intentions, and to build trusting relationships was crucial to their survival. Today, hard wired by evolution, we repeatedly judge others when we interact with them, assessing them...Read More

For companies hoping to improve their brand/customer relationships, hiring a consultant may seem like the best choice. However, consultants can’t make your culture more customer-centric—only your people can. Improving your customer service from the inside out is the best way to not...Read More

Any company would be crazy not to utilize "Cause Marketing" to their advantage, as well as to the advantage of their community. Done properly, cause marketing can be the most profitable aspect of a customer loyalty program, as it satisfies consumers in more than one way. Loyalty programs that...Read More

On January 19, Loyalty 360 member ePrize, a digital engagement agency specializing in mobile, social media, and web campaigns, announced the acquisition of Cellit, a mobile solutions company. Forecasting that 80 percent of campaigns will incorporate a mobile component developed by ePrize by the...Read More

As we reflect on 2011 and begin to plan for the year ahead, Loyalty 360 invited our members to share perspectives about the year ahead.  Company leaders from various backgrounds and industries shared predictions for top industry trends in 2012, and highlighted what they are looking forward...Read More

The four part series continues. In part 2 we hear from company leadership at: Aviva, Saepio, Affinion Group, Destination Interactive, and Covario. Company thought leaders from various backgrounds and industries shared predictions for top industry trends in 2012, and highlighted what they are...Read More

More executive insights from the Loyalty 360 four part series, Industry Insights 2012. Part 3 continues with predictions and trends from: Safelite AutoGlass, Scene, SAS, Kobie Marketing and Swift Exchange. Company thought leaders from various backgrounds and industries shared predictions for...Read More

The final installment in Loyalty 360’s four part series, “Industry Insights 2012” wraps with predictions and trends from: ChoicePrivileges, CCG, Medallia, RewardsNOW and Relational Capitol Group. Company thought leaders from various backgrounds and industries shared...Read More

Mobile commerce is not only about payment but the ability to optimize the path to this payment. Farhan Ahmad, Director of Emerging Payments at Discover Financial Services, the issuer of the Discover Card, the third largest credit card brand in the United States, explains, "Mobile...Read More

President Obama’s recess appointment of Richard Cordray as director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau means the Bureau can more seriously exercise its power to level the playing field trodden by Wall Street and the American consumer.  GfK surveyed 1005 consumers about...Read More

In today’s marketing landscape, effective segmentation and targeting is critical. Broad-based marketing is simply not enough. Today’s consumer wants to be directly targeted – based on their lifestyle, brand affiliation or circumstance.  This means that businesses must...Read More

The My Starbucks Rewards program has been incenting and rewarding US and Canadian Starbucks’ regulars since 2009, and this January Starbucks fans in the UK and Ireland were provided the opportunity to join My Starbucks Rewards and earn perks like free drinks, espresso shots, syrups and more...Read More

Analytics continues to be a key focus for marketers as companies strive to better understand, engage and build loyal relationships with their customers.  Loyalty 360 had the opportunity to hear from Saepio’s president and CEO, John Thomson.  Below, John shares his perspective and...Read More

LIM College students study the businesses of fashion merchandising, visual merchandising, marketing, and management. This concentrated program, combined with extensive internship experiences, gives students valuable insights into the industry and prepares them for future careers. Fittingly, the...Read More

Research Highlights from Recent Industry Research - The Customer Experience Report notes that 85 percent of consumers would be willing to pay more—up to 25 percent more—to ensure a superior customer experience.  - Javelin Strategy Group reports that 71 percent of frequent...Read More

Having run the customer loyalty program at SimplexGrinnell for the past several years, I’m often asked to provide ONE metric that will provide a clear picture of customer loyalty. And while there are several metrics that are regarded as primary indicators of “loyalty”, none of...Read More

Boost Rewards™, an award winning WBENC-Certified Women’s Business Enterprise, is a trusted partner for organizations committed to achieving total workforce engagement.  As the President of Boost Rewards, Anita oversees the operations of the company to create smooth client...Read More

Everyone is talking about social media and its impact on managing customer feedback. However, most customers are still using traditional channels to engage with brands, such as email, phone and web site forms. Combining these unsolicited feedback channels, including social media, with solicited...Read More

