Leaders in Customer Loyalty, Powered by Loyalty360

Send us Fan Mail Before Nicole Hulstein began her role as Loyalty Campaign Development Manager at Food Lion, she worked in category management for the grocery chain, primarily focused on produce. And while there might not seem to be a very close connection between loyalty programs and produce, Hulstein sees her former role with the company influencing her approach to her current role.  "That...

Send us Fan Mail Platforms such as Spotify, Amazon, and Netflix have not only innovated how people consume music, shop for everyday items, and watch movies and television—they have also permanently transformed the relationship that consumers have with brands.   By training consumers to expect experiences tailored to their preferences, these platforms have made personalization, convenience, and sea...

Send us Fan Mail For most financial institutions, launching a new rewards credit card means explaining the benefits to customers. For the North Carolina State Employees’ Credit Union (SECU), it meant starting much closer to home.  When SECU introduced its new rewards card portfolio last year, the credit union wasn't simply adding another product. It was introducing an entirely new rewards eco...

Send us Fan Mail When Reba Hatcher, Chief Commercial Officer for ButcherBox, looks back on the origins of her company’s loyalty program, she sees it being driven in part by the fact that she’s a self-proclaimed “data nerd.”  Before becoming Chief Commercial Officer, Hatcher served as chief of staff to ButcherBox co-founder and CEO Mike Salguero and also led the company’s data analytics platform. A...

Send us Fan Mail As one of the pioneers of loyalty and rewards programs, the airline industry has long known the value these programs bring when it comes to customer engagement and retention. But in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic—which ground travel to a halt—airline rewards programs became arguably more important than ever, as airlines across the world sought to get people flying again.  ...

Send us Fan Mail When Jenn McMillen began her role as Vice President of Guest Loyalty and Insights at Nothing Bunt Cakes in November 2024, she was tasked with the enormous responsibility of jumpstarting a loyalty program that was essentially dormant.  Launched nationally two months earlier in tandem with the launch of the company’s new app, Bundt Rewards was a loyalty program in name only, as McMi...

Send us Fan Mail Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, which was founded in 1981, has become one of the world's largest hotel franchising companies with over 8,000 properties across 100 countries and over 20 brands across the world. But competition remains fierce in the travel hospitality industry, even for a company like Wyndham that has built a massive global footprint.  As the competitive landscap...

Send us Fan Mail The advent of artificial intelligence is expected to create significant opportunities for brands to connect with consumers through AI-powered loyalty programs that become increasingly more efficient and personalized.  But Jakob Harrison, Head of GTM for Payment Networks at fintech company FIS, notes that just like all new technology, AI will also bring new challenges for brands. T...

Send us Fan Mail Companies often speak of their mission as a core business purpose centered around the primary products or services that it is producing to serve its customers and create value. But for Firehouse Subs, its mission is twofold: One is serving its customers the hot subs they crave, and the other is serving first responders across the country.   The company, which was founded in 1994 b...

Send us Fan Mail When most people think about loyalty programs, they likely think about the ones that are designed for consumers — gift cards, travel points, credit card rewards, and other perks that brands use to deepen their relationship with their members.   CarltonOne is a Canadian technology company that provides the platform powering these types of programs for roughly 200 clients in financi...

Send us Fan Mail Even as SharkNinja has grown into a home goods behemoth with a market cap over $17 billion, the fundamental expectations of its customers have remained the same: They want to see the company deliver the same value it has always provided them.  Known for its Shark vacuums and its Ninja blenders among other products, SharkNinja still focuses on one consumer at a time. Or to put it a...

Send us Fan Mail One of the challenges that brands can often face when implementing a loyalty program is getting key stakeholders on the same page about the value of the initiative. More specifically, a chief financial officer and a chief marketing officer might have very different views of the program, with the former seeing it as a cost center while the latter sees it as a growth engine.   A CFO...

Send us Fan Mail It was in McAllen, a small town just over 300 miles from Austin, where Donna Varner had a revelation about her new employer. Varner had been hired by Schlotzsky's Deli as Chief Brand Officer, and one of her first tasks was to lead the deli franchise through a rebranding effort.   While trying to get back to Schlotzsky’s home base in Austin one day, a storm in Texas led to can...

