Let's Talk Loyalty

In this week's episode, we explore the launch of a customer reward program by Denmark's largest retailer.

We are joined by Andras Szocs, Head of Customer Programs and Center of Excellence for The Salling Group.

As Denmark's largest retailer, The Salling Group serves over 11 million customers per week and operates more than 1,400 retail locations including restaurants, discount and grocery stores and coffee shops.

Szocs led development and execution of a new customer program in mid-2020.

Hear how they arrived at taking the less traditional route with this company-wide, fully-integrated digital marketing program, while keeping the program unique to the brands.

Weaving in digital payments, coupons and gamification into the individual brand apps, The Salling Group apps have more than 1.2 million users in just over one year.

This episode is sponsored by Cheetah Digital.

Show Notes:

1) Andras Szocs, Senior Director and Head of Customer Programs and Center of Excellence for The Salling Group

2) The Salling Group

BP is one of the world’s largest oil companies, operating service stations in nearly every corner of the world. In this short summary episode, I am reflecting on an interview I had with Olivier Martinet, who led BP’s loyalty initiatives for more than a quarter century.

We look back on lessons he learned when rolling out digital marketing campaigns, loyalty programs and mobile integrations in both emerging and mature markets.

Show Notes:

1) Interview Episode #60: BP Discusses Driving Loyalty in Fuel & Convenience Globally

2) Olivier Martinet, former VP Global Retail Consumer Data Analytics and Use Case Governance, Insights & Loyalty, BP

3) BPme

The global loyalty landscape has dramatically shifted in the wake of the global pandemic. Customers think differently, privacy laws and policies have changed and mobile adoption has skyrocketed.

Brands must continuously evaluate their programme offers to best fit with how consumers behave and the upcoming 2022 International Loyalty Awards will recognize those brands who have excelled at doing just that in 2020 and 2021.

Recently rebranded from the Loyalty Magazine Awards, Annich McIntosh takes the Awards onto the international stage to better represent the global influence of brands and bring even more inspiring and innovative stories to the 2022 Awards ceremony.

Beyond traditional programme categories, the Awards will also recognize individuals dubbed the "Loyalty Royalty" in the "30 Under 40" category as well as teams or individuals in the "Industry Personality or Organisation for 2022" category.

Find out the key dates to enter these Awards, reasons to enter and some top tips for ambitious loyalty professionals focused on achieving international recognition for their work.

Show Notes:

1) International Loyalty Awards

2) Annich McIntosh, Editor and CEO, Loyalty Magazine Group

3) International Loyalty Awards Call for Entries Booklet 2022

In this short summary episode, I looked back on an episode with two rising Epsilon executives, Tamara Oliverio and Julie Smith, to hear about how brands can assess and evolve their loyalty programmes to stay successful with consumers in this rapidly changing time.

I revisited key takeaways from that episode that will help retailers and brands further engage with customers by focusing on having a strong mobile platform, offering contactless payments and simplifying the overall customer experience across all touchpoints.

We also discussed ways to increase emotional loyalty with customers and therefore increase their as well as "share of heart" as well as "share of wallet".

Be sure to also listen to the full episode to learn more great tips and trends to ensure loyalty programme success.

Show Links:

1) Interview Episode #59: Epsilon Talks 121 Loyalty, Contactless Loyalty and Emotional Loyalty

2) Epsilon.com

3) Tamara Oliverio, Vice President of Strategic Consulting, Epsilon

4) Julie Smith, Vice President of Strategic Consulting, Epsilon

Join us to discover the Irish Loyalty Summit and Irish Loyalty Awards 2022, with Eileen McGuinness, Co-Founder of the Irish Loyalty Awards.

The Summit features globally recognised loyalty speakers with deep knowledge of the loyalty marketing industry and will be of interest to loyalty practitioners in the UK, Europe and even further afield.

Featured speakers include experts from Bond, The Loyalty Academy and others to talk about the power of customer loyalty and explore the role of loyalty marketing in the age of disruption.