Profiles in Marketing Excellenceby Pamela Lockard DMN3 Institute | 2011Marketers spend the majority of their career focused on buyers. In a recently published book, “Profiles in Marketing Excellence,” Author and Marketer Pamela Lockard decided it was time to focus on the marketers...Read More

The Loyalty 360 editorial team recently sat down to talk with John Bastone and Wilson Raj—two of the resident Customer Intelligence (CI) gurus at SAS Institute—about how organizations can use CI to help them ensure all of their decisions and actions are as customer-centric as possible...Read More

A major aspiration for companies today is to be in ‘high growth’ mode, which can be challenging given the current economic climate. In the Business to Business (B2B) world, high growth is achieved through sustainable, predictable, profitable growth (SPPG), for which many factors...Read More

If your loyalty program seems to be missing that “spark”, maybe it’s time to put some real effort into spicing up your relationship efforts. How do you define “customer loyalty”. Often, the term “loyalty” in marketing is used to mean one of two things: 1...Read More

Loyalty 360 had the opportunity to hear from Melissa Studzinski, Vice-President of Customer Relationship Management for CVS/pharmacy for an inside scoop on the CVS “Money Trasher” campaign. Melissa shares insights into what inspired the campaign, why social media is an important...Read More

CECC: A central clearinghouse for all CEM analyses, its mission is simple: drive effective, coordinated and customer-focused decisions throughout the enterprise. Customer Experience Management (CEM) has been a hot topic this year, with the c-suite engaged and looking to launch enterprise-wide...Read More

Customer surveys. Mystery shopping. Printed comment cards. Inbound emails. Website comments. Call ins. Not too long ago, marketers relied on these traditional forms of feedback as the primary methods to gauge customer satisfaction. As feedback volume from these sources continues to decline...Read More

The Westpac Group and Cyara recently spoke at SpeechTEK in New York on the topic of creating and managing customer-centric, speech-enabled, interactive voice response applications. This interview was a follow up to their joint presentation.What current marketplace challenges brought Cyara &...Read More

Everything old is new again.” Peter Allen penned those lyrics about fashion and fads, but it’s an apt description of the latest guest loyalty advances in the hospitality industry. Positive word of mouth among friends, family, and colleagues has always been hoteliers’ most...Read More

GoRebate MobileGoRebate mobile apps, launched by the leader in rebates, provides consumers and businesses a valuable shopping tool  Parago (www.parago.com), a leading provider of innovative reward programs that drive behavior and promote brand loyalty with consumers launched GoRebate...Read More

Organizations have been collecting feedback from customers forever. However, over the last several years, the need for a deep understanding of customer needs has increased tremendously. With the popularity of the internet and the ease of publishing thoughts, opinions, ideas and reviews...Read More

It’s no surprise that loyalty marketers have taken digital and made it part and parcel of loyalty offerings. Or tried to. Why not? Social media marketing and the various connecting tools and social platforms can be extraordinarily useful in creating connections between brands and...Read More

Q: We are looking to invest in a mobile strategy as part of our loyalty platform. Do I need both a mobile website and a mobile app, how do I determine which is best?A: The short answer is: it depends.  The best place to start is with your overall business objectives. Define what members are...Read More

Shawn Bloom has over 13 years of loyalty management experience in Financial Service, Retail and Entertainment. In his current at role as General Manager of SCENE LP, Shawn is responsible for program development and the overall performance of SCENE, the entertainment loyalty program from Cineplex...Read More

We asked members, fans and followers of Loyalty 360's social networks: "As a consumer, how do you feel about rewards with expiration dates? Does an expired reward affect your continued loyalty?" Here's what they had to say!The Consumer Point of View I can speak for consumers in Canada...Read More

As companies search for the perfect solution to strengthen their loyalty programs, Smartbox provides two intangibles that could make the difference: emotion and memories.  As the worldwide leader in the “experiential gifting” category, Smartbox guarantees that the recipient...Read More

Modern businesses can no longer stand pat with traditional contact center technologies and processes. Social media has firmly inserted itself into customer conversation, rapidly emerging from a form of entertainment into a necessary asset for top notch customer care. The reach of social media...Read More

