Loyalty Programs

Walmart said Monday that its Walmart+ loyalty members will be first in line for Black Friday deals this holiday season. Those customers can start shopping online sales four hours earlier than other shoppers throughout the month of November. By granting that special access, Walmart is betting it can boost membership in the premium loyalty program —…

Best Buy said Tuesday that it’s expanding its new annual membership program, Totaltech, nationwide, reports CNBC. The retailer is including a perk that may nudge people to sign up: access to hard-to-find items during the holiday season, although Best Buy didn't specify what those items will be. Totaltech costs customers $199.99 per year and members get…

In our most recent original research report, Total Retail, in conjunction with Clarus Commerce, recently assessed the loyalty programs of 50 leading retailers. This was done to identify loyalty best practices that can be implemented across organizations within the retail industry. Subsequently, the 2021 Loyalty Program Benchmark Report was produced, and it features the data and insights derived from…

An Assessment of 50 Leading Retailers' Loyalty Programs Leads to Insights and Learnings for the Industry

Attaining customer loyalty is perhaps harder today than it has ever been. Consumers have an abundance of choice, both online and offline, when it comes to the retailers they can choose to spend their hard-earned money with. If a retailer doesn’t meet a customer’s high expectations, no matter the reason, that shopper is unlikely to…

In episode 311 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Kelly Cook, chief marketing and IT officer of David's Bridal, the largest American bridal store chain. Cook discusses the genesis of David's Bridal's Diamond Loyalty Program, how the program incentivizes brides and their wedding parties and guests to purchase from the retailer, and the member…

Over the past year, we’ve seen unprecedented disruption in the retail space as COVID-19 forced store closings, disrupted supply chains, and pushed more consumers online than ever before. And with customer behaviors and expectations changing rapidly, their loyalty is becoming more difficult to earn. To better understand consumers’ mindsets at this critical point in time,…

In episode 309 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Michele Driscoll, vice president of customer engagement, loyalty and personalization at CVS. Driscoll discusses recent updates to the CVS ExtraCare rewards program, how extensive customer research and feedback factored into changes made to the loyalty program, and how the retailer collected this data. She…

Gap Inc. has announced a new integrated rewards program where credit card holders and loyalty members can earn points while shopping online or in-store at Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy, and Athleta. The new program will simplify and streamline the way members earn and redeem rewards by combining the previous credit card and loyalty programs…

Retail companies are increasingly dipping their toes into banking and finance. With branded credit cards and payment features, they’re creating stronger bonds with customers — and new revenue streams. For many large brands with technological capability, embedded finance products like these add significant value to the customer experience. To understand how, let’s dig into what…