There are plenty of full news stories listed on our main news page - make sure you don't miss them! Here are some of the latest news highlights...  
 · 2008 holiday shopping trends begin to emerge
 · Five tips for targeted web-based marketing
 · Report assesses CRM's ability to increase sales
 · Scotiabank launches hockey rewards credit card
 · How cause-related marketing increases sales
 · Eight rules for brand marketing in China
 · Digital inserts set to provide value both ways
 · Nectar unveils personalised e-coupon offering

 
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CEO America, the exclusive US licensee of the Creditz digital promotional currency, has integrated the currency and its micro-payment and loyalty system into a new mobile platform. The new Mobile Digital Payment platform (MDP) gives Creditz account holders direct access to the benefits of Creditz from their mobile phone, PDA, or other mobile communications devices. Powered by IBM System I technology, Creditz now permits quick (and free) person-to-person digital transactions within the Creditz loyalty payment system in most mobile environments. The company believes that the ability for consumers to use their mobile devices for digital purchases, and for merchants to accept a secure mobile payment, is a valuable feature that could potentially see broad adoption throughout the US. The company is now hoping to introduce its digital payment system to merchants in the US who wish to pilot it at point-of-sale terminals.

Web: http://www.creditz.com

Citibank is thanking its customers a million times over for opening cheque accounts, via a new 'Thanks-A-Million' sweepstake, which promises to give out a total of 5 million loyalty points to 16 lucky winners. Until 30th November 2008, new cheque account holders enrolled in Citi's ThankYou Network rewards programme will automatically have a chance to win up to 1 million rewards points. Both new and existing customers also have an additional chance to win 1 million rewards points every time they use a qualifying debit card and sign for a purchase. New cheque account customers who also enrol in the ThankYou Network can also gain up to 10,000 bonus points for performing various banking activities.

Web: http://www.citi.com

Hip Digital Media, Nectar, and RCA Label Group have announced the launch of an exclusive music campaign with international music artist, Dido, via the online Nectar Music Store. Nectar cardholders who download the free album track 'Look No Further' from the Nectar Music Store between 1st and 15th October 2008 are automatically entered into a free prize draw to win a VIP, all expenses paid trip with tickets to a top-secret album listening party for Dido's third album, Safe Trip Home, in the USA. The exclusive fan event will also include an audience Q&A session and Dido performing tracks from the album.

Web: http://www.nectarmusicstore.com

ExactTarget, a provider of on-demand email and one-to-one marketing solutions, has announced the winners of the 2008 eMarketing Excellence Awards in a special programme at Conseco Fieldhouse. Nine awards were presented to winners including Rewards Network, Microsoft Office Live, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company and CareerBuilder.com. ExactTarget clients competed in various categories, and the winners were chosen by a panel of experts who looked for application of e-mail marketing best practices and the achievement of measurable results.

Web: http://www.exacttarget.com

Best Buy Canada, a retailer and e-tailer of consumer electronics, has partnered with Chase Card Services to launch a rewards-based Visa credit card called the Best Buy Reward Zone Visa card. The card rewards customers with loyalty points when purchases are made at any Canadian Best Buy store, through the Best Buy web site, or at any other Visa merchant. Cardholders earn 1 reward point for every qualifying Can$1 spent on purchases where Visa is accepted, or 2 points for every qualifying Can$1 spent with Best Buy Canada. Points can then be redeemed for reward certificates (available in Can$20, Can$50, and Can$100 denominations) that can be applied toward future in-store purchases.

Web: http://www.bestbuy.ca

Points International, the owner and operator of the Points.com rewards management portal, has announced that Trident Hotels (owned and operated by The Oberoi Group in India) has joined the Points exchange's network of loyalty programme partners. The partnership represents Points' latest phase in its ongoing aim of increasing international offerings. Trident operates eight five-star hotels in India, and its Trident Privilege loyalty programme was launched in April 2008. From now onward, Points.com will allow Trident members to track their account balances, convert points to frequent flyer miles or other loyalty currencies, and redeem points for gift certificates from hundreds of well-known retailers.

