Let's Talk Loyalty

Ikea describes itself as a global retailer whose brand reaches millions of hearts and homes, united by a unique philosophy and approach.

Joining me today to share how that philosophy creates customer loyalty is Penny Shaw, the Global Loyalty Manager for Ikea.

Penny shares some of the initiatives that have emerged from deep customer insights to increasingly recognize and reward members of the Ikea Family program, not just for their transactions, but also for other ways they interact with the brand.

As well as this innovation, Penny also explains the background and proposition for the brand-new Ikea Business Network – another entirely new concept, targeted at supporting the needs of small and micro business owners around the world.

Show Notes:

1) Penny Shaw, the Global Loyalty Manager for Ikea

2) Ikea

Today we announce a new guest host for our short summary shows every Tuesday.

Tom Peace, Managing Director of The Loyalty People, is our new guest host for our short show format each Tuesday.

Tom will be recording a weekly short show, sharing his insights from previous episodes of "Let's Talk Loyalty" to highlight his key loyalty learnings you might have missed.

Show Notes:

1) Tom Peace

2) The Loyalty People

Today's episode of Let’s Talk Loyalty is unique as we are today interviewing a loyal customer – rather than a loyalty professional. Perhaps one of the world's most loyal customers to an airline ever!

Lays Laraya is SO passionate about Emirates Airlines and their Skywards loyalty program that she has created an entire brand dedicated to them – calling herself "The Skywards Freak".

Today on Let’s Talk Loyalty, Lays shares why and how she fell so in love with Emirates and their Skywards program, and together we explore ways that all brands can drive emotional loyalty, no matter what sector you’re operating in.

Show Notes:

1) Lays Laraya

2) The Skywards Freak

3) LOVE OR LOYALTY? The Freaky Things I've done for Emirates - Youtube

4) First Emirates flight to Brazil during COVID-19 - Youtube

5) LTL Episode 321: Video Interview

Our guest today is the founder of a unique concept called *Give A Mile*, a charity dedicated to providing free flights when it matters the most – for people who need to fly to be with a loved one at the very end of their life.

GiveAMile.org believes that the costs of a plane ticket should never be the reason someone dies alone.

In today’s discussion, Founder Kevin Crowe shares how loyalty program owners can partner with GiveAMile.org to help members donate to this charity.

He also explains how individuals can donate our loyalty miles or cash at any time to support these flights, which are often the only option for people to see their loved ones before they pass.

Show Notes:

1) Kevin Crowe, Founder of GiveAMile.org

2) GiveAMile.org

3) Give A Mile Flight Story Daughter to see her Father - Youtube

Arsenal is one of the most successful football clubs in English football history, and in 2021, it became the first UK Premier League team to create a loyalty programme, designed to build the connection between the Club and its fans between games.

Listen to hear our short summary of our fascinating 2021 interview with Arsenal's Senior Loyalty Manager, Karen Dumbrell, who manages the "My Arsenal Rewards" program, which was already delivering exciting benefits for fans as well as commercial and operational benefits for the Club.

Listen to hear some insights on the power of building a loyalty programme that truly puts its fans at its heart.

Show Notes:

1) Karen Dumbrell Senior Loyalty Manager at Arsenal FC

2) Arsenal Football Club

3) My Arsenal Rewards

4) #159: Sports Loyalty - Innovation with UK Premier League Football Club Launch of "My Arsenal Rewards"

Maxol is a leading fuel, coffee, car wash, and convenience store brand in Ireland, which has been operating at the heart of Irish communities for 102 years.

In June 2022, it achieved international recognition when it was named the European Convenience Retailer of the Year by industry body NACS, so we are thrilled to bring you their exciting history of creating innovative loyalty models and mechanics over many years.

Listen to hear my conversation with CEO of the Maxol Group, Brian Donaldson, to hear how this fourth-generation family-owned Irish business has become such a market leader in the convenience retail sector globally, and how Maxol is leveraging the latest digital technologies to drive competitive advantage and customer loyalty.

