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Start up Otto will use Akahu Open Banking capabilities and provide a rewards program for personal money management. Customers can earn Otto tokens for linking accounts and progressing towards goals. Tokens can be used to play games for cash and other prizes. Launching early this year.

Cashrewards has appointed Endeavour's Head of Retail Media, Lachlan Brahe, to grow its recently launched retail media proposition, Circuit.

Rebel Sport relaunched its loyalty program last October. 40% of its 3.9 million active club members have earned points. Rebel's first-half results include an Au $5 million provision (and Au $8 million for the full year) for deferred revenue for loyalty credits issued to customers. Owner Super Retail Group is investing in personalisation and loyalty this year.

Finder research on electricity, mobile and broadband found Australians don't actively seek the lowest priced providers.

The Commerce Commission found fuel retailers with a loyalty program were able to charge more for fuel. PAK'nSAVE offered the cheapest petrol with Mobil the most expensive. Customers could get the cheapest fuel at bp if they also shopped at Countdown Supermarkets.

Facebook luxury fashion resale marketplace HIGH END is transitioning to an AI driven app. It will launch a loyalty program for its 100,000 customers.

David Jones will "continue to shrink floor space but also aim to use appropriate merchandising and leverage its huge loyalty program and data to reach customers".

New Qantas CEO will need to replace departing head of loyalty Olivia Wirth (whom Hudson pipped for the CEO role). Qantas Loyalty is an Au$1 billion operation with more than 15 million members.

Gift card company Prezzee's reported an Au$40 million loss down from an Au$6 million loss for the prior period. Cash receipts were up at Au$87 million compared to Au$38 million the year before. Interestingly, if a gift card is not used within the first four months, it is unlikely to be used.

The loyalty provider supporting Woolworths Supermarkets has appointed a Chief AI Officer. Eagle Eye are using "AI to augment the Eagle Eye nervous system..with a brain that can create personalised offers dynamically, on the fly."

Rewardle acquired fractional-shares loyalty fintech Upstreet late last year after acquiring YourGrocer early in the year. In December of 2023 Rewardle also acquired Sub11 - a fintech content and consulting firm.

Card Linking leader PokitPal (integrations to Visa, Mastercard, eftpos Payments Australia) now also have access to Open Banking data having been accredited by the ACCC. Pokitpal clients include Virgin Money Australia, Raiz Invest, Suncorp Group and The NRMA. - Pokitpal Open Banking release : https://lnkd.in/gpYUZKKj

Woolworths Group made $550 million from its retail media division (Cartology - Part of the Woolworths Group) in the past financial year and Coles Group retail media division (Coles360) earned $250 million according to Morgan Stanley. Other big players in the $1.2 billion retail media category are Amazon, Chemist Warehouse and Endeavour Group.

American Express will partner with Fiserv and Tyro Payments to bring thousands of small businesses onto its network through its OptBlue program. Merchants will be able to accept American Express at a cost competitive with Visa and Mastercard with a single statement and one settlement process.

The search for value is fueling the growth of Woolworths Group's Everyday Rewards program. It has close to 15 million members "with membership up 14% recently".

We're producing the inaugural Australian Loyalty Solutions Market Map in January. It'll help loyalty managers understand, find and engage with the over 100 loyalty solutions now available to them (5 years ago it was a handful). Newly arrived offshore loyalty solutions are winning with UK-based Eagle Eye delivering loyalty for Woolworths Group, USA-based Marigold for Bakers Delight, Datamine for Freedom Furniture and Annex Cloud for multiple Australian companies. Australian Loyalty Providers are also fast innovating with Gratifii Limited acquiring Hachiko, Neat Ideas and Spend Less and TASK acquiring Plexure. The card-linked offers and cashback category is dominated by Australian locals led by PokitPal, Loyalty Now, Super-Rewards becoming Grow My Money and Loyalty Boomerang becoming Covalent API. If you're a loyalty solution provider - make sure you're included by emailing simon.rowles@ellipsisandco.com

Rex Airlines has 60,000 members in its new Rex Flyer frequent flyer program. Points, initially only able to be accrued, can now be used to redeem for flights. In February they'll add points-based upgrades.