Web: http://www.points.com

American Airlines is to introduce 'PriorityAAccess' privileges for its top customers, including a range of enhancements designed to make the airport process and overall travel experience quicker and more convenient. American's AAdvantage elite status members, first class, and business class travellers, as well as AAirpass customers and passengers travelling on full-fare economy class tickets, are to be offered PriorityAAccess check-in, security screening lanes (where available), and exclusive boarding lanes at the gate.  Airports that will offer the exclusive security screening lanes include Dallas/Fort Worth, Chicago O'Hare, Miami, Los Angeles, New York (JFK and La Guardia), St. Louis, San Francisco, Boston and San Juan (Puerto Rico).

Web: http://www.aa.com

Marketers often ignore a critical measurement - that of customer attitudes and emotions - when gathering insights from customer behaviour patterns, according to a white paper entitled 'Do you know why customers really buy?' from Allegiance. The company warns that many businesses focus on geographic, demographic, or even psychographic data to analyse customer behaviour, while missing out on the insights that can be gained from a more attitudinal approach to modelling behaviour, which more readily reveals the reasons why customers do what they do and make the choices they make. According to the paper, the purpose of this kind of analysis is to understand the "spark of the relationship" and the role that emotion plays in customers' decision making processes. For example, it would be helpful to gain insight into what it was that interested customers in the first place, and what drove them to remain interested and engaged. This information, the paper concludes, can be obtained by simply asking attitudinal questions during the customer feedback process. The paper includes details of four key drivers of customer engagement, and has been made available for download from Allegiance's web site - click here (free registration required).

Web: http://www.allegiance.com

If supermarket loyalty scheme managers are to fully grasp the opportunity to cross-sell additional products by advertising on reward statements, data quality standards need to improve even further, according to new research paper from DSICMM. Over 40% of Britons have received a bill or statement addressed to the wrong person in the last six months, and some 7% of respondents claimed to have received a loyalty card reward statement addressed to someone else. Interest in advertising on bills and statements (known as 'transpromo') is increasing, whether for cross-selling offers from the originating company or selling 'white space' to third parties or affinity partners. However, the management and updating of customer records stand to undermine this opportunity, the company warned, as supermarket loyalty schemes emerged as one of the sectors with the most room for improvement, not so much because their data standards are lower than in other sectors but more because they generate such high volumes of transactional documents. Misdirected bills and statements are most severely experienced by the 25-34 age group, with almost two thirds (62.2%) having received them addressed to the wrong person. However, even among the more static and wealthier empty-nesters (aged 55+), 25% are also experiencing misdirected bills and statements.

Web: http://www.corporatemailing.co.uk

Nearly half (49%) of online adults who experience problems when conducting online transactions said they would switch to an online or offline competitor, or abandon a transaction entirely - a significant increase of 12 percentage points since 2007. Worryingly, 90% of British adults who have conducted an online transaction in the past year said they had experienced such problems, according to a survey of online consumer behaviour conducted by Harris Interactive, commissioned by customer experience management (CEM) software provider Tealeaf. The current rate of abandonment suggests that some £11.9 billion in online sales revenue could be affected by problems with e-shopping sites alone, the company warned.

Web: http://www.tealeaf.com

In Canada, the Air Miles Reward Programme's customer care centre has earned the Silver level 'Contact Centre Employer of Choice' (CCEOC) designation after more than 600 employees from two sites in Mississauga and Toronto participated in an assessment by CCEOC Inc. Through the certification programme, the call centre can now address key areas for improvement that will have an impact on both culture and morale among its employees. Among the specific areas of focus for Air Miles were gaining recognition as a good place to work, improving the company's ability to attract, retain and engage good employees, and identifying opportunities to improve employee satisfaction.