Show Notes:

1) Brian Donaldson - Chief Executive Officer at The Maxol Group

2) Maxol

3) Maxol Instagram

4) New Maxol Loyalty App Launches - Youtube

5) Maxol Loyalty App: FuelPay - Youtube

6) The 100-Year Story of Maxol - Youtube

7) Maxol Launches First-of-its-Kind Loyalty App With FuelPay in Ireland - Global Convenience Store Focus

8) CIRCLE K FAST TRACK CAMPAIGNS - Liquid Barcodes Article

9) CIRCLE K SPIN and WIN - Liquid Barcodes Article

10) LTL Episode #230: The Boots Iconic "Advantage" Programme in the UK Celebrates Its 25th Birthday

Scene+ is Canada’s leading lifestyle rewards program, with more than 11 million members, enabling members to earn and redeem points for movies, banking, and grocery shopping.

Originally launched in 2007, the Scene+ proposition is now used by 63% of Canadian households, so Let's Talk Loyalty was delighted to meet Matthew Seagrim who has led the program since 2015, to hear his take on Scene’s transformation over the last 8 years.

In our conversation, Matthew shares how and why Scene+ has grown to be so loved by its members, and how they plan to continually evolve and expand both geographically and across new lifestyle sectors.

Listen to hear the laser focus from all three of the program owners on truly delighting their members.

Show Notes:

1) Scene+

2) Matthew Seagrim, Senior Vice President at Scene+

3) Earn Rewards Every Day with the Expanded Scene+ Rewards Program

4) Sobeys bets big on growing Scene+

5) Scotiabank is set on making a Scene+

L'Oreal is a leading brand in the beauty industry with a huge product portfolio and today's conversation features a short summary of my conversation with the Director of Loyalty for their Luxe Division, Alyssa Callahan.

Alyssa described herself as someone with "loyalty in her blood", so listen to learn some exciting ideas from her career in Wyndham Hotels, as well as Toys R Us, and hear her key objective to help L'Oreal's luxury brands demonstrate their loyalty to customers as she began leading their luxe loyalty initiatives.

Show Notes:

1) Alyssa Callahan - Director of Loyalty at L'Oréal Luxe Division

2) L'Oréal

3) LTL #157: L'Oreal, Wyndham Hotels and Toys R Us - Loyalty Insights with Alyssa Callahan

Ben Lipsey is the Senior Vice President of Customer Loyalty for Flying Blue, from the Air France - KLM group, one of the world's best-known and best loved frequent flyer programs.

Ben is a self-confessed loyalty geek his whole life, having initially joined the industry as an intern with Air Canada!

Now based in Europe, Ben shares some of the challenges and solutions developed for Flying Blue members, such as ways to address the concerns around sustainability that have become such a dominant part of the conversation for passengers in Europe.

Ben also shares some of the customer psychology and economic differences that are important to understand in order to run a successful airline loyalty program in Europe, compared with North America. We also touch on some of the opportunities that Web 3.0 offers.

Enjoy this fascinating insight into the Flying Blue program.

Show Notes:

1) Ben Lipsey, Senior Vice President of Customer Loyalty for Flying Blue

2) Air France - KLM Group

3) FlyingBlue

Today's episode is focused on the luxury hospitality sector, featuring one of Dubai’s most iconic brands.

The Jumeirah Group is a global luxury hotel company, which operates a world-class portfolio of 25 properties across the Middle East, Europe and Asia.

The group’s hotels together operate over 85 restaurants, including three Michelin-starred restaurants, so we were thrilled with the opportunity to meet with Vicky Elliot, Senior Director of Insights, CRM, and Loyalty for the Jumeirah Group, who shared with us her focus on driving exceptional customer experiences using complex sources of data.

Listen to hear the history, evolution, and some of the future plans that Vicky is focusing on to ensure that the “Jumeirah One” programme continues to create magical experiences for the valuable guests of this ambitious Dubai-based brand.

Show Notes:

1) Vicky Elliot, Senior Director of Insights, CRM, and Loyalty for the Jumeirah Group

2) Jumeirah Group

3) Jumeirah One