Leaders in Customer Loyalty, Powered by Loyalty360

Send us Fan MailPatrick Stewart is CEO of Apricot Lane Boutiques, which has 75 locations throughout the U.S. and growing. He has an extensive career in retailing, and came to Apricot Lane in 2018 after a three-year stint as chief marketing officer for Sears. Previously, he was vice president of marketing of Crazy Shirt and of The Walking Company.Stewart’s challenge now is to take entrepreneurs who might have little or no retail or fashion experience — some doctors and dentists, for example — and guide them through the success of opening a 1,000 to 2,000 square feet clothing store.The CEO of Apricot Lane Boutiques says that, despite a recent spate of national store clothing retailers shuttering many of their locations, their national brand of apparel and merchandise stores are doing well.“Our comp-store sales were up 10% last month, and our sales were up, too, last year,” says Stewart, whose company has 75 locations across the U.S. and looking to add as many as 25 more next year. “Our chain is growing compared to last year, and our profitability is up.”

Send us Fan MailTom Nichols could impress anyone by the fact that he is a five-time Jeopardy! champion, and ranks as one of the best who has played the TV game. Add to it that he is a professor of National Security Affairs at the U.S. Naval War College and an adjunct professor at the Harvard Extension School, and the resume impresses even more.But Nichols says he has had occasions where people have tried to diminish his expertise on several subjects, and in fact have attempted to impress him with their own expertise in areas where they had no training whatsoever. And it wasn’t an isolated incident.“These are dangerous times,” says Nichols, who adds that he only speaks for himself, and not the college or the federal government. “Never have so many people had access to so much knowledge, and yet been so resistant to learning anything.”Loyalty360’s Mark Johnson recently had a lively discussion with Tom Nichols about his bestselling book, The Death of Expertise, which Publishers Weekly says that “The crux of the book's argument is that ... the American public has grown increasingly hostile to expertise.”

Send us Fan MailBest Western® Hotels and Resorts launched its SureStay Hotel Group® just four years ago, but the brand was named No. 1 in the economy segment in the J.D. Power 2020 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Study. SureStay achieved the highest score in the segment across six critical factors including reservations, arrival/departure, guest room, service and amenities, hotel facilities, and cost and fees.Best Western has 18 different brands and approximately 4,700 hotels in over 100 countries and territories around the world. Loyalty360’s Mark Johnson spoke with Dorothy Dowling, senior vice president and chief marketing officer at Best Western about the brand’s loyalty programs and how SureStay achieved success so quickly.

Send us Fan MailLoyalty360's Mark Johnson interviews with Vesta's Sue Frech to discuss customer loyalty/CX trends and the changing industry landscape.A few topics Mark and Sue discuss: What is one brand (or a few) that you think do an exceptional job of creating customer loyalty through a customer community or through VoC and making their customers feel heard? How are brands leveraging communities today and what changes have you seen in how brands interact with their customers over the last six months, compared to how brands were communicating with customers previously? What is one piece of advice you would share with brands looking to improve their customer loyalty or experience strategies? Loyalty360 is hosting speakers in a live stream format, featuring conversations on customer loyalty and experience news, trends, insights, and opportunities for marketers. During the live stream sessions, guests are welcome to tune in to the live broadcast on Loyalty360's YouTube channel, ask questions, and have them answered in real-time.Visit http://www.loyalty360.org or you can find the video of our interview with Sue here. 

Send us Fan MailIn this Loyalty Live interview, Kim Welther, VP, and Jeremy Riga, VP of Technology for Baesman and Loyalty360's Mark Johnson discuss customer loyalty/CX trends and the changing industry landscape.A few of the topics Mark, Kim, and Jeremy discuss include: • How do you define customer loyalty and what does customer loyalty mean to your organization?• What is the biggest challenge or opportunity you see in customer loyalty today?• COVID-19 has had a significant impact on brands’ marketing strategies this year. What are your clients asking of you right now and how has that changed from what they were asking of you at this time last year or earlier in 2020?• What is one piece of advice you would share with brands looking to improve their customer loyalty or experience strategies?Loyalty360 is hosting speakers in a live stream format, featuring conversations on customer loyalty and experience news, trends, insights, and opportunities for marketers. During the live stream sessions, guests are welcome to tune in to the live broadcast on Loyalty360's YouTube channel, ask questions, and have them answered in real-time.Visit http://www.loyalty360.org

