In this episode of Total Retail Tech Insights, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Brian Carl, vice president of marketing at Clarus Commerce, a premium loyalty program solutions provider. Listen in as Carl discusses his role at the company, the recently expanded solutions in premium loyalty and customer engagement at Clarus, and why the business decided to release its 2021 Loyalty Program Benchmark Report, in collaboration with Total Retail. He shares how the report evaluated top retail loyalty programs across six criteria, how the benchmark runs the gamut of the full loyalty experience, and the key takeaways for retailers featured in the resource.

In addition, Carl discusses the surprising lack of promotion of loyalty programs across retailers' digital channels, what retailers should be thinking about as they look to improve their loyalty programs, and some of the unique benefits that can differentiate a retailer's loyalty program. He shares how premium loyalty programs can factor into retailers' future plans, why he believes free and paid programs work best together, and how listeners can download the 2021 Loyalty Program Benchmark Report here.

Brian Carl is the vice president of marketing at Clarus Commerce. He has been in the loyalty space for almost a decade, and regularly hosts webinars and interviews with both retailers and other loyalty professionals. He's passionate about educating the industry on consumer trends and how they're impacting retail.