Loyalty and rewards

FIS is collaborating with loyalty marketing firm Excentus to extend FIS’s consumer loyalty program to 13,400 U.S. Shell fuel stations.

Neither Amazon nor Starbucks could be described as a traditional retailer. But they both use their shared headquarters city as a playground for developing digital and in-store innovations that all merchants and payment companies will have to respond to the years ahead.

The video game industry serves a decidedly digital, tech-savvy audience with a propensity toward digital payments, but has been plagued by inconsistencies in payments to developers and a lack of a consistent rewards program for loyal players.

Mobile payments technology has fallen short of expectations in major markets, particularly the U.S., where less than 10 percent of consumers routinely use devices to pay in stores — despite more than four years of aggressive development from large technology companies and banks.

Even the best technologies take time, making it necessary to rein in expectations about what will happen and won't happen in the coming year.

Today’s customers demand seamless experiences. They want simple loyalty solutions without the clutter of tracking their rewards and coupons, according to Francis Hondal, president of loyalty and managed services at Mastercard.

Premium loyalty is about brands and customers committing to each other from the start. It’s about brands aligning with their customers and giving upfront, according to Tom Caporaso, CEO of Clarus Commerce.

A period of churn in Canadian airline loyalty is nearing an end as Air Canada moves ahead with a deal to take over its old loyalty program, Aeroplan, and keep its partner banks on board.

More innovative thinking will be needed to achieve competitive advantage and differentiation without breaking the bank, an gaming is an emerging option, according to Simon-Kucher & Partners’ Wei Ke and Wenbo Li.

Chase is planning to enable users of the Chase Pay app to receive and redeem custom offers from merchants, in addition to the ability to find offers from more than 150 merchants through the Chase Mobile app.

Capital One is banking on a tool to help online shoppers find better prices to bring more holiday shopping transactions their way.

Across all age groups, many consumers still prefer shopping in stores for various reasons. But even when going into a brick-and-mortar store, these consumers don't leave their digital habits behind; many still prefer to pay by mobile or wearable when the option presents itself.

As issuers make rewards more personalized and proactive, a balance between savvy and privacy must be maintained, according to Kevin Grieve, North America payments lead for Accenture.

Two German companies, Wirecard and the startup givve, are expanding their partnership to develop more programs for companies to deliver employee benefits via prepaid cards.

Amazon is rightfully thought of as an e-commerce juggernaut, but the company's latest move — opening additional headquarters in the New York and Washington, D.C. areas — has drawn attention to how its presence changes the physical world.

Amazon Go’s cashierless checkout model has made its impact felt across the board, motivating large chains like Walmart and Kroger's to respond. But the biggest threat it poses is to convenience and fast-food brands like 7-Eleven.

Uber Technologies Inc. is rolling out a new rewards program starting Wednesday, offering its most loyal users cash back on rides, priority airport pickups and free phone support.

Users are not only more rational in their choice of card, but they are also investing time and effort to find ways to maximize their return from reward points, according to Simon-Kucher & Partners’ Wei Ke and Wenbo Li.

Instead of focusing on static rewards, card issuers should focus on more proactive and data-driven “rewarding.” This is a profound shift from a transactional strategy to a relational one, writes Kevin Grieve, North America Payments Lead for Accenture.

Credit unions enjoyed a boost to membership as consumers fled the big banks in the wake of the financial crisis. But they can't wait for the next global disaster to drive younger members into their arms.