A new technology partnership announced by Cardlytics and ActivePath presents an innovative opportunity for loyalty marketers. The program builds customer loyalty and drives adoption of eStatements for banks and card issuers, attracts new customers and builds repeat customer traffic for retail...Read More

American Airlines, AAdvantage program is a leader in the history of loyalty.  Embracing new technologies and social connection, the first frequent flyer program continues to reach loyal customers and engage fans. Loyalty 360 was privileged to hear from American Airlines, Charlie Sultan. ...Read More

We’ve all heard the statistics about employee engagement and that current trends show organizations are seeing a drop in employee engagement levels throughout the world.Mercer’s June 2011 What’s Working™ survey revealed that 32% of the US workforce is considering...Read More

Opinions that should matter deeply to your company are expressed every day through tweets, Facebook status updates, blog posts, emails and message boards.  It’s unsolicited, natural conversation about your company, your competitors, your senior management team, your customers, your...Read More

As many a new parent will tell you, blinking blearily with unprecedented joy and exhaustion: when you become a parent, everything changes. Not just your sleep patterns, but your world views shift and new concerns emerge virtually overnight. This has never been truer than it is for moms today...Read More

Growing an online community – let alone a thriving one – isn’t easy.  And, unfortunately, there is no silver bullet to create a lasting, bustling online community of users.  Think of it in terms of an actual, real-world community.  Politicians and city planners...Read More

Over the last 7 years I have asked over 2000 business owners and Marketing Directors what they mean by “brand.” I have a list of 73 different answers and that can only give brand a bad name, one that doesn’t actually provide anything meaningful. Many say Brand is your logo...Read More

Will holiday shoppers bring mobile purchasing into the mainstream this year? They’re ready, according to a recent joint survey done recently by the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) and Sybase 365. Almost two-thirds of U.S. consumers—62%—say they would be willing to make a...Read More

Engagement varies throughout the Prospect/Customer/Partner lifecycle and data-driven communication ensures that your audience receives the right messages, at the right time, differentiating you from your competition.   At this session you’ll learn how to:   Implement...Read More

This is Part II of the presentation. View B2B-Focused Session: The Game Has Changed: Engaging Partners in the New Normal - Part I here. The business-to-business world is changing and the only way to survive in the new normal is to embrace that change. Today's business environment demands a...Read More

Today’s empowered consumer represents an interesting paradox.  There have never been more ways to reach them, yet it’s never been harder to truly engage.  Consumers choose when, where, how and if they interact with brands.  Meanwhile, each touch represents an...Read More

This is Part I of the presentation. View B2B-Focused Session: The Game Has Changed: Engaging Partners in the New Normal - Part II here. The business-to-business world is changing and the only way to survive in the new normal is to embrace that change. Today's business environment demands a...Read More

Attendees will actively participate in the following scenario: (1)   Be executives for a simulated consumer brand and actively participate in making the final decisions and tradeoffs on deploying a new mobile and social engagement program  with a “transactional mobile...Read More

Many brands are successful at recruiting consumers to "Like" their Facebook page or "follow" them on Twitter. However, the perpetual challenge is keeping consumers engaged with their brand in the social media environment and motivating brand beneficial social media behavior. While this is an...Read More

On average, a satisfied customer tells three people about a good product experience. The average dissatisfied customer gripes to 11 people. As the person managing Safelite’s digital presence, Kielmeyer is charged with getting more of Safelite's fans to speak up while resolving issues...Read More

According to a most studies including the latest from Business Week, over 60% of defecting customers indicated they are satisfied right before they leave.  Learn why satisfaction doesn’t equal loyalty or retention and what to do about it.  Marketing and Sales must now play a...Read More

By now we should all know how important it is to build relationships with our customers. Everyone boasts about relationships being the ultimate differentiator for business and interestingly enough, when you Google “customer relationship” you get 41M results.  Try and open any...Read More

“You can design and create, and build the most wonderful place in the world. But it takes people to make the dream a reality.” -- Walt Disney There is an ever growing theory in business today that every company must give their customers more in order to survive in this ever...Read More

BACKGROUND The challenges around retaining customers profitably have multiplied: heightening competition, rising customer expectations and falling customer loyalty. These challenges are exacerbated by regulatory changes such as mobile number portability which lowers customers’ barrier to...Read More