Fuel is important to 7-Eleven Australia business (a Velocity Frequent Flyer partner) as it's an opportunity to access more customers and drive loyalty across all categories. It's new owners expect to expand the Australian store network faster than in other countries where it operates.

Petstock Group (about to be acquired by Woolworths Group - waiting on the ACCC) has a 2.4 million-member loyalty program.

Wesfarmers and Woolworths Group could build health ecosystems partnering with insurers and healthcare providers through their loyalty programs (according to Jarden). Jarden points to Vitality - the world’s largest behavioural health platform - which already has relationships with Qantas and with Woolworths’ data analytics business Quantium. Woolworths Supermarkets Everyday Rewards loyalty program has a partnership with Bupa (members receive Everyday Rewards points).

Accent Group Limited (brands include Athletes Foot, Platypus, Hype DC, Skechers, Hoka & Dr Martens) have selected Amperity as their CDP. They've also just joined Qantas Loyalty.

Qantas Business Rewards has added Isuzu Australia Limited who've launched a new Trade Mate loyalty program for Isuzu Trucks. Members earn 1 Qantas Point per dollar spent on parts and accessories at participating dealerships.

ASX listed loyalty provider Gratifii Limited has signed an agreement with travel tech start-up Joyned to expand it's travel rewards offering. Gratifii is expanding it's Neat Ideas (a Gratifii Limited company) offering into travel and will use Joyned to improve the booking experience for family or friends who want to travel together.

We're publishing the definitive map of all 120+ Loyalty Providers available to Loyalty Managers in Australia. Already, ~30 of these providers have become Verified Vendors and we'll include their client successes in January's map which will be shared through the Australian Loyalty Association. This is the last call for Loyalty Providers to be included as a Verified Vendor for the 2024 map (contact simon.rowles@ellipsisandco.com).

Commonwealth Bank is building out a "fully integrated loyalty and services business that pushes beyond traditional banking – both retaining customers, cross-selling to them and pulling more into its expanding walled garden". The bank's investment strategy (through it's x15ventures arm) is to use tech innovation to build loyalty with its 15 million retail and business customers.

Announced today; Qantas Frequent Flyer points can be used to book Ticketek Australia events. Members will get early access to three events early next year; Jerry Seinfeld Live in Sydney, the Australia v West Indies cricket Test series in Brisbane and Lightscape Melbourne. Qantas Loyalty had considered joining KKR's bid for the business when it was for sale. Qantas Loyalty is on track for between $500 million and $600 million in earnings this financial year.

Countdown Supermarkets parent Woolworths Group is "doubling down" on deploying winning strategies from Australia in New Zealand including the Everyday Rewards loyalty program (to replace Onecard in February). The new loyalty program provides more value to customers.

Barbeques Galore Pty Ltd will use a Pay By Bank solution from Waave in it's Barbeque Legends Club loyalty program. These solutions typically cost less and allow for bonus loyalty offerings to be funded from the savings made in other markets. Woolworths Group was first to launch payments with PayTo in May this year which bypass Visa and Mastercard's rails on which much of the merchant- funded and card- linked loyalty offerings in market rely. Outside of the Big 4 Banks, Woolworths is the biggest payments processor ($60 billion annually). https://lnkd.in/g4BCUbcv

Singapore Airlines 1.3 million Australian KrisFlyer members can use the Kris+ app (powered by Airwallex) for miles earning and redemption capabilities in Melbourne and Sydney. Members can earn miles from everyday spend or to pay for purchases and experiences. 100 partner merchants are expected to join the program which already includes Benjamin Barker, UGG, 1 Store and 124 Shoes.

Plaza, which offered software to help brands use blockchain to modernise their loyalty programs, has closed down. Founded during lockdown, the start-up delivered initiatives for Accor Hotels and for Australian cricketer Nathan Lyon using NFTs to give fans access to content from athletes.

Loyalty travel tech company Loyalty Status Co has launched an industry-first subscription product, Status Miles Booster, with Royal Air Maroc. Loyalty Status Co was the winning start-up at June's RAM Digital Open Innovation event. Status Miles Booster accelerates the airline's members reaching Silver, Gold and Platinum status faster increasing their loyalty and driving ancillary revenue. https://lnkd.in/gByn5idu Loyalty Status Co is included as a Verified Vendor in Loyalty Central's Australian Loyalty Solutions Market Map to be published in January. To also be included as a Verified Vendor contact Simon Rowles.

