Posted by tom on September 28, 2012 under Brand Loyalty, General News | 
Each month we read a slew of interesting articles about developments in loyalty programs, eCommerce, and technology. Below are a few of the interesting ones from the past couple of weeks.
With Halloween right around the corner, we have holiday shopping (and candy corn) on the mind. We came across the following Experian data about Halloween eCommerce and marketing trends. Did you know that 67% of all Halloween sales revenue last year came 3 or more weeks prior to Halloween?
The next couple of months can make or break a company’s year. According to eMarketer, online holiday shopping will increase 17% this year, with total spending expected to exceed $54 billion. Time to finalize those marketing plans and prepare to take advantage this holiday season!
Loyalty programs are always trying to outdo one another, offering new and innovative perks to drive loyalty. In this Los Angeles Times article, you can learn more about Loews Hotels & Resorts’ newest addition to its loyalty program – free access to faster security lines at airports.
FreeCause, and our Codinization Project, also made the news recently. Computerworld published an extensive spotlight on our Codinization Project – where each employee is learning JavaScript this year.
Posted by tom on July 30, 2012 under Brand Loyalty, General News |
Below are some interesting articles and news we came across this month relevant to the industry. We hope you enjoy!
The National Retail Federation announced it’s latest forecast for back-to-school shopping this year. The average family will spend $688.62 on supplies, clothes, and other school materials, up from $603.63 last year. Total spending for back-to-school season is expected to top $30.3 billion.
In this Chief Marketer article, the three ‘R’s of loyalty are examined – reward, recognition, and relevance, which is argued to be the most important at this stage of customer loyalty practices. Steps for improving current loyalty programs are also featured.
A negative customer experience can be ignored, or embraced with the hopes of turning it into a loyalty building opportunity. In this article in The Globe and Mail the author looks at steps a company can take to embrace a customer complaint and use it to gain customer appreciation and loyalty.
Lastly, our very own director of project management, George Ogata, wrote a piece for Computerworld on how companies can utilize the agile framework Scrum to avoid many of the project management problems that plague companies today.
Posted by tom on June 26, 2012 under Brand Loyalty, General News |
Here are several interesting articles from the month for your enjoyment.
There were several studies that came out forecasting online spending – two of which intrigued us. This Internet Retailer article details back-to-school e-commerce – 46% of online shoppers plan to spend more this year. Another Internet Retailer article describes a recent study looking at global e-commerce over the next couple of years. Did you know that global e-commerce sales is expected to top $1.25 trillion by 2013 and the number of Internet users will increase to more than 3.5 billion?
We know that images add engagement and interest to content, and now we can quantify how much value they add? This infographic from Daily Infographic looks at the effect images have on e-commerce, searching, and social engagement.
You’ve heard of hotels rewarding loyal users with points, but what about getting a 2-hour salsa lesson, a steak dinner, or a ride in a fighter jet for your loyalty? This CNBC article looks at some of the more unique hotel loyalty programs and what your points can earn you.
Posted by tom on April 30, 2012 under Brand Loyalty |
Here are a few interesting industry reads from the month. Hope you enjoy!
We love our moms, and with Mother’s Day right around the corner we thought is was worth taking a closer look at the role online shopping plays in finding that perfect gift. This article from Internet Retailer details a recent study from PriceGrabber about online shopping and Mother’s Day. A lot of interesting data about the amount consumers spend online for Mother’s Day, top gift categories, and when people will make their purchase.
Sticking with the mom theme, an increasing number of moms are using mobile devices to complete shopping activities according to a new BabyCenter/Nielsen study featured in Marketing Charts.
Our Codinization Project was featured in VentureBeat this month. Our CEO, Michael Jaconi, details the project, our goals, and the progress so far.
Pinterest is all the rave right now, but how does it affect shopping behavior? The article in Internet Retailer looks at how an increasing number of online shoppers are making purchases directly after seeing an image on sites like Pinterest.
Posted by tom on March 29, 2012 under Brand Loyalty |
Below are a few interesting loyalty reads from the month for your enjoyment.
We begin with a couple of articles about our Codinization Project, which since being announced last month has gained quite a bit of attention. First, our story has made it’s way across the pond to the leading UK IT publication Computer Weekly. Also, loyalty association Loyalty 360 wrote an extensive Q&A with FreeCause CEO Michael Jaconi about the project, the inspiration for it, and how employees and consumers will be affected.
Next we have some useful best practices courtesy of iMedia Connection for how retailers can create personalized relationships with their online consumers. How to get started, how to properly segment consumers, and how to best utilize data are just a few of the topics covered.
Lastly, a growing trend in the loyalty industry is brands now offering their consumers incentives and rewards for engagement through various digital channels. As covered in Econsultancy, Pepsico and Arbys are just the latest brands joining that growing trend.
