As it approaches its 30th birthday in December, Caribou Coffee prides itself on offering a seamless ordering experience and always making customers happy. Founded in 1992, Caribou Coffee has more than 700 stores worldwide and over 2 million members of its Caribou Perks loyalty program. Company officials love using incentives throughout the year tied to their Caribou Perks loyalty program to attract more customers, elevate engagement and strengthen ongoing relationships. We caught up with Caroline Larson, Senior Director of Marketing at Caribou Coffee, to learn more about how the company values ..read more

A loyalty program is a critical tool to help you increase customer acquisition, retention and advocacy. But it’s also a massive brand entity that can sometimes be a challenge to pivot, enhance or modify quickly. That’s why many top brands supplement their loyalty programs with incentives like Chance-to-Win Sweepstakes, Offers & Rebates, Brand Advocacy and Gamification. Incentives are easier for you to maneuver and entice consumers to your brand. Not only do they allow you to amplify your loyalty programs and achieve your loyalty objectives in a fast and flexible way but consumers love them ..read more

When it comes to building customer loyalty, the holiday shopping season is always tough but this year will be even tougher. Between increasing inflation on basic goods and many brands offering discounts and promotions to try to move products, engaging your customers will be more important than ever. According to our holiday shopping survey last year, 80% of consumers are more likely to sign up for a retailer’s loyalty program during the holiday season if it means they will earn additional discounts throughout the year. And 81% of consumers shop with brands during the holiday season because the ..read more

Eighty-one percent of consumers agree that interactive content grabs their attention more effectively than static content. And what grabs the attention of many consumers?  Sports!  This statistic speaks to the power of your brand using gamification promotions.  Consumers like to engage with their favorite brands, or teams, especially when it’s fun for them. And that’s what gamification can do for you during sporting events because it transforms product features and benefits into exciting, interactive experiences.  Besides product education and brand engagement, gamification ..read more

Every brand wants customers to engage frequently with its loyalty program. Too often consumers join loyalty programs only to become inactive.   A little more than two-thirds of consumers (69%) belong to 1-4 traditional loyalty programs and 70% use 50% or less of those memberships on a monthly basis. While consumers will join traditional loyalty programs, getting them to engage regularly is a challenge for brands.   Enter promotions.   Promotion overlays can increase customer engagement in your loyalty program. They elevate your loyalty program engagement levels by ..read more

Every brand wants to increase customer engagement to earn greater long-term loyalty.     But where do the opportunities lie?     This is one of the areas discussed in our 2022 Premium Loyalty Data Study.     In addition to examining year-over-year trends in premium loyalty, the study covers consumer insights on brand engagement — the exchange of consumer action in return for an incentive (e.g., discount code, gift card, free item, chance to win sweepstakes).      While social media seems like an area where brands typically elevate customer engagement, th ..read more

Traditional loyalty programs have been around forever and serve a distinct and extremely useful purpose.   But premium loyalty programs are a newer rising trend. Their popularity has risen in recent years and helps make your best customers exponentially more valuable.   Last year two well-known brands launched premium loyalty programs: Best Buy (Totaltech), Kroger (Boost By Kroger Plus), and Walmart (Walmart+).   In 2020 Panera launched a subscription loyalty program to spark interest in its MyPanera loyalty program.    Could your brand be missing o ..read more

Premium loyalty programs have gained momentum in recent years and are being embraced by more brands and consumers.   Consider that 78% of consumers said they’re willing to pay to join a premium loyalty program, according to our 2022 Premium Loyalty Data Study.   And there are three big reasons why premium loyalty is so popular now:   Consumers have unlimited choices.  We live in an instant culture.  Consumers love subscriptions from music, to clothes, to movies, and meals.  Let’s learn more about how premium loyalty continues to rise in the market ..read more

Marketers want to collect more data to better personalize customer experiences, but it’s challenging due to regulatory and privacy issues. And that’s where zero-party data enters the picture.  As Google plans to block third-party cookies on its Chrome browser by the end of 2023, marketers are worried about how they will acquire meaningful data that will elevate the entire customer experience.  Because consumers give zero-party data voluntarily it makes it more valuable for brands. It helps you collect specific information that will positively impact future customer interactions and h ..read more

Officials at CKE Restaurants, parent company of Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr., wanted to show their loyal customers how much they appreciate them and prioritize the brands’ digital transformation in restaurants and online.  As a result, in late March CKE Restaurant launched My Rewards, a new loyalty program available through its recently launched brand apps putting the most popular menu items just a few taps away. The program is available nationally at participating Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr. restaurants.  Having a U.S. and international presence, Carl’s Jr. Restaurants and Hardee’s Restauran ..read more