Web: http://www.ccemployerofchoice.com

Sears has partnered with My Virtual Model to unveil a new 3D visual search and e-commerce capability for the Sears.com web site, with the aim of improving the consumer's online shopping experience. The web site allows consumers to recreate an in-store shopping experience by allowing them to search for merchandise using images instead of words, and to virtually "try on" selected items using a personalised model of themselves. Shoppers can create a virtual model using their own measurements (e.g. height, weight, body shape) and even a headshot photo, to help ensure that the style, colour, pattern and fit of the items they try on will suit them. The 3D angle allows customers to view garments on themselves from the front, side and back, and shoppers can also email the finished images to friends to help them make their final purchase decisions. "This solution is clean, elegant, and fun, and could change the way the customers shop and the way that retailers present their ever-increasing collections," concluded Louise Guay, president for My Virtual Model.

For additional information:
·  Visit Sears at http://www.searsholdings.com
·  Visit My Virtual Model at http://www.mvm.com

Customer satisfaction with car dealer service has increased slightly among vehicle owners compared with 2007, due in part to a continuing increase in the proportion of maintenance-related service visits (as opposed to repair-related visits), according to the J.D. Power and Associates '2008 Service Usage and Retention Study'. Overall satisfaction with dealer service among original owners of four- and five-year-old vehicles averages 866 on a 1,000-point scale (up three points since 2007). Among the 34 dealer brands included in the study, 68% have improved since 2007. "Improvements in automotive product quality have resulted in the reduced need for repairs over time, which ultimately helps improve customer satisfaction with service," concluded Tom Gauer, senior director of automotive retail research for J.D. Power and Associates. "In addition, dealers have also improved their efforts to provide knowledgeable and courteous staff and a comfortable service experience". Developing personal relationships with customers has a strong positive impact on customer satisfaction and loyalty, and that customers who experience a personal connection with their service advisor are five times more likely to say that their service experience exceeded their expectations.

Web: http://www.jdpower.com

Access Rewards, a division of Access Development, has announced the expansion of its merchant-funded rewards platform to prepaid card issuers. From now onward, 20% cash-back discounts will be able to help differentiate prepaid issuers in an increasingly crowded marketplace, providing a turnkey solution that turns a payment card into a savings tool, according to Kelly Passey, EVP of loyalty at Access. The programme gives prepaid cardholders automatic cash-back discounts from 200+ online brands, such as Target.com, Sears.com, BarnesAndNoble.com, Gap.com, and ToysRUs.com. As demand for merchant-funded programmes increases, Access asserts that programmes differ substantially: "While credit card cash-back programmes tend to offer 1% or 2% rewards, Access Rewards cards provide up to 20% without any redemption limits."

Web: http://www.accessdevelopment.com

Sobeys has partnered with Citi Cards Canada to launch a new Club Sobeys loyalty programme, alongside a new Club Sobeys MasterCard, in stores throughout Ontario and Western Canada (including Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia). Club Sobeys offers a variety of ways to collect and redeem loyalty points. Members swipe their card when they shop in Sobeys stores, and earn 1 point for every Can$1 spent, supplemented by various other opportunities for bonus points through in-store product promotions. Club Sobeys points are redeemable for rewards ranging from instant in-store savings at the check-out, food-related rewards from the online catalogue, or automatic conversion of points into Aeroplan miles. The Club Sobeys MasterCard allows members to earn points elsewhere at the rate of 1 point per Can$1 spent on the card, and in-store shopping with the card attracts an extra point per dollar.

Web: http://www.clubsobeys.com

SkyMiles members now can shop at more than 500 online retailers while searching and comparing some 20 million products through a new and improved SkyMiles Shopping website. At SkyMilesShopping.com, members earn up to 10 miles per US$1 spent and receive mileage bonuses and savings when they shop at online merchants that include Barnes & Noble, CircuitCity.com, HomeDepot.com, JCPenney.com, Lands' End, Staples.com and Williams-Sonoma.com. To launch and operate the SkyMiles Shopping service, Delta has partnered with online rewards-based shopping mall provider, Mall Networks.