Do deals still build customer loyalty in the emerging Age of the Deal?  Is traditional customer loyalty even possible when “everything’s on deal”?  This is Part II of a two-part series that began with a Loyalty360 State of the Industrycontribution from Hunter Madsen of...Read More

Loyalty 360 had the privilege to speak with Shawn Bloom, General Manager for the SCENE LP movie rewards program. Shawn shares the inside scoop about what makes this unique program so successful and shares a bit about his customer loyalty philosophies.Loyalty 360: Would you begin by telling us a...Read More

Continued from the Loyalty 360 Interview with Toni DeWitt, XO Communications Senior Manager, Loyalty & Retention Marketing (Read Establishing a Dialogue with the Consumer Inside the Business Customer - Part One for the first part of our interview with Toni). The B2B marketplace often...Read More

Let me see if this fits…almost two years ago your sales were down and you were losing customers. So someone in the executive suite decided you need a Loyalty Program! I’m guessing it went something like this, “we need to find a way to retain customers and grow sales, and we...Read More

With all the talk about mobile wallets these days, there’s also a lot of concern about security. If you lose your phone, and your wallet’s in your phone, isn’t that like losing your wallet too? No, it isn’t. Not in all cases. With the mobile wallet in the cloud, mobility...Read More

START WITH WHY: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Actionby Simon Sinek October 2009 | Portfolio Hardcover Some people and organizations are more innovative, more influential, and some more profitable than others. Some command greater loyalty from customers and employees alike. Among...Read More

The B2B marketplace often requires a different approach to loyalty and engagement strategies.  Knowing where to start and how to integrate tried and true practices with tactics specific to B2B can be a challenge for many organizations.  We had the opportunity to hear from Toni DeWitt of...Read More

Customer loyalty is always a top priority for any retailer, but with the effects of the economic downturn still being felt by many, it is now more important than ever for retailers to build a closer relationship with consumers.Customer Centric Retailing Traditional mass media marketing no...Read More

At National Instruments (NI), we develop intuitive software and modular hardware products that help engineers and scientists around the world design and deploy systems. Customers use our products for applications ranging from simply acquiring data to controlling the world’s largest...Read More

In light of the recession, consumers today are smarter than ever when it comes to saving money, yet most are still woefully confused and overwhelmed by their loyalty programs, especially how to leverage their various pools of points and miles to save even more. Only 18 percent* of airline...Read More

For many, corporate social responsibility (CSR) has become part of the company culture. Integrating plans for community outreach, fundraising, green practices, or fair trade into efforts to take advantage of corporate influence and impact the world in a positive way. Consumers do take notice, and...Read More

Imagine a world of customer experience management (CEM) unification. Where a CEO of a Fortune 500 company has his finger on the pulse of what millions of customers think about his company: When he logs into his company’s metrics dashboard, he sees “Promoter Score: 62,” a high...Read More

RewardLoopA universal consumer loyalty network for the mobile age. Its patent-pending customer loyalty technology, which prints secure, transaction-identifying rewards program barcodes (QR codes) on bills and receipts, can measurably increase revenue 5% or more for independent and chain...Read More

With over 303 million mobile phone users in the U.S., which accounts for 90 percent of Americans, it is no wonder why merchants and brands are asking for mobile solutions to increase sales and engagement among customers and prospective consumers. A variety of current marketing offers are...Read More

Customer loyalty programs need a makeover. The old-school methods of driving loyalty – by providing frequent-user benefits or VIP access to services or information – certainly help build a bond between brands and existing customers, but they don’t offer ways for happy...Read More

I’m at the drive-thru of a national burger chain last week, craving that juicy super-burger that melts as it slides down my throat and becomes 800 calories of fat that I’ll probably never work off. As I grab my bag of food at the pick-up window, the employee informs me that if I...Read More

As consumers become increasingly savvy about rewards, loyalty programs often are a significant expense for companies in a variety of industries including travel and hospitality, financial, and consumer/retail. Accordingly, these companies need to address fundamental accounting issues for the...Read More

Near Field Communications (NFC) is the latest innovation to revolutionize a technology driven world marketplace. With developing opportunities in mobile payments, ticketing, couponing, loyalty and engagement tactics, NFC applications are sure to capture consumer attention quickly. Orange and O2...Read More