Woolworths Supermarkets first full Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers focused on member prices in it's Everyday Rewards loyalty program including large discounts on big-ticket grocery items.

Rex Airlines program's launched and members can currently earn points on flights. Redemption of points on Rex flights and upgrades will launch soon.

The new digital offerings from Commonwealth Bank, including the loyalty program Yello, focus on building longer-term competitive advantage and differentiation in banking (where the most important product in mortgages are commoditised). ANZ and Westpac trade at 1.1 times book value, NAB at 1.5 times and CBA at 2.4 times (one of the most richly valued banks in the world).

With 8 million customers, Commonwealth Bank's Yello loyalty program is now one of Australia's largest. There are up to 175 different offers from over 75 brands currently.

Footwear and apparel retailer Accent Group Limited has added 670 of it's stores to the Qantas Frequent Flyer program across The Athlete's Foot, Platypus Shoes, Skechers, Stylerunner and HYPE DC Pty Limited as points-earning partners. Points will be able to be redeemed in-store and online by the middle of 2024. Accent will expand the brands participating in the Qantas Frequent Flyer program (their other brands include UGG, Dr. Martens Australia / New Zealand, Subtype Store, Vans, a VF Company, Caterpillar Inc. , The Trybe, Timberland, a VF Company, Merrell, HOKA and Saucony).

Commonwealth Bank's Yello loyalty program is being used to acquire new business banking customers in retail who'll receive better placement for their offers in the CBA app. CBA is following Afterpay's search success (Afterpay's Shop Directory search function became the biggest after Google for many fashion retailers) with the largest retail customer base. Current CBA retail partners include Disney Plus ($30 cashback), Amazon, Coles Group, Chemist Warehouse, JB Hi-Fi, THE ICONIC (25% discount), Menulog and Uber. CBA is co-funding some of the offers to boost their attractiveness.

Commonwealth Bank's bank wide loyalty program Yello is now available to all 8 million customers who will share in a pot of $400 million of incentives annually. The commercial goal is payments and digital primacy. Currently included are 75 partners (including Airbnb, Amazon, The Good Guys, MYER and THE ICONIC) funding customer offers inside CBA's walled garden. Next up is travel with Hopper to build rich travel experiences in the CBA app.

Lower supermarket pricing for loyalty program members is a feature of Countdown Supermarkets / Woolworths February launch of Everyday Rewards in New Zealand and practically every supermarket loyalty program in the UK. The UK regulator will review the strategy to test whether it's fair that lower prices are available to only loyalty program members. Tesco offers 8,000 products through its Clubcard Prices scheme and Sainsbury's Nectar Prices program covers 6,000 products.

Bunnings delivers the best customer experience in Australia according to KPMG's annual survey of 2,500 Australians. The key experience driver in retail has been omni-channel delivery. The Body Shop ranked second while MECCA Brands ranked third among.

ASX listed loyalty provider Gratifii Limited ranked 3rd on the The Australian Financial Review's Fast 100 list growing revenue 212%. Over the last three years Gratifii has grown its topline from Au$3.1 million to Au$11.2 million to Au$29.9 million.

The global loyalty market is growing at a CAGR of 17.5% with Asia Pacific being a key driver of this (data from Kognitiv Corporation's shareholder Aimia). The Australian loyalyt market is growing at 13.5%.

Commonwealth Bank will offer telco services at a 40% discount to members of its bank-wide loyalty program Yello (as long as they pay with a CBA card). Overnight the bank updated its mobile app so customers can check mobile usage and bills from their telco partner More. CBA has upped it's 25% stake in More from 2021 to 30% today. In that time More's grown from 70,000 customers to 250,000 with 140,000 CBA customers taking up the discounted services.

TASK deliver loyalty through their Plexure unit which delivers McDonald's loyalty across 60 countries. Task have ranked 12th in Deloitte's 2023 Master of Growth index in New Zealand with a growth rate of 286%. The index spotlights businesses with sustained growth over the last five years.

