Loyalty Programs

When shopping, consumers rely on recommendations from friends, family and peers more than they trust advertising from brands. Because of this, there has been a rise in shopping-focused communities — both those that are managed by brands and those that are independent platforms. Here are a few interesting examples of retail communities that bring shoppers…

In this episode of Retail Right Now, Total Retail's Joe Keenan and Kristina Stidham discuss Walmart’s announcement that it's going to launch a paid membership program, similar to Amazon Prime. The service will be called Walmart+, and will expand on the retailer’s grocery-delivery subscription service. Walmart is launching a paid membership program to develop a tool…

Brand loyalty is a driving factor in today’s commerce. It affects where people shop, what they buy, and how much they spend. Yet customer loyalty is changing in today’s blended e-commerce landscape that combines traditional retail with direct-to-consumer. Customers are interacting with retailers differently, and businesses need to nurture, nudge and delight them. Retailers have…

Walmart is developing a paid membership program to challenge Amazon's Prime offering, which is the default online shopping option for its 150 million or so paying members worldwide. The service, called Walmart+, will expand on the retailer’s grocery-delivery subscription service, which it introduced last year. Walmart Chief Customer Officer Janey Whiteside will spearhead the service’s…

With less time between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and growing consumer expectations, the busiest season for retailers and shoppers continued to evolve in 2019 as the battle for consumers’ attention and dollars was as competitive as ever. Alliance Data’s Holiday Hindsight research and holiday retail data showed the importance of customer connections, convenience and channels, promotions,…

Two conflicting sentiments — hope and trepidation — are the driving force behind many U.S. retailers’ marketing plans for this year. U.S. retail sales rose 3.4 percent during the 2019 holiday season. The online sales for apparel, jewelry, and department stores all saw year-over-year increases. In 2020, retailers hope for growth rests on their ability to…

Marketers continue looking to loyalty programs for growth and sustained customer relationships, tailoring loyalty investments that enable holistic views of customers. Fifty-one percent of marketers within retail intend to increase loyalty program spending this year to improve program awareness and engagement through multichannel ad campaigns, and to increase benefits that deliver real value upon participation.…

Connecting with individual shoppers is the mandate for retailers today. Using new technologies, they're capitalizing on internet-connected capabilities, launching new in-store innovations, and more, all to satisfy shifting consumer demands. But it's not enough. Consumers have moved beyond these shiny “new” technology innovations. They now expect a personalized, convenient and flexible shopping experience, and are…

When you think of grocery stores’ loyalty programs, discounted pricing might be the first thing that comes to mind. However, West Coast supermarket chain Raley's is trying to change that perception. Mike Molitor, head of e-commerce and loyalty at Raley’s, discussed this and more yesterday at the Case Studies in Digital Marketing & Loyalty session at Groceryshop in…

In episode 213 of Total Retail Talks, Executive Editor Joe Keenan interviews Brian Venuti, vice president of loyalty and CRM at Luxottica, a leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of fashion, luxury and sports eyewear. Listen as Venuti discusses the loyalty programs across all of Luxottica's brands, the company's efforts to streamline leadership and…