In recent months I’ve had in-depth discussions with consumer products marketing teams, especially within the packaged goods sector. Our conversations revolve around what type of loyalty marketing strategy, if any, can be developed to help them identify best customers, grow their business...Read More

The Amazement Revolution: Seven Customer Service Strategies to Create an Amazing Customer (and Employee) Experienceby Shep Hyken Greenleaf Book Group | April 2011 What is the amazement revolution? It is the culture that can drive any organization—from one employee to tens of thousands...Read More

Q: My company is a service provider and it has become necessary to update our pricing structure. We are currently evaluating our customer retention strategy to ensure we don’t lose our regular customers during this transition. What are your recommendations to help retain customers in today...Read More

Christopher is responsible for corporate strategy, product development, corporate development and financing activities as well as investor relations and has also held various additional interim operating positions including CFO and VP of Product Development and Marketing. In 1998 Christopher also...Read More

On behalf of Loyalty Management, Laura Hewitt of Carlson Marketing sat with Jeff Robertson, Vice President, SkyMiles for Delta Air Lines, Inc. Jeff supports Delta's efforts to provide high-value, world-class loyalty and partnership programs for the airline’s 81 million SkyMiles members...Read More

We asked members, fans and followers of Loyalty 360's social networks: "What is the link between customer experience and loyalty?" Here's what they had to say! In terms of offers and discounts, loyalty schemes cannot compete with organizations providing instant gratification, deals and...Read More

Q: I recently read an article about how Office Depot reorganized their marketing department from being channel focused to customer life cycle focused. Is this a new best practice? Should I be considering this? Are there proven benefits (direct revenue increases, cost reduction/efficiencies, etc.)...Read More

Auto glass is not on the minds of many consumers, but for the 14 percent of people who have damage, it’s not always clear where to turn. They may wonder…do I start with my insurance company? My car dealership? My husband’s friend’s father who owns an auto body shop...Read More

National research reveals that 50 percent of all acquisitions ultimately fail to add value to the shareholders of the acquiring firm. A sobering statistic for a company looking to grow. For any company that’s serious about acquiring or merging with another firm, dotting dozens of &ldquo...Read More

It is perhaps the greatest debate in the short history of customer strategy. The more conservative companies argue that it is more important to retain old customers because it is inherently less expensive than acquiring new ones. The growth advocates will argue for liberal customer acquisition...Read More

Formal recognition can be the catalytic spark that inspires. If you reward someone for “doing the right things, right,” it is like having an insurance policy that assures you will get better results. In fact, a culture of recognition can actually reverse a downward spiral even...Read More

The extraordinary growth of consumer loyalty programs over the last two decades is indicative of their success at improving customer retention and providing insight into customer purchasing behavior. However, business and operational challenges have led to a lag in loyalty program adoption by...Read More

IsisFor the first time, three of the largest U.S. wireless service providers—AT&T Mobility, T-Mobile USA, and Verizon Wireless—have united to build a nationwide mobile commerce network utilizing smartphone and near-field communication (NFC) technology. By bringing together...Read More

There is an old joke about a couple in divorce court sitting before the judge.“So, Mrs. Smith, you want a divorce?” the judge asked. “Tell me, do you have a grudge?” “Oh, no,” said Mrs. Smith. “We don’t have a garage, we have a carport.&rdquo...Read More

Here’s a scenario we can all relate to. Let’s say one day you walk into your local electronics store with every intention of walking back out with the perfect digital camera. Yet when a polite, smiling store salesperson says to you, “May I help you?” you immediately...Read More

For consumer products companies these days, holding on to consumer loyalty often feels like a losing proposition. Gone are the days of network TV media buys that could position your product with the entire nation. Consumers now have new ways of learning about your product—and of shaping...Read More

Launched in 1987, Tasti D-Lite, the great-tasting, healthier frozen treat chain, has garnered a cult following among health-conscious consumers and celebrities. Since its inception, Tasti D-Lite’s popularity has grown largely by word-of-mouth and has resulted in a huge base of raving fans...Read More

Since its first store opened in Seattle’s Pike Place Market in 1971, Starbucks has earned its iconic reputation. Committed to serving the finest coffee, creating an exceptional customer experience, and being a great place to work, the company has been recognized consistently as: one of the...Read More