RACQ's discounts program saved their members $22 million in the past year. It's added a new cashback program covering 100 online retailers. Accumulated cashback can be redeemed as a prepaid digital Visa card or digital retailer gift card. The new offering's delivered by Wink (program provider) Mr Yum (marketing provider) and TCN - The Card Network (gift card provider).

Jeweller Michael Hill is expecting the 2 million members of its Brilliance loyalty program to drive sales during the holiday period. Sales are up 6% in the last year across its 300 stores in Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

Merchant-funded cashback offers in Australia rely on card linking technology from companies like PokitPal and are yet to leverage Open Banking capabilities from companies like Basiq. Both Pokitpal and Basiq will share insights on how this is progressing. Pokitpal is a Visa partner delivering offers for Virgin Money Australia and Basic had Visa as an investor previously (as well as Plaid, NAB Ventures, Salesforce and Westpac's Reinventure) before being majority owned by Cuscal Limited in March this year. Nectar Loyalty in the UK had a successful program of using Open Banking for bonus loyalty points offers through TrueLayer and Cardlytics before shutting that recently.

ASX listed loyalty platform Gratifii Limited has received ISO 27001 certification (the international standard for information security). https://lnkd.in/grpeiRYZ

Because Australians have more car brands to choose from than other markets, AUDI AG Australia believes customer loyalty is more important than sales. They have 40,000 opted-in and engaged members of the Audi Drive Experience program which only runs in Australia. Customers can sign up for food and beverage experiences and track days with the latter open to to non-owners on an invitation basis.

me&u have expanded their offering with me&u Engage running on the Eagle Eye platform. It's an omnichannel loyalty, promotions and subscription solution.

Singapore Airlines Krisflyer program has 1.3 million members in Australia. The Kris+ app was updated this week for those members who can now earn and redeem miles at Australian cafes, restaurants and bars. There are around 100 partner merchants expected to join the program in the first month.

NAB Rewards card customers can now automatically convert their points to ALL - Accor Live Limitless points. Members who stay one night at an Accor property also receive a status upgrade. There's also a manual redemption option. NAB Rewards points can today be automatically converted to Flybuys, Velocity Frequent Flyer, Air New Zealand Airpoints, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles and Singapore Airlines Krisflyer points.

The Warehouse Group won't use their loyalty program MarketClub as the gateway to all their offers and deals (as Countdown Supermarkets / Woolworths will with Member Pricing). There are a portfolio of specific member only deals in MarketClub.

The 5 year contract renewal New Zealand founded loyalty platform Plexure struck with McDonald's has been part of a 170% increase in parent TASK's share price. Plexure's now rolling out McDonald’s Taiwan. Previously listed on the NZX, Task is now resident on the ASX. Plexure provides the bulk of Task's revenue ($28.9m versus Task’s $7.1m).

Open Banking can increase customer loyalty for banks in New Zealand. Some solutions are already in the market ahead of legislation expected within a year (the Customer and Product Data Bill). Payments NZ's report released today discusses progress and developing options.

Air New Zealand Airpoints have added Baby On The Move (14 stores) and Fable Hotels and Resorts as Aipoints earn partners.

Super-Rewards, founded in 2019 by Pascale Helyar-Moray, yesterday became Grow My Money. They convert cashback from shopping into mortgage repayments or superannuation contributions. The solution uses both a browser extension for online shopping and Card Linking for in-store shopping.

Westpac's completed the integration of ShopBack into its banking app. Since December last year, Westpac customers have received more than $12 million in cashback. CBA distributed $10 million to its CommBank Rewards cashback customers in 2021. Westpac's app is now Australia's best banking app according to Forrester (a title Commonwealth Bank held for many years previously) and ShopBack is the largest cashback platform in the Asia-Pacific.

There are three loyalty platforms nominated in the annual NORA ~ National Online Retailers Association Retail Solution Partner Awards; Datamine, ShopBack and Yotpo. Winners will be decided at the end of November.

The City Beach Australia loyalty program runs on SAP's Emarsys platform. Customers earn back 10% of their spend as rewards and the average order value has increased 10% (for loyal vs non-loyal customers). Loyalty cards can be added to mobile wallets.