The Irish Loyalty Awards are returning to an in-person celebration to recognize Irish businesses that have demonstrated loyalty industry excellence at the heart of their businesses.

Show Notes:

1) Irish Loyalty Awards and Summit

2) Eileen McGuinness, Co-Founder, Irish Loyalty Awards

3) Marian Kelly, Co-Founder, Irish Loyalty Awards

In this short summary, I looked back on an episode with a Comarch executive, Sidney Dunn to hear this global loyalty technology leader share some key trends and insights he is hearing from their clients.

Comarch works with global powerhouse brands like BP, ADNOC Petroleum and Costa Coffee to deliver world-class loyalty solutions to their customers.

From the collection and analysis of data insights using machine learning, AI and social mining to support program execution, the short show features the ideas I found most valuable in my interview with Sid and of course, be sure to listen to the full episode for other great ideas.

This episode is sponsored by Comarch.

Show Links:

1) Interview: #58: Global Loyalty Insights from Comarch's Sidney Dunn

2) Comarch.com

3) Sidney Dunn

In this episode, I talk with Robbie Kellman Baxter, the world's leading expert on subscription pricing and membership models.

Robbie is a bestselling author, speaker and consultant with more than twenty years of experience providing strategic business advice to major organizations including Netflix and other notable brands.

She is the author of The Membership Economy and The Forever Transaction and host of the podcast, Subscription Stories: True Tales from the Trenches.

Robbie has spent many years encouraging brands to cultivate a must-have, "craveable" programme that customers and users simply cannot live without.

In this episode, we explore why retailers, brands and businesses - large or small - absolutely must consider offering subscriptions or memberships as an additional "bow in their quiver" if they wish to remain competitive in their markets.

Show Notes:

1) Robbie Kellman Baxter, Strategic Consultant, Peninsula Strategies

2) www.robbiekellmanbaxter.com

Wiiv Rewards is a coalition loyalty programme in Mauritius, created by the country’s largest private company IBL Group and boasts eleven loyalty partners across multiple business sectors.

After only a year in existence, Wiiv won two of the loyalty industry’s most prestigious awards at the 2019 Loyalty Magazine Awards: the Regional Loyalty Champion Award for Middle East and Africa as well as Highly Commended as the Best New Loyalty Programme for 2019.

Join me in this short summary episode as I look back on what I learned from my interview with Delphine Lagesse and Cecile Henry on behalf of IBL Together.

Show Notes:

#57: Award-winning loyalty programme in Mauritius - Wiiv Rewards

Listen and learn some impressive ideas and insights from eBucks, the loyalty program that was just awarded the title of “Best Programme of the Year” AGAIN at the 2021 South African Loyalty Awards.

In this episode, Let’s Talk Loyalty speaks with Johan Moolman, CEO of eBucks, about what makes his programme the one that South African people said they couldn’t live without.

eBucks is a rewards program for FNB bank customers, providing rewards to card users for simply spending with their bank cards.

The highly successful program has been running for 21 years and was also recipient of "Most Innovative Use of Technology" award, for the 3rd year running.

Show Notes:

1) Johan Moolman, CEO, eBucks Rewards

2) eBucks

Let's Talk Loyalty talked with Rob Burgess, a leading travel loyalty expert in the UK, who created HeadForPoints.com to share his ideas on how to get the best value from UK travel loyalty programmes.

In this short summary episode, I share the top three tips I learned from Rob for loyalty industry professionals, including travel and traditional and innovative retailers such as Pret a Manger's new subscription loyalty programme, John Lewis departments stores and the iconic Danish café brand - Joe & the Juice.

Show Notes:

1) Episode #56: Head for Points - Interview with the UK's leading website for frequent flyers

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This episode is sponsored by Phaedon.

Visit their website to learn more about how they're powering the world's most beloved loyalty programs at www.wearephaedon.com