On behalf of Loyalty Management, Laura Hewitt of Carlson Marketing sat with Jay Dittmann, VP, Marketing Strategy for Hallmark Cards. Through his 30 years at Hallmark Cards, Jay has continued to transform Hallmark's marketing efforts to successfully increase customer engagement and loyalty and...Read More

Vovici is the leading provider of intelligent online survey management and feedback solutions. Powerful, scalable and easy to use, Vovici’s solutions help companies engage customers, employees and partners to increase loyalty, facilitate innovation, and influence critical business decisions...Read More

We asked members, fans and followers of Loyalty 360's social networks: "Couponing, a strategy to build customer loyalty?" Here's what they had to say! "My company comes at loyalty and discounting from another perspective and it seems to be working great. We specialize in partnership...Read More

Mark Johnson, President & CEO of Loyalty 360, asks attendees of CRM Evolution, held in New York, August 8-10, 2011: "In this dynamic marketing and technology environment, how has CRM changed and how will it change or evolve over the next several years?" Respondents are Vinay Iyer, SAP...Read More

Mark Johnson, President & CEO of Loyalty 360, asks attendees of CRM Evolution, held in New York, August 8-10, 2011: "What are the greatest opportunities brands have to engage with their customers and clients?" Respondents are Vinay Iyer, SAP, Rebecca MacDonald, Attensity and Steve Chirokas...Read More

Mark Johnson, President & CEO of Loyalty 360, asks attendees of CRM Evolution, held in New York, August 8-10, 2011: "What is the most difficult challenge brands have today in creating engaging customer service?" Respondents are Vinay Iyer, SAP, Rebecca MacDonald, Attensity and Steve Chirokas,...Read More

Every company wants to be thought of as customer-centric. While this is a worthy goal, most companies find this a case of easier said than done. While companies continue to improve in the core aspects of marketing, like building better products and implementing more targeted marketing efforts...Read More

So you realize your brand needs a mobile customer loyalty program, but now what? The complex features and functionality available in the mobile medium, combined with the more than 8,500 mobile devices on the market today, can overwhelm companies looking to develop a mobile loyalty program...Read More

AJ Bombers, a burger joint in Milwaukee, was launched in the middle of the worst recession in generations and was located at an address that had seen at least five businesses fail in recent years. The restaurant’s year-long journey from grand opening to FourSquare phenom is a best-practice...Read More

"Benefits” and “loyalty” are two of the most well understood words when it comes to marketing in America today…aren’t they? Unfortunately, all too many marketers think that loyalty marketing is simple. All it takes is creating an opportunity for customers to supply...Read More

Recently, the NBA’s Golden State Warriors leveraged several social media channels to officially launch the organization’s new logo and branding. The result? Large growth among various social platforms, greatly increased web traffic, record attendance at their NBA Draft party and a...Read More

MoontoastIt almost doesn’t matter what market you’re in anymore, with a worldwide audience of nearly 700 million, at least part of your audience lives on Facebook. But are people selling there? Yes, but only the ones that understand both the technology and psychology of selling...Read More

Software technology company FNC® Inc. builds systems that give mortgage lenders and servicers access to the most current residential real estate information available. For more than 10 years, FNC has turned paper into data and data into knowledge. The company offers a suite of products...Read More

Finaccord, a London-based market research consultancy specialising in financial services, has just released the world’s first report about the development of coalition loyalty programs around the world. Alan Leach, Founder and Managing Director of Finaccord, shares with our readers a few...Read More

Loyalty marketers have been exploring programs, engagement and customer experience for some time. But, the B2B space has never quite pulled these strategies into their business approach. CEMEX USA is leading the way in revitalizing the B2B strategy, giving customer experience the much needed...Read More

A Whole New WorldNew media channels, specifically social media sites, are opening up a whole new world for brands, and the driving force behind many brands’ success in this arena is rooted in cause marketing.Cause marketing has been around in its current form since the late 1970s, when the...Read More

Have you ever considered the power of the ice-mass below the surface of the waterline versus the small ice peak above the surface? I like to refer to the real impact of effective customer leadership or customer centricity as the Iceberg Effect. The Iceberg Effect is particularly insightful for...Read More