The Martech Weekly 2023 TMW 100 inaugural awards included several of the loyalty providers available in New Zealand including Eagle Eye (7th - delivers loyalty for The Warehouse and Countdown/Woolworths), Kognitiv Corporation (11th - delivers loyalty for Auckland Airport), Amperity (19th) and Tealium (28th). Ranking between 50th and 100th were Treasure Data, Omneo, Segment and Tall Bob.

Australian founded gift card company Prezzee has cut 10% of its workforce. Prezzee has focused on the AU$500 billion global gift card market (Australia's is worth AU$5.5 billion). It had been chasing a valuation of AU$1 billion and an ASX listing and planning to grow to 400 people. Prezzee lost its London based CEO Jaimie Samaha last month. Samaha joined from Mastercard Loyalty in February last year and last month left to become CEO of UK based loyalty provider Reward.

2023 The Martech Weekly's TMW 100 inaugural awards included several of the loyalty providers available in Australia including Eagle Eye (7th), Kognitiv Corporation (11th), Amperity (19th) and Tealium (28th). Ranking between 50th and 100th were Treasure Data , Omneo, Segment and Tall Bob.

Hospitality tap, order & pay technology firm me&u has launched a loyalty and subscription platform with Eagle Eye. It's designed to drive incremental spend from customers. It includes targeted promotions and shortly will add stamp cards.

56% of small to medium sized Australian retailers are considering loyalty programs (research from Australian Retailers Association (ARA) and American Express Small Retail Index). 55% of them are concerned about their financial prospects in the face of declining consumer spending and wage costs.

Bupa's Life Rewards has saved members $1.4 million on everyday items and experiences since launching last year with loyalty provider EonX. Discounted digital gift cards are the most popular product in the program with savings at JB Hi-Fi ($270k), Woolworths Group ($175k) and The Good Guys ($95k). Members are also buying Bose headphones and Garmin watches and getting 10% off at restaurants such as The Meat and Wine Co and Aria.

Commonwealth Bank's whole of bank loyalty program Yello is now widely available. Launched in May last year it had 140,000 members in it's pilot in February and hit 175,000 in September. There's three tiers driven by product holding and product usage which attract increasing benefits. 🔹All three have a 12 month free membership to the bank's kids pocket money app Kit, cash back offers at retailers and cashback on the bank's personal loans. 🔹The second tier (requires a transaction account with 30 outbound transactions a month) adds 500 credit card rewards points and a monthly sweepstakes entry for a $300 prize 🔹The third tier (requires the 30 outbound transactions and a home loan) adds 1,000 credit card rewards points, a monthly sweepstakes entry for a $1,200 prize and cash back on insurance policies and home loans.

Founded in 2016 to build loyalty program technology, Verrency has now added tools estimating carbon emissions from purchases. The new carbon offset estimation capability is being offered by a global card company to banks globally and has been deployed by a major Asian bank with another two more following soon.

Athena Home Loans aims to reward customer loyalty and take market share from the big banks (though it's not currently winning the battle with it's loan book shrinking 7%). New customers don't get better rates than existing customers and existing customers can also reduce their rate as they pay down their loan. Athena has cut marketing, sales, professional services and staff to reduce losses from AU$47 million to AU$29 million.

Flybuys 9 million active members grew the loyalty coalition's revenue 28% to AU$500 million by redeeming more and more often (revenue is recognised when points are redeemed). There was a 40% increase in members redeeming. Losses increased 80% from AU$15 million in 2022 to AU$27 million this year. Technology spend remained level at AU$ 32 million while member services cost rose from AU$35 million last year to AU$53 million this year.

We’re compiling the definitive reference and market map for all customer loyalty solutions available to Australian Loyalty Managers. If you're a loyalty solution targetting Australia, make sure we know about and include you. There's already 165 different vendors across 33 categories and growing.  The Australian loyalty market is worth US$4bn and growing at 13% annually. Email simon.rowles@ellipsisandco.com

American Express's Shop Small launched yesterday. Card Members can earn 10 prizes of 1 million Membership Rewards, Qantas or Velocity Frequent Flyer points. Merchants can win one of ten $10,000 business grants.

Adore Beauty Group's subscription program is designed "to support loyalty and retention and improve average order frequency.”

In July, Woolworths Group loyalty program Everyday Rewards eliminated the 10% online monthly discount. That's being reinstated from tomorrow.

