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Liquid Barcodes introduces the “Live Loyalty” podcast – the only podcast in the world dedicated to sharing the latest ideas in loyalty marketing in convenience retail. Every week we share articles designed to showcase the most powerful loyalty marketing initiatives by the greatest convenience brands. Instead of finding the time to read or research online, we've developed this efficient and exciting opportunity for you to listen to our articles to learn the latest in loyalty marketing. Our ho ...
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Amidst unprecedented changes in consumer behaviour as a result of the covid pandemic, Pret a Manger has become the first major UK brand to launch a subscription programme for coffee customers. It's "YourPret Barista" programme is an impressive strategy designed to tempt customers in to new behaviours by subscribing to a monthly package of unlimited…
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This audio article introduces the exciting loyalty programme for sushi lovers in Norway. Sabrura Sushi has created a community of loyal customers it calls "goldfish". Its programme includes an app to support eCommerce orders and allow the brand to connect with members digitally through an automated communications cycle. In more recent times, their …
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MOL Group is a leading international integrated oil company in Central Eastern Europe, with nearly 2,000 retail fuel stations in thirty countries. It's also the region’s largest coffee retailer and is laser focused on the digital transformation of its business, launching innovative programmes including the INA Loyalty programme launched in Croatia …
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Yuu Rewards is an innovative coalition loyalty programme launched in Hong Kong in July 2020. This audio article describes how the programme works and why it's proving so popular, ranging from its extraordinary range of stores through to the cheesy yet charming TV campaign which has delighted consumers. Yuu Rewards is a truly digital loyalty program…
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Loyalty programmes are evolving dramatically as members increasingly prefer to engage with brands with a purpose and are not just focused on profit. This article discusses one way that un-spent loyalty points can be used to make donations to any one of 20,000 charities in the UK, creating emotional loyalty - not just transactional loyalty. Listen a…
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Nespresso was first created by Nestle as a coffee brand for hotels and restaurants, and it nearly failed. It quickly pivoted to focus on coffee-loving consumers and its popularity exploded, becoming one of the world's most iconic, premium brands. This article discusses Nespresso's secrets to success, from its charismatic brand ambassador George Clo…
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As one of the most exciting concepts emerging in convenience retail, subscription programs offer retailers the potential to drive even greater loyalty with consumers. Racetrac Rewards is one of the first gas stations to launch this business/loyalty model for its fuel business - an exciting and clever strategy that offers customers a clear value pro…
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Circle K is one of the world's most respected retail brands, operating gas stations, convenience stores and also the world's largest car wash network with over 2,750 locations across Europe and North America. This podcast discusses Circle K's latest innovation in their car wash category and showcases the power of their car wash subscription program…
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This live loyalty article discusses an innovative concept for many convenience retailers - the opportunity to sell in bulk to corporate customers. It showcases how the leading Swedish retailer Pressbyrån recognised the potential of our digital coupon shop to sell products as "everyday rewards" to bulk buyers such as loyalty programme managers and H…
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In this week's episode of the Liquid Barcodes Live Loyalty podcast, we discuss the simple yet compelling loyalty strategies being leveraged by Krispy Kreme - a brand that is positioning itself as the "most loved sweet treat brand in the world". We discuss how they're addressing the challenges of Covid 19 with some innovative campaigns, as well as t…
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As the world's most valuable brand, Amazon is the giant of online retail, particularly in sectors such as books and electronics. It's less well known for its "subscribe and save" proposition which is a grocery delivery service that has flourished in 2020 largely due to changing consumer behaviour during the global pandemic. With hundreds of thousan…
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Voted the world's happiest country, Finland is a Nordic country famed for its beauty, architecture and an exceptional education system. As the convenience retail market leader in Finland, R-kioski boasts over 500 convenience stores and has recently celebrated another milestone with over 150,000 members now signed up to its digital loyalty programme…
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Lidl is an extraordinarily successful brand within the European grocery market, with a core promise to simplify supermarket shopping and share the savings with its customers. Its concept has proven hugely popular with customers, and Lidl is now the cheapest supermarket chain in the UK and boasts over 11,000 stores in 32 countries. Having recently l…
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This audio article discusses the launch, USP's and positioning of Walmart Plus versus Amazon Prime. Despite launching a full fifteen years after Amazon Prime, the two giant brands offer customers incredibly similar benefits, focused mainly on unlimited delivery of online grocery orders. With over 5,000 Walmart stores throughout North America, Walma…
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This live loyalty article discusses the devastating financial revelations from Luckin' Coffee - the high profile Chinese coffee company that was once valued at over a billion dollars, but was in fact defrauding investors. The firm had overstated its revenues to the tune of over £300 million. Boasting over 4,500 stores and serving over 9 million mon…
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Billed as “the best deal in the history of shopping”, Amazon Prime is one of the world’s most popular subscription services and offers a powerful example how Amazon earns customer loyalty by first being loyal TO its users. Amazon Prime is truly a compelling product commanding fees of over $18 billion, so we outline some of its fascinating key princ…