Send us Fan Mail For most consumers, telecom is largely invisible. It powers everyday moments, streaming, messaging, navigation, but rarely commands attention. When it does, expectations are straightforward: reliable service, fair pricing, and a seamless experience.  For Deutsche Telekom AG, meeting those expectations is only part of the equation. The company is focused on extending its role beyon...

Send us Fan Mail For most consumers, banking isn’t something they think about every day, until they need it. Opening an account, managing expenses, planning for the future. In those moments, the expectation is simple: clarity, confidence, and a sense that their bank is working in their best interest.  For PNC, meeting those expectations goes beyond products or transactions. It’s about delivering a...

Send us Fan Mail For many consumers, dining out isn’t just about the food. It’s about the occasion. A birthday celebration. A long-overdue dinner with friends. A familiar favorite that brings back memories of why you fell in love with a brand in the first place.  For P.F. Chang’s, those moments have always been part of its identity. Known for its Pan-Asian cuisine, distinctive ambiance, and sharea...

Send us Fan Mail For many brands, the future of customer loyalty is increasingly unfolding on mobile phones. Mobile engagement platforms are quickly becoming central to how brands build relationships, deliver timely value, and personalize experiences at scale.  As loyalty programs evolve from transactional reward systems to continuous engagement ecosystems, mobile messaging is emerging as one of t...

Send us Fan Mail For most consumers, auto parts aren’t something they think about until something goes wrong. A dead battery before work. Worn brakes before a long trip. An unexpected repair that can’t wait.  In those moments, the expectation is simple: get what you need, quickly, confidently, and at a fair value. For Advance Auto Parts, that reality has shaped its business for more than 90 years,...

Send us Fan Mail Laundry is one of life’s most universal routines, something every household manages, yet few people genuinely enjoy. For Tide, long recognized for its leadership in laundry products, that everyday challenge has become an opportunity to rethink how garment care services can deliver convenience, care, and loyalty.  Through Tide Services, a subsidiary of Procter & Gamble, the bra...

Send us Fan Mail As brands enter 2026, loyalty is being reshaped by a blunt reality: customer acquisition costs keep climbing, and retention is now a core growth lever. Loyalty programs are no longer viewed as optional perks or promotional add-ons. They’re becoming strategic moats, powered by first-party data, lifecycle marketing, and increasingly, AI-enabled decisioning.  We recently spoke with L...

Send us Fan Mail For many brands, figuring out how to improve loyalty outcomes in 2026 can feel a bit like searching for the meaning of life: Complex, constantly evolving, and deeply personal. What drives loyalty today isn’t one universal formula, but a shifting mix of data intelligence, emotional relevance, and contextual value that looks different for every customer.  Sean Claessen, EVP of Innov...

Send us Fan Mail What if hotel loyalty wasn’t built just for road warriors, but for the way the average person actually travels? That’s the question driving the evolution of Choice Privileges. As travel behaviors shift and consumers demand more flexibility and recognition, Choice Hotels International is reshaping its loyalty strategy to deliver rewards that feel achievable, relevant, and worth com...

Send us Fan Mail Nearly two decades after first firing up the grill, Hot Head Burritos, with its fiery mascot Leroy leading the charge, has grown from a Dayton favorite into a fast-casual brand with serious regional momentum. Known for bold flavors and an increasingly sophisticated digital loyalty strategy, the chain now spans 86 locations across nine states and continues finding new ways to conne...

Send us Fan Mail As loyalty programs move into 2026, brands are confronting a fundamental shift: loyalty is no longer sustained by accumulation alone. Points, miles, and introductory bonuses still matter, but they no longer guarantee relevance or emotional attachment. Instead, transparency, experiential value, and ongoing engagement are becoming the defining forces shaping how loyalty programs ear...

Send us Fan Mail Few restaurant brands carry the emotional weight of Friendly’s. Founded in 1935 during the Great Depression, the brand was built on a simple but enduring belief: even in hard times, people deserve comfort, joy, and togetherness. Nearly 90 years later, that purpose still anchors Friendly’s strategy.   But executing Friendly’s brand strategy is rapidly evolving.   Under the leadersh...