Qantas Loyalty has made some small changes with more to be announced as the first part of a $80m injection into customer experience. The changes follow a raft of complaints to a Senate Committee. Qantas is searching for a new head of its loyalty business unit to replace CEO Olivia Wirth who leaves in January.

Embattled Qantas will spend ~$200 million to get customer service back on track and to increase loyalty points-generosity while raising fares 3.5%. There's also a potential $250 million penalty from the ACCC for advertising and selling tickets for over 8,000 flights that had already been cancelled and potentially a similar sized penalty for illegally sacking ground handling staff.

Card payments in Australia are up 17% from 2022 to AUD$ 936 bn / USD$ 593 bn. There was growth in both debit (volume up 14%, value up 16%) and credit (volume up 13%, value up 18%). Mobile wallets were used for 2.4 billion transactions worth $ 93 billion. Data from Australian Payments Network (AusPayNet) and Reserve Bank of Australia stats.

Supermarket Coles Group first quarter results are up 4.7% (Woolworths Group are up 6.1%). Coles notes customers are seeking out loyalty points and bonus offers. Shoplifting at Coles is up 20%.

Salesforce has been named a leader in customer loyalty platforms in the 2023 SPARK Matrix by Quadrant Knowledge Solutions. Salesforce’s strengths inlcuded program setup and process administration, robust partner extensions, real-time monitoring and AI-powered personalization.

Caltex Australia have launched a new loyalty program. Members who've created an account in the app earn points on fuel (excluding shop purchases). 500 points converts to a $10 fuel discount.

The Hertz Gold Plus Rewards loyalty program has shortened the validity of its reward points without giving any notice to members. It's also retrospectively expired the points balances of members affected by the change.

Elevate Loyalty & Pay2Elevate today launched new division Pay2Elevate offering a one tap loyalty and payment card solution, digital cards and tickets in mobile wallets and QR payments integrating multiple payments into a single scan.

Rebel Sport today launched their refreshed Active loyalty program. Members can earn points when they shop and can redeem their points on any balance. They can also access member prices, exclusive offers, and VIP experiences.

Australia's use of cash for in-person transactions had fallen from 32% in 2019 to 16% in 2022.

The Asia Pacific Loyalty Awards have announced 36 judges across 11 countries for their inaugural awards. There are 16 categories with entries closing on 15 November. The winners will be announced at a gala dinner on the 14 March next year in Melbourne.

Electric car manufacturer BYD will launch a loyalty program in Australia next year. It will reward owners for driving, charging, and referring new leads.

Worldline will launch a solution that links loyalty programs to debit cards to create a single-tap payment and loyalty transaction. It'll be available only on Worldline contactless digital debit cards, at merchants who've opted in and for customers who are members of that loyalty program and agree to share data. Worldline was Paymark and processes about 70% of New Zealand's payments.

Countdown Supermarkets has appointed Kathryn Byrne Chief Analytics Officer significantly strengthening their team. She was most recently Chief Strategy and People officer at ASX listed loyalty provider TASK (which bought New Zealand's only listed loyalty platform Plexure in 2021). She was Head Of Strategy at Qantas Loyalty prior to Task and lead Quantium's retail practice prior to that.

Transurban plans to offer more rewards to customers to encourage drivers to keep paying for its roads. Current incentives include fuel and car wash discounts at Coles Group (running since 2019) and Europcar car rental discounts (added this year). They plan to concentrate on customer value. Transurban's market capitalisation is $38 billion.

Qantas Loyalty earns AU$ 66 per member.

Virgin Australia returns to profitability after 11 years. It's spent the last year investing in technology including new systems for the loyalty business. As it heads to IPO one of its pockets of growth is the Velocity Frequent Flyer loyalty business which grew revenues 68% to $330 million last year.

Air New Zealand's loyalty program Airpoints earned NZ $ 390 million last year or NZ$ 52 per Airpoints member.

New Zealand founded loyalty platform Plexure (now part of TASK) has 330 million users on the platform.

The chief executive of Qantas Loyalty since 2018, Olivia Wirth, has resigned and will leave in February. She was considered one of the key candidates to replace Alan Joyce as CEO (that role went to Qantas's ex-CFO Vanessa Hudson). Wirth was last week nominated for the MYER board which is focused on growing the customer loyalty business.