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With over 2 billion users on its messaging platform, there's no doubt that What'sapp is the most powerful communication tool in the world. Already dominating customer conversations, this article discusses the platform's latest surge in popularity and some of the innovative ways that commercial brands and other services such as the World Health Orga…
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Panera Bread has become an increasingly popular bakery and coffee chain with US consumers, leveraging the power of the subscription model to ensure their customers can enjoy their daily treat guilt-free. This audio article discusses our favourite features within this "disruptive" concept that is driving extra-ordinary growth for this business and i…
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Walgreens is one of the best known retailers in the United States, boasting in excess of 8 million customers per day and over ninety million members in its loyalty program - Balance Rewards. This audio article highlights some of their key loyalty principles which they have essential for success in our "non-online" world. From exceptional customer e…
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Mealpal is an innovative food-tech company, leveraging the power of the subscription model to match hungry office workers with tasty, yet affordable restaurants nearby. Founded by the same entrepreneur who created the iconic Classpass concept, Mary Biggins created a platform that focuses on simplicity for merchant, and personalisation for diners, c…
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Joe & the Juice is a Danish coffee and juice store chain, operating for almost twenty years across three hundred stores in sixteen countries, yet the company has managed to maintain the original eccentric and edgy brand created by its founder. This live loyalty article showcases the unique approach that Joe & the Juice use to find fun, friendly and…
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With so many companies launching subscription programmes across all industries, convenience retailers are also finding new ways to delight customers and satisfy their everyday needs. In this audio article, we explore the underlying human needs that are creating such extraordinary growth for subscription services, as well as the key principles neede…
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Alfred Peet, the founder of Peet's Coffee, is renowned as the man who taught the world to drink coffee having introduced the concept of gourmet coffee to the US in 1966. Peet was both the predecessor and a mentor for Starbucks, yet with a truly extra-ordinary IPO earlier this summer, this brand is emerging as a powerful player with ambitions to bec…
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While meal kit companies were already an established concept before the Covid-19 pandemic, many of them are now enjoying a surge in popularity as anxious consumers embrace the concept of fewer trips to their local grocery store. Hello Fresh and Blue Apron are two of the industry leaders in the US meal kit market who are battling for market dominanc…
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As the world's largest quick service restaurant, McDonald's is a global brand that adapts its marketing strategy to local marketing needs around the world in fascinating ways. This article discusses the varying levels of generosity available globally to McCafé customers, to drive loyalty in this increasingly important category, as well as insights …
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As one of the US’s largest fuel retailers, it is exciting to see RaceTrac as another leading retail brand using subscriptions to drive customer loyalty. And perhaps even more exciting that RaceTrac is the first retailer we’ve seen so far to offer a tier exclusively focused on saving money off your fuel. Listen to this article of Liquid Barcodes Liv…
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Car Wash is an increasingly exciting element of many fuel retailers businesses and this article discusses some key success factors to consider. Whether you want to sell more to car wash services to existing customers, or to increase the number of your customers in this category, we discuss the importance of clear communications as well as the poten…
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Wawa's is a true American success story, a family-owned company operating over 850 stores convenience stores in six American states, winning awards across almost all aspects of its business. From it's incredibly popular sandwiches and food service business, to winning awards for having the cleanest bathrooms, Wawa's is widely respected, with a part…
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Few business tools are as useful to loyalty practitioners as the "Net Promoter Score" - described by Harvard Business Review as "the one number you need to grow"! This audio article from Liquid Barcodes describes "the ultimate question" to ask your customers to truly understand their underlying loyalty while side stepping irrelevant issues, to get …
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Starbucks is a truly iconic loyalty program, credited with driving over 40% of store sales in the USA. 2019 saw some major changes and improvements to the program, with a flatter structure and increasingly accessible rewards starting from just 25 stars! Listen to this article to hear the most recent loyalty innovations from a brand that has success…
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China is Starbuck's most important international market, so the August 2018 announcement of a strategic partnership with the country's leading online platform, Alibaba was big news. Described as "rocket fuel" for growth, this article explains the three key pillars expected to drive growth between the partners as competition intensifies in the Chine…
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The Shell Driver's Club was an iconic UK loyalty programme with over 1.5 million members being rewarded for their fuel purchases, however in 2019, it was closed down and replaced by an exciting NEW strategy and a target to achieve double the membership to 3 million members. This new loyalty sub-brand is called "Shell Go+" and it offers an entirely …
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Tim Horton's is a coffee-led restaurant brand with over 4,800 stores worldwide. In 2019, the brand finally launched "Tim's Rewards" - their loyalty programme for Canadian and American customers. This article discusses their loyalty strategy which is based on rewarding frequency and visits to stores rather than customer spend, and offers more varied…
