Article

Top 100: 31. Loyalty programs

July 6, 2011

John Bartold, vice president of loyalty solutions at Epsilon, sees one sure indication that the U.S. economy remains in slow recovery: Loyalty cards are everywhere. "Anytime we have a downturn in the economy, loyalty gets a lot more attention," Bartold said. Today's retailers use loyalty programs not only to build relationships, but also to analyze purchasing habits, target marketing efforts and adapt products and store hours to customer preferences. And for consumers inundated with loyalty cards, there is, of course, an app for that. The free iPhone download CardStar is now available in Droid and BlackBerry versions as well.

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