Let's Talk Loyalty

The need for retailers to adopt digital technology was unexpectedly accelerated in March 2020 as the world locked down to safeguard public health amidst the global pandemic. With convenience retail stores classified in many countries as an essential service, to supply gas and basic products for consumers, innovative solutions including contactless payments and the ability to pre-order and pre-pay for products became essential to build trust with customers, as the focus on long-term loyalty initiatives became a secondary concern. This short show discusses some of the simple solutions available to retailers at this unprecedented time. Show Notes:1) Bob Stein 2) Liquid Barcodes 

This episode of "Let's Talk Loyalty" focuses on insights and emerging trends across APAC and MEA. With a marketing career that began in direct mail, data and applied statistics, Paul Davies' has worked in advanced markets like the UK, and today  he shares his view on how loyalty marketing is evolving in these, as well as emerging markets that have traditionally focused on customer acquisition. We discuss global trends in loyalty, as well as the risks and challenges of promotions and first party data, as well as the power of organisational design to help use loyalty mechanics to build brand loyalty, not just transactional loyalty.  We discuss the need for creativity in loyalty marketing, helping marketers connect with both the rational and emotional aspects of the human brain.This episode is sponsored by Epsilon. Show Notes:1) Paul Davies - Senior Vice President APAC MEA2) Epsilon 3) Hoover Free Flights Promotion 4) Forrester Wave Loyalty Solutions - Q2 2021

This short show summarises the insights I learned from Amanda Cromhout, founder of the Truth loyalty agency in South Africa.In March 2020, they published their latest white paper on the key trends in loyalty from South African consumers, so listen to learn the incredible statistics she shared, as well as her key concern about the one consumer segment that is actively disengaging from loyalty programmes in that market. Show Notes: 1) Episode 27 of Let's Talk Loyalty 2) Amanda Cromhout 

Loyalty programmes inevitably require considerable investment to build, manage and optimise, and with so much money and time being spent, it's essential to know what's working and what's not!Mike Atkin, affectionately known as the "Loyalty Guru", has developed a framework that he uses to expertly assess any loyalty programme against industry best practise, giving the type of expert support that so many loyalty marketers say they need.Known as the "Loyality Check", Mike and his colleagues assess every aspect of any programme's design, operations, technology infrastructure and financial performance, to help you understand what's working, and what's not. Listen to this episode of "Let's Talk Loyalty" to learn how you can avail of Mike's expert assistance if you're not sure if your loyalty programme is working as powerfully as it should!Show Notes:1) Mike Atkin - The Loyalty Guru2) Customer Strategy Network

In this episode of “Let’s Talk Loyalty”, I summarise the great conversation I had in 2020 with Phil Hawkins, Operations Director for Flybuys - Australia's most popular loyalty programme. Phil has spent much of his career supporting its incredible success and he shared the 5 top lessons he has learned about loyalty marketing along the way.Listen to this short episode to learn Phil's lessons on truly building loyalty, and how Flybuys Australia is evolving for the future. Show Notes:1) Phil Hawkins - Chief Operations Officer at flybuys2) Flybuys coalition programme

With over fourteen years in loyalty and consulting roles from a technology perspective, Bart Demczuk is today leading the Middle East region for Comarch, who power loyalty programmes around the world for brands like BP, Old Mutual and Puntos Colombia, as well as regionally for industry leaders like ADNOC and ENOC.Bart shares his strategic view on some of the current key challenges for loyalty professionals, firstly to ensure they measure truly commercial metrics to ensure they are running a successful loyalty programme. He shares his views on the risks posed by industry disruptors offering short term marketing channels for restaurants and retailers, but at the expense of creating and owning long term direct relationships with their customers. He also highlights the risk of "excessive personalisation" - a trend which has become increasingly prevalent on social media channels, and the importance of balancing privacy and personalisation in a way that customers truly value. Listen to this episode of "Let's Talk Loyalty" for a helicopter view of insights from the Middle East from this leader in loyalty. This episode is sponsored by Comarch.Show Notes: 1) Bartosz Demczuk - Senior Vice President at Comarch Middle East2) Comarch Loyalty Marketing Solutions 

As one of the largest airlines in the world, Emirates Airline last year celebrated the 20th anniversary of its loyalty programme Skywards, which had just passed a global membership base of over 27 million members, many in International markets.Just two shorts weeks before the global pandemic forced an almost total shutdown of the world's aviation industry, I had a fascinating conversation with Dr Nejib Ben Khedher who has led the digital transformation of Skywards in recent years.This short show summarises his incredible insights on what was working so well for Skywards already and some exciting new ideas emerging in the industry.For me, Skywards and Emirates are inspiring brands given their premium position in the global aviation market, and my own fond memories of working in the same company many years ago. Listen to this episode of "Let's Talk Loyalty" for a truly exciting perspective on what's possible when a global brand invests in its loyalty strategy with a clear intention of delighting its members. Show Notes:1) Emirates Skywards 2) Dr Nejib Ben Kheder 

"For Love or Money 2021" is a powerful, independent and comprehensive research report on customer views of loyalty marketing programmes that operate in Australia and New Zealand. Hot off the presses, Adam Posner, the loyalty brains behind the report, talks me through the lessons learned from this year's panel of customers - from the surprising (plastic card anyone?) to the delightful (here's looking at you Woolworth's Rewards) and one result that's downright disappointing!Listen to this episode to understand the highlights of this latest loyalty research that includes insights and comparisons on Covid-related behaviour changes, and find out more about how you can access your own copy of the 2021 report. Show Notes: 1) Adam Posner 2) For Love or Money 2021 Reports 

In this short episode, I showcase my partnership with my friends in "The Wise Marketer™" - the world's most widely read source of news, and insights for loyalty marketing professionals.The guys in The Wise Marketer and I are equally passionate about sharing loyalty knowledge so this content partnership is the perfect way to do that.In this five minute episode, I summarise key insights from the CEO of The Wise Marketer, Bill Hanifin, and how proud I am to be working with The Wise Marketer group, adding my "voice" to be part of the world's biggest loyalty community.Show Notes:1) Bill Hanifin 2) TheWiseMarketer3) The Loyalty Academy 4) Full interview with Bill Hanifin - episode #24

As Australia's top online pure-play beauty retailer, Adore Beauty has had incredible growth and success in recent years, even throughout the pandemic. Not only did the company successfully go public in 2020, but it also launched an innovative non points-based loyalty programme called the Adore Society. With a goal of education, a clear set of benefits for each loyalty tier based on member's spend, and simple yet exciting rewards, Miranda Bliss is the brains behind this compelling customer-focused loyalty programme that's already proving incredibly successful. In this episode of Let's Talk Loyalty, Miranda explains the programme proposition, the focus on education and entertainment for customers, as well as their powerful content strategy - together which are driving incredible growth and loyalty for this inspiring business. Show Notes:1) Miranda Bliss2) Adore Beauty 3) Adore Society 4) Beauty IQ Podcast 5) Skincare School Podcast