Loyalty and rewards

Barclays is one of the top five cobranded card issuers in the U.S., but because the bank has no branch network it must use unconventional marketing approaches — and unique technological innovations — to win customers.

Younger consumers are more willing to shop around compared to previous generations, and the on-demand economy means there is an expectation of instant gratification, writes Julian Wallis, retail director at Rambus.

Lacy Morris would seem to be in a tough spot as the main techie for a smaller coffee chain that's deploying mobile technology years after Starbucks dominated the market. But Starbucks has made missteps, he contends, leaving room for rivals to learn from those mistakes.

PayPal and Barclays have formed a strategic partnership enabling Barclays customers in the U.K. and U.S. to manage their Barclays and PayPal accounts within each app.

Amazon's increasingly weird ideas for getting products to Prime customers — grocery delivery, in-home delivery and now in-car delivery — point to an unsettling conclusion: Amazon, for all its market dominance, is pushing the limits of who it can reach with traditional package delivery.

Amazon.com Inc. has partnered with General Motors Co. and Volvo Cars to deliver packages to car trunks in 37 U.S. cities, as the e-commerce giant seeks new delivery methods for customers who may be wary of leaving packages outside or allowing couriers into their homes.

Major card brands have been competing to surpass each other with rewards and premium card offerings for decades, but American Express still views the premium card world as one it dominates.

LevelUp had a lot of failed experiments along the way, but it still won over major partners and is seeing new results in the restaurant industry.

Two years ago, Marriott split its customers between two card issuers following its acquisition of Starwood Hotels. Rather than choose one over the other, the chain has challenged Amex to draw a clear line between its cobrand card and that issued by Chase.

Following a series of high-profile merchant defections, the Plenti multi-merchant rewards program will end on July 10. The program's treatment of merchant exclusivity may have proven too limiting.