For additional information:
·  Visit SkyMiles at http://www.delta.com/skymiles
·  Visit Mall Networks at http://www.mallnetworks.com

Under terms of a new multi-year agreement, Harrah's Total Rewards will become part of the Points.com network and Harrah's will also participate in Points' Global Points Exchange (GPX), a peer-to-peer loyalty currency trading platform. In addition Points will offer Total Rewards members the ability to transfer Reward Credits between friends and family. Points is also to launch a Corporate sales platform allowing retailers to offer Total Rewards Credits as an incentive. Points and Harrah's will be working to launch these initiatives over the coming months.

Web: http://www.points.com

AirTran has upgraded its A+ Rewards frequent flyer programme so that Elite members are allowed to upgrade to business class at the gate starting 40 minutes prior to departure, regardless of fare class purchased and based on availability. Up to one extra passenger may be upgraded if the flight is booked on the same reservation. Elites and A2B corporate customers will also be given priority standby status. In addition, Elites will have access to an exclusive phone number for calls and questions regarding their programme, reservations or redemptions. Elites will have the same privileges as Summit members when travelling on AirTran's partner, Frontier Airlines. These privileges include free DirecTV, complimentary in-flight beverages, exemption from redemption fees and exemption from change fees. From February 2009 onward, A+ Vouchers for A+ Rewards flights will no longer be created. Thereafter, A+ Rewards credits may only be redeemed for flights or upgrades.

Web: http://www.airtran.com

From 6th to 7th November 2008, the Comarch Loyalty Conference 2008 in Dresden, Germany, will address the retail, banking, fuel retail, and airline industries and provide a forum for the exchange of ideas about customer loyalty programmes. Apart from presentations on the general features and benefits of loyalty marketing, the event also promises to offer participants the chance to find out about a trial version of the organiser's own IT system for loyalty programme management. The event is aimed at executives, CEOs, marketing managers, and IT directors, as well as sales representatives who are actively involved in customer loyalty in their companies. The speaker line-up includes renowned specialists from loyalty consulting companies and major players from the retail, banking, fuel, and airline industries.

Web: http://loyaltyconference.comarch.com/conference

From 17th to 19th November 2008, the Customer Engagement and Loyalty Summit in Florida, USA, will examine the issue of how businesses are missing an opportunity to save thousands of marketing dollars by engaging and retaining their customers. The summit will focus on cost saving strategies to: Actively engage customers and enhance loyalty; Lead change management and drive competitive advantages; Reduce marketing spending by turning customers into brand advocates; Align business strategy with loyalty strategy; And engender loyalty culture throughout the company. Best practices across several industries will be explained to show how to develop a mutual degree of commitment and involvement with customers and nurture them as brand advocates.

Web: http://www.iqpc.com/us/customerloyalty

In the US, Harold's Stores has announced the expansion of its existing Style Points loyalty programme, allowing all customers (and not only those who use the company's proprietary credit card - the 'Wardrobe Card') to earn loyalty points for all of their purchases in-store. Customers receive a US$25 reward for every 500 Style Points earned. In addition, customers who provide the company with their e-mail address also earn an extra US$10 reward (which is sent via e-mail, thus ensuring e-mail deliverability at the same time). Other changes to the programme include distributing rewards via e-mail instead of the postal service, and the offering of seasonal and double Style Points opportunities at certain times of the year. The company also plans to create a web site that will allow customers to check their points balance, monitor their rewards, and redeem points online.

Web: http://www.harolds.com

In Canada, Primus Telecommunications has extended its existing partnership with the Air Miles coalition loyalty programme, offering a bonus of 1,000 Air Miles reward miles when programme members sign up with Primus Cellular for a 1, 2, or 3 year plan before 31st October 2008. Air Miles collectors also earn 1 reward mile for every Can$5 spent on their monthly Primus bill, which can include home telephone, long distance, mobile, and high speed internet services.