Posted by tom on February 29, 2012 under Brand Loyalty, Company News |
Here are a few interesting industry reads for your enjoyment.
We kicked off our exciting company-wide “Codinization Project” – where all non-technical employees will learn to code. This initiative reinforces our dedication to focusing on technology and our employees are excited to get started. You can read the official press release detailing the project here.
Virtual currencies come in all shapes and sizes as this next story details. Our client NeighborOil is a perfect example, as their innovative loyalty program rewards members for their online shopping activity with Neighbor Points which they can redeem for discounted home heating oil.
A recent study conducted by Maritz, shows that 92% of consumers belong to at least one loyalty program, with the average person belonging to 6.4 loyalty programs. Another interesting finding, 78% of consumers shop strategically to accumulate points.
In this Washington Post article, ‘gamification’ is looked at and how companies can use it to better engage their members. An interesting look at the psychology behind and some interesting trends.
Posted by tom on January 31, 2012 under Brand Loyalty, General News |
Here are a few relevant loyalty industry reads for your enjoyment.
FreeCause has been making headlines with some recent exciting news and achievements. First, after reviewing our year-end data, we announced that we generated more than 1 billion rewards for consumers in 2011. That’s an impressive 36 points every second! Secondly, we are thrilled to announce the hiring of our new Chief Technology Officer, Antoine Hage, to the FreeCause team. Antoine brings a wealth of technical and leadership experience to FreeCause and will lead our engineering team as we create the next generation of rewards technology.
Imagine making a purchase with your bank debit card at a retailer, and when you later check your bank account activity you see the same retailer is offering you a discount on a future purchase. You do not have to enter a promo code or print out a coupon, your bank does it all for you. According to this TIME article, Bank of America is experimenting with a similar program now and may roll it out to their entire customer base soon.
The Super Bowl is almost here! While experts and analysts are crunching numbers trying to find who has the edge on the field, as this article in The Star-Ledger details, consumer marketers are doing their own number crunching as well. However, they’re focused on the teams’ fans instead of the players.
Posted by tom on December 29, 2011 under Brand Loyalty, Company News, General News |
Here are some of the latest relevant loyalty industry reads we thought you might enjoy.
First we start with a blog post from our very own Mellissa Santos. Mellissa is our Human Resources Manager and is an expert at recruiting and hiring technical talent. Mellissa wrote a blog post for the job board Glassdoor.com on several simple tips job seekers can use to help land a dream tech job.
Smaller organizations are battling like never before for the attention and loyalty of consumers. Some companies are moving away from plastic cards and instead utilizing mobile apps to more effectively engage and retain customers. Read one example of how a company has succeeded with this approach in this Internet Retailer article.
Want a Nook eReader? Receiving one is as simple as choosing to fly out of one airport rather than another. In this USA Today article, you can see how airports are luring frequent flyers with loyalty programs and rewards for their traveling business.
You more than likely know by now that Facebook has changed their Profile page for each person to the new Timeline feature. However what you might not know is what does this change mean for merchants and businesses? In this Practical eCommerce feature, ramifications and opportunities for businesses regarding Facebook Timeline are discussed.
Posted by tom on November 28, 2011 under Brand Loyalty, General News, RewardsBar, eMarket |
Check out these loyalty industry marketing news and tips to help maximize ROI:
We’ve been busy this month, working with clients to launch innovative new loyalty technology solutions. Read about some of the latest releases including Valoramas and CheckPoints.
According to Colloquy, as of 2010 there were more than 2.1 billion loyalty membership programs in the U.S., with the average U.S. household signing up for 18.4 programs. In Direct Marketing News several of these more innovative loyalty programs are dissected, seeing how major brands engage and reward their members through technology and a focus on customer needs.
In this blog post from Benchmark Email, several useful tips are presented on how any business can take advantage of the holidays to attract attention and generate business before the end of the year.
Posted by tom on October 31, 2011 under Brand Loyalty, General News, Social Games, Uncategorized |
Check out these loyalty industry marketing news and tips to help maximize ROI:
While at GDC Online 2011 in Austin, FreeCause conducted a Gaming Snapshot survey of the gaming professionals in attendance. View the results here.
Is your loyalty program in need of some fine tuning? Tom Guenette, FreeCause’s Director of Marketing, recently wrote an article in Promo Magazine listing the 5 steps to improve a loyalty program.
More than 92% of e-retailers say they’ll offer consumers free shipping on orders during the holiday gift-buying season according to an article in Internet Retailer. The findings came from the latest survey by Shop.org, the e-retail arm of the National Retail Federation trade group.
Inbox distractions are a constant battle for companies trying to have their message stand out from the clutter. With these tips from MediaPost’s Email Insider companies can better prepare for these battles by considering user experiences.