Send us a text

Customer loyalty has become a cornerstone of modern brand strategy, but for shopping center owners, it has never been a simple equation. Without control of the point of sale and with thousands of independent retailers operating under one roof, building a cohesive loyalty program  presents challenges most consumer brands never face. 

That tension is what ultimately shaped Simon+™: a loyalty program built to reflect how people shop today, across stores, channels, and experiences. In a recent conversation, Enna Allen, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Simon shared how Simon is re-thinking loyalty for a nontraditional category and why flexibility, collaboration, and value are essential to making the program work. 

Send us a text

For more than a century, Hilton has been shaping how people experience hospitality. Today, the company spans 26 brands, 9,000 properties, and 141 countries and territories, yet its loyalty strategy remains grounded in a simple idea: make travelers feel seen, valued, and supported at every stage of their journey. 

In this edition of Leaders in Customer Loyalty: Brand Stories, Loyalty360 spoke with Brad Anderson, Vice President of the Hilton Honors program, about how the brand continues to evolve loyalty in an increasingly complex and expectation-driven travel landscape. 

Send us a text

As loyalty leaders look toward 2026, the conversation is shifting away from feature sets and toward fundamentals: trust, relevance, and human connection. While artificial intelligence is accelerating what brands can do with data and personalization, it is also forcing a reassessment of what customers actually value in their relationships with brands. 

In a recent conversation with Denise Holt, Senior Vice President and Head of Strategy, Experience, Research, and Insights at Phaedon, and Emily Merkle, Senior Vice President of Analytics and Data Science, they shared their thoughts about how brands are recalibrating loyalty strategies after a year of rapid experimentation, and what that means for the future of customer engagement. 

Rather than viewing loyalty as a standalone program, both leaders argue the next phase of loyalty will be defined by systems that adapt to individual preferences, empower human interaction, and deliver value quickly and transparently. 

Send us a text

Papa Murphy’s has sliced out a unique position in the crowded pizza category with a simple yet transformative idea: pizzas made fresh in-store, taken home, and baked by the customer. With more than 1,000 locations across the U.S., including franchise-owned stores, the brand continues to differentiate through both product and experience. 

Loyalty360 recently spoke with Jason Focht, Vice President of Digital Marketing, about the uniqueness of the take-and-bake model and the launch of the redesigned MySlice Rewards loyalty program. Both lend themselves well to motivating customer engagement and creating loyalty.

Send us a text

Loyalty programs aren’t failing because they lack features: they’re failing because customers don’t feel value fast enough. As consumer budgets tighten and expectations accelerate, patience has become one of the scarcest resources brands contend with. Loyalty is no longer judged by what it promises over time, but by how quickly it proves its worth. 

We spoke with Don Smith, Global Chief Consulting Officer at Capillary, about what that shift means for loyalty strategy in 2026, and why speed, relevance, and emotional connection are now deeply intertwined. 

Send us a text

As one of the fastest-growing fast-casual brands, Mediterranean eatery, CAVA, was founded in 2010 as a full-service restaurant. The company’s goal is to make delicious food that customers feel good about buying and eating. Today, the company has grown substantially, with more than 400 restaurants in 28 states across the country. 

In this edition of Leaders in Customer Loyalty: Brand Stories, Loyalty360 spoke with Andy Rebhun, Chief Experience Officer for CAVA, about the secret to this brand’s dramatic growth strategy.  

Send us a text

As brands enter 2026, loyalty strategies are being reshaped by economic pressure, rapidly shifting consumer expectations, and the accelerating role of technology. Rising costs, tighter margins, and changing audience behaviors have forced organizations to rethink how they create value that’s not just through rewards, but through relevance, ease, and emotional connection. 

We recently spoke with Ellen Green, Vice President of Loyalty Strategy at Bounteous, about the forces that most influenced loyalty strategy in 2025 and how those lessons are shaping what comes next. From time-to-value and personalization to AI readiness and organizational alignment, Green outlined why loyalty is no longer a standalone program, but a relationship-driven capability embedded across the enterprise. 

Send us a text

White Castle’s loyal fan base has kept America’s “first fast-food hamburger chain” in business for nearly 105 years. What makes this brand still appeal to consumers and continue to expand, especially when other chains struggle to keep the doors open?  

 Loyalty 360 spoke with Jamie Richardson, Vice President of Marketing and Public Relations at White Castle, on the brand’s longevity and its loyalty program, known as Craver Nation Rewards. 

Send us a text

As brands look ahead to 2026, loyalty programs are evolving beyond transactions toward deeper emotional connection, relevance, and trust. Shifting consumer expectations and broader uncertainty are accelerating this change. 

We recently spoke with Hayley Hanel, Senior Manager of Strategic Consulting at Kobie, who shared how growing unease around social, political, and economic change is reshaping loyalty strategies and elevating the role of community and belonging.

Send us a text

Known for its irreverent attitude, unstoppable energy, and Seattle-style teriyaki bowls, Teriyaki Madness has always taken its food, but never itself, seriously. Founded in 2003 by friends who wanted to bring Seattle’s teriyaki culture to Las Vegas, Teriyaki Madness was purchased by its current CEO, Michael Haith, in 2016. 

Now headquartered in Denver, Colorado, the self-proclaimed “scrappy brand,” uses digital innovation to transform a fast casual dining concept from 30 shops, into a national brand of nearly 200 locations. 

Mark Johnson, CEO of Loyalty360, spoke to Jodi Boyce, Chief Marketing Officer of Teriyaki Madness, about the innovative steps the company used to build the brand and a loyalty program of nearly one million members.