Web: http://www.airmiles.ca

The US-based arts and crafts retailer A.C. Moore has announced the launch of its new customer loyalty programme, called A.C. Moore Rewards. Open to all customers aged 13 years or older, the free programme offers members a US$10 Reward Certificate each time they accumulate 200 loyalty points. Points are awarded at the rate of 1 point for every US$1 purchased, and double points are awarded for purchases of US$100 or more. A.C. Moore Rewards launched as a pilot in 17 retail locations, and will soon be available in over 130 stores.

Web: http://www.acmoore.com

Dollar Rent A Car and Thrifty Car Rental have signed a new frequent flyer partnership with Emirates' Skywards programme, offering 1,000 bonus miles for rentals of any car type rented for three days or more. The bonus offer is available until 31st December 2008, provided that programme members make their advance reservation using a special promotional code. The 1,000 bonus miles are earned in addition to the regular award structures of Emirates with Dollar and Thrifty, which include: 500 miles per transaction on rentals of 29 days or less; 1,000 miles per transaction on rentals of 30 days or more Thrifty Car Rental; 500 miles per transaction for rentals outside the United Arab Emirates (UAE); and for rentals within the UAE, Thrifty offers 500 miles for rentals of 1-2 days, 750 miles for 3-4 days, and 1,000 miles for 5+ days.

Web: http://www.dtag.com

In the US, AirTran Airways has announced that it is to offer its A+ Rewards frequent flyer programme members double reward credits when they purchase a round-trip ticket originating from Atlanta, Georgia, to any AirTran Airways destination during the month of September 2008. During September, members earn 4 A+ Rewards credits for every Atlanta-originating round-trip that is completed during the month, instead of the usual 2 credits. There is no charge to join the A+ Rewards programme, and travellers must be A+ Rewards members at the time of departure to qualify for the offer.

Web: http://www.airtran.com

IDL Technology Group (more usually known as Instant Discounts) has launched its new Loyalty Gift Card Anywhere solution that enables retailers, merchants and third-party estate owners to offer loyalty and gift card programmes to their existing and prospective customers without changing their existing point of sale hardware. According to Mr Kaushik Hindocha, managing director for IDL, "With the launch of the Loyalty Gift Card Anywhere solution we are trying to make loyalty and gift card programmes accessible to all retailers, and we aim to evolve constantly to achieve POS-based customer retention and greater profitability for participating merchants".

Web: http://www.idltechnologygroup.com

Phoenix Technology Holdings, the licensing and operating company for the SCTN Company, has launched a new addition to its operating system called the Voice Blast programme. It is an auto dialler-based promotional system that offers selected product benefits, including discounts and other rewards, to customers of the retail merchants that use it. The system was deployed successfully recently in Canada, with some 5,000 calls executed on behalf of retail merchants already using SCTN's Loyalty Central programme. The programme system places a call to the customer and briefly explains the product or products being offered as well as the benefits associated with responding to the retail merchant at the time of the call; the customer is given the option within a few moments whether or not to respond to the special being offered and continue with the call. PTH projects that Voice Blast will engage over a million calls in September 2008 alone as the product is currently being deployed on behalf of merchants in Canada, the US and South Africa.

Web: http://www.phoenix-tec.com

Ad Infuse, which delivers highly personalised mobile advertisements, has grown its network inventory by 60%, now achieving more than one billion available monthly impressions. With over 75 premium mobile content and network partners, the company's worldwide unique reach now consists of over 30 million active mobile web users. Specifically in US and UK markets, Ad Infuse reaches well over half of the active mobile audience, according to M:Metrics' research in June 2008. Recent content partnerships include Thumbplay, Intersport, LSN's Local Wireless, Greystripe, Polar Mobile, Trilibis, mywaves, Smaato and 1Touch Marketing. Ad Infuse also recently partnered with Verve Wireless, adding another 3,000 mobile content sites to its network inventory.

Web: http://www.adinfuse.com