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KFC China is one of the most exciting digital loyalty programmes we've seen to date, led by a powerful strategy that has transformed every aspect of their business. With over 120 million members in just three years, KFC China has created an award-winning digital platform that supports orders, payments, deliveries and eGifts, as well as exclusive of…
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Valora is a leading Swiss convenience retailer with over 2,800 stores that has been trialling some exciting ideas in its innovation lab in Silicon Valley, exploring the potential of digitally connecting homes and stores as "the ultimate convenience". One example is it's "ok.-button", which offers one-click ordering for consumer's directly from thei…
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Burger King is a powerful global brand and in 2019, it launched an innovative coffee subscription concept in selected US stores for just $5 a month. This episode discusses this coffee concept compares to other subscription offers as another way to tempt customers to visit its stores daily, as well as some other powerful marketing techniques we've s…
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With use of mobile phones and social media platforms increasing all the time, concerns are rising about the impact of this behaviour on our mental health. While no one would dispute the incredibly powerful benefits of smartphones, one company is hoping to help us balance our relationships and practise some "digital dieting" from time to time. Wheth…
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In the highly competitive retail fueling industry, it's hard to differentiate and delight customers but one brand consistently doing this is "Cumberland Farms" - a regional business in the North East of the USA. With over 600 stations, this family business has succeeded in developing some award-winning concepts and some innovative ideas such as its…
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Tesco's Clubcard programme is one of the oldest and most iconic loyalty programmes in the UK with over 17 million members. In late 2019, it announced the addition of a new option - "Clubcard Plus" - a subscription-based loyalty programme offering unique benefits for a fixed monthly fee. Listen to this episode of Liquid Barcodes' podcast to hear the…
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This article describes the success of the Irish coffee chain "Insomnia" and its digital loyalty programme - Insomnia Treats. As winner of the QSR restaurant of the year at the inaugural Irish Loyalty Awards as well as winning the "Retail Franchise of the Year", we discuss their digital loyalty innovations and some unique ideas which also help the b…
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This episode shares the evolution of Caffè Nero's loyalty strategy from its stamp-card approach originally launched in 1997, to its latest digital solution in the UK which combines digital payment with tactical games to drive consumer engagement. As the largest independent coffee house in Europe boasting eight -two consecutive quarters of business …
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This episode discusses the "Real Rewards" loyalty programme that's competing in the competitive grocery market in Ireland and which won the Irish "Retail Food Loyalty Programme of the Year" in 2019. The programme is an exciting example how one major brand can leverage partnerships with complementary products and services to deliver coalition-style …
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With over seventy restaurants in six countries, Leon Restaurants is an innovative dining concept based on "healthy fast food". In this episode of our podcast, we showcase their loyalty practises, including the rich reward they offer to join the "Leon Lover's Club", as well as driving trust with their transparent management of customer's data. It in…
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In 2019, Coca Cola USA launched an exciting new concept, designed to create a sense of exclusivity for advocates of it's iconic brand. Dubbed the "Insider's Club", it's a subscription-based loyalty program that rewards its members with monthly packs of its new products along with a goodie bag of merchandise designed to delight these truly loyal use…
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As the fourth-largest convenience and fuel retailer in the United States, Casey's General Stores has developed a successful business combining US consumer's love of pizza with a compelling brand proposition - "here for good". In January 2020, it celebrated over 50 years in business with the launch of a powerful new loyalty program called "Casey's R…
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In this article, we explore the current explosive growth of audio - whether it's podcasts for professional growth and "listening to learn" or other emerging applications for marketing. Podcasts, voice assistants and flash briefings each offer a truly engaging experience for consumers - leading Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella to describe "voice" as "the…
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"Vitality" is an extraordinarily innovative loyalty programme launched in South Africa in the 1990's. Built on the concept of rewarding customers for taking responsibility for their own health, it's run by "Discovery" - a health insurance company with a goal to minimise health claims, and actively incentivises its customers accordingly. By "sharing…
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In the US market, fuel rewards continue to offer a compelling benefit to consumers. This audio article discusses a newly-extended partnership between Dunkin' and Shell - which allows Dunkin's coffee-loving customers the opportunity to earn a saving on their gas with Shell. Shell is the largest fuel operator in the US and uses the "Fuel Rewards" pro…
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The UK restaurant business is experiencing increasing competition as well as increasing costs, so brands like Pizza Express who have relied so heavily on discounting to grow their business need new and clever ways to differentiate themselves. In this article, we discuss the idea of their "surprise and delight' strategy, as well as the innovative id…
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The UK market is a dominant influence on marketing worldwide and one of my favourite resources to stay up to date on how technology, communications and UK culture are evolving is published by Mindshare. Every year, they publish a report on UK trends which is useful and insightful, so this article discusses their conclusions on the top five trends f…
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