Amazon Mom program targets deals to mothers of young children

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

September 8, 2010

Amazon.com announced the launch of its Amazon Mom program, an opt-in loyalty program limited to parents and caregivers of children from prenatal through the…

Big Y Foods implements deli-ordering kiosks

September 1, 2010

NCR Corp. announced that Big Y Foods Inc. has completed its initial deployment of automated deli ordering kiosks powered by NCR’s self-service technology. Now…

A Test Material Girls Should Love: Macy’s Pilot

by Lisa Biank Fasig — Director, JZMcBride and Associates

A new loyalty program may soon be rewarding shoppers who purchase brands by Madonna, Martha Stewart and Donald Trump – and they do not have to charge it.

YOU ARE HERE...Whether You Like It Or Not

by Doug Stephens — President, Retail Prophet Consulting

A look at the emerging location-based marketing channel and its impact on brands and retail.

We get a kick out of mobile loyalty

by Sharon Goldman — Senior Director, COLLOQUY

It’s gotten big buzz thanks to a new partnership with Best Buy, and the New York Times has already shown an appetite for this app, but here at COLLOQUY we…

Speedway doesn’t slow down . . . its rewards options, that is

by Sharon Goldman — Senior Director, COLLOQUY

Act fast, high-frequency competitors. Speedway SuperAmerica’s new Speedy Rewards Pay Card is now turning its members’ loyalty cards into debit cards, offering…

Card Sharps: How Hallmark reinvented its loyalty value proposition

by Sharon Goldman — Senior Director, COLLOQUY

Hallmark is an American classic, a nearly 100-year-old, third-generation family-owned company with deep roots in Kansas City, Missouri. But even long-standing…

Sears, Kmart use loyalty program for charity

July 20, 2010

While many Americans have had to scale back charitable giving during these financially difficult times, their desire to give to those less fortunate has not…

Mobile barcodes continue march towards mass adoption

by Sharon Goldman — Senior Director, COLLOQUY

Using 2D barcodes as virtual loyalty cards that offer rewards is  a significant investment for large retailers, who must invest in special equipment to read…

Fifty cents could have been really special

by Sharon Goldman — Senior Director, COLLOQUY

One of the trickiest parts of building loyalty is making sure that your front-line employees are empowered to make customers feel special. After all, you…

Retail loyalty’s big leap

by Sharon Goldman — Senior Director, COLLOQUY

My former DMNews colleague, Nathan Golia, wrote a great piece about the growth of retail loyalty programs in a past issue — which I must say, if I can toot…

Does Starbucks’ new free Wi-Fi offer really raise the loyalty bar?

by Sharon Goldman — Senior Director, COLLOQUY

No one who loves Starbucks doesn’t love the fact that they’re now offering free Wi-Fi in its over 6500 locations, right?  My question is: How much will this…

Sam's Club eValues program generating better-than-expected results

June 2, 2010

FICO, a leading provider of analytics and decision management technology, announced today that Sam's Club, a division of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., is achieving…

Curves: Lessons in Creating a Community

by Annamaria Turano — Executive Director, MCAworks

One summer, not too long ago, I joined a 2nd gym as I was out of town most weekends.  A charming low-frills outpost of Curves. 

Fuel perks plus retail equals savvy loyalty play

by Sharon Goldman — Senior Director, COLLOQUY

With an economy that is recovering slowly and still keeping millions of Americans unemployed and in a recession-based, purse-strings-tightening mode, it’s…

Ten ways retailers can build their opt-in email lists

If no one is reading your marketing emails, it doesn't matter how creative or passionate those messages are.

Big Y Foods rolls out targeted shopper promotion system

April 27, 2010

Big Y Foods, one of the largest independently owned supermarket chains in New England, and Incentive Targeting, a provider of targeted shopper promotion…

QR codes: Building a mobile loyalty program beyond key tags

Two-thirds of retailers are planning to launch digital mobile initiatives this year, and many of these will include a QR code capability.

Budget Blinds picks ServiceTycoon to improve customer service

April 15, 2010

More than 160 owners of Budget Blinds, the fast-growing blinds franchise, have selected ClickSoftware’s ServiceTycoon at the recent Budget Blinds National…

Loyalty programs: what works, what doesn't

Perhaps not surprisingly, the least costly methods of building and maintaining loyalty are often the least effective.