Posted by tom on November 29, 2012 under General News | 
Each month we track the latest news and trends in the loyalty industry. With the holiday season upon us, we’re also following the latest data on eCommerce spending and shopping behavior during this busy time of the year.
According to an IBM Digital Analytics Benchmark, Cyber Monday set a record for the largest shopping day in history. With almost $1.5 billion in sales, this year’s Cyber Monday was up 30% over last year’s. Also, mobile devices played a much larger role in the shopping experience this year, with 13% of sales coming from mobile devices (an increase of 96% from last year).
In this Mashable article, a recent Google study detailed how people increase their search activity through mobile devices on holidays compared to regular days. The increase ranged from 7%-40% depending on the holiday, and in a separate study, Google found that 80% of tablet and smartphone owners will use their devices for their holiday shopping.
Three important initiatives for motivating loyalty members are examined in this PROMO magazine article. “Give’em what they want”, “VIP mentality”, and “Keep it simple” are discussed.
We were pleased to be named a Best and Brightest Company to Work For this month. We were recognized for our achievements in human resources, work-life balance, recognition, and community initiatives. Congratulations to our wonderful team!
Posted by tom on October 31, 2012 under General News |
Each month we scour the web for the latest news and data about the loyalty industry. Here are a few of the articles we enjoyed and wanted to pass on.
As October comes to a close, we gear up for another busy holiday season. In this Internet Retailer article, holiday season data and projections are examined. One interesting point, 50% of consumers will have already started their holiday shopping by the end of October.
According to a study detailed in PROMO, 53% of consumers this holiday season will seek out discounts as part of their shopping experience.
A PriceGrabber study looked at the most popular gift categories for this upcoming holiday season. Clothing and gift cards lead the way. Learn more in this MarketingCharts article.
This infographic from Daily Infographic examines the needs and behaviors of online consumers. The infographic looks at mobile spend, top conveniences consumers look for, what influences their buying decisions, and much more.
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 August 30, 2012 under General News |
We’re always reading about the trends, issues, and news impacting the loyalty industry. Here are a couple of recent articles for your enjoyment:
According to a recent survey, 45% of consumers use the sense of anonymity the Web provides to purchase certain items online that they would not purchase in-person. This interesting infographic also provides some valuable data on other consumer shopping experiences and preferences.
With back-to-school shopping still in full swing, this recent study looks at the influence coupons and deals have had on the shopping season so far. 38.5% of shoppers said more than half of their purchases were influenced by coupons, promotions, or sales.
Everyone knows that a loyal customer is invaluable to a company’s bottom line. But how are you measuring loyalty? This piece in ClickZ looks at the important questions you should be able to answer about your loyalty program and most valuable customers.
FreeCause is in the middle of its company-wide initiative to teach all of its employees how to code in 2012. In this article in the Boston Business Journal, the project is reviewed, including the achievements we’ve reached so far.
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 May 31, 2012 under General News |
Below are several interesting reads from the month for your enjoyment.
As you more than likely heard, our parent company, Rakuten, announced that it made a major investment in social bookmarking website Pinterest. Our CEO, Michael Jaconi, played an integral role in bringing this deal together and he spoke to both BostInno and Boston Business Journal about the deal, his role, and why the two companies were interested in working together.
Brands are trying to use innovative new ways to engage consumers and improve the brand-consumer experience. In this SmartMoney article, five growing perks to joining loyalty programs are identified and discussed, with examples of how major brands are instituting each perk to attract and retain loyal members.
Speaking of new and innovative ways to connect with consumers, this piece by GigaOM looks at how mobile payments are becoming increasingly prevalent on apps for loyalty programs and deal sites.
Lastly, this Marketing Chart article details a recent A.T. Kearney study which shows the rate at which global consumer spending is increasing this decade compared to previous ones. Spending is forecasted to increase 47% from 2010 to 2020 compared to only a 27% increase from 2000-2010 and 22% from 1990-2000.
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.