Send us Fan MailIn this Loyalty Live interview, Clay Walton-House, Managing Director, Integrated Loyalty Solutions, for PK and Loyalty360's Mark Johnson discuss customer loyalty/CX trends and the changing industry landscape.A few of the topics Mark and Clay discuss include: How do you define customer loyalty and what does customer loyalty mean to your organization?What is the biggest challenge or opportunity you see in customer loyalty today? COVID-19 has had a significant impact on brands’ marketing strategies this year. What are your clients asking of you right now and how has that changed from what they were asking of you at this time last year or earlier in 2020?What is one piece of advice you would share with brands looking to improve their customer loyalty or experience strategies? Loyalty360 is hosting speakers in a live stream format, featuring conversations on customer loyalty and experience news, trends, insights, and opportunities for marketers. During the live stream sessions, guests are welcome to tune in to the live broadcast on Loyalty360's YouTube channel, ask questions, and have them answered in real-time.Visit http://www.loyalty360.org

Send us Fan MailHow does your loyalty program continue to stay relevant and valuable to consumers as they evolve buying behaviors in this changing landscape?The answer: by implementing a data-led, customer-centric strategy, you’ll find actionable insights using the customer and loyalty data you are collecting today. Join us in this webinar to learn how to leverage data to improve your understanding of customers and use AI and machine learning to optimize personalized marketing offers. Learn about the proven and powerful 3-step process to move from segmented marketing to individualized marketing.Key Takeaways:• What is the difference between a data-driven and data-led organization and why it’s important to be data-led in today’s changing landscape• How behavioral offers lead to greater customer loyalty and LTV (lifetime value)• The 3 step-process to implement data-led individualized strategy for your loyalty program that allows you to react to changes in customer behavior in a flexible and agile way.Speaker: Christian Selchau-Hansen is the CEO and co-founder of Formation, an enterprise software company that optimizes the customer journey through personalized marketing experiences. A 20-year tech veteran, Christian has helped develop new products and drive growth at companies like Square and Zynga. Prior to launching Formation, he was a partner at BCG Digital Ventures, using his experience to advise large companies and incubate innovative startups. Christian earned his M.B.A. with honors from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and has bachelor’s degrees in mechanical engineering and economics from Rice University.

Send us Fan MailWhile Sleep Number’s mission to help everyone in the world sleep better may seem like a dream, it is anything but. In fact, the company doesn’t think of itself as just a mattress retailer, but a health and wellness company, since sleep is as important to one’s health as diet and exercise. “Over the last 10 years or so, we have become a strong innovation company,” says Lisa Erickson, senior director of CRM and Loyalty at Sleep Number. “We offer the only bed where all you have to do is sleep, and it will tell you how you sleep each night. It gives you tips for adjusting to sleep better, and even adjusts during the night to find your most optimal sleep number. We've advanced our technology and moved more into the health and wellness space, and not just a bed retailer.”Sleep Number, a Minnesota-based company started in 1987, has over 600 stores in the U.S. J.D. Power ranked Sleep Number the highest in customer satisfaction with mattresses three times, 2015, 2016 and 2018. 

Send us Fan MailAfter decades of taking the brunt of consumer complaints, air travel in North America reached a record high in satisfaction surveys in 2019. J.D. Power says traveler’s satisfaction with their flying experience hit a record in 2018, and yet jumped even further in 2019.The survey says newer planes, better ticket value and improved customer touchpoints have made flying a much better experience than ever before, and airlines such as Air Canada are working harder to improve on their success, especially with the hit taken in consumer travel with the recent pandemic.Loyalty360 spoke with Mats Winter, director of product at Air Canada, about the country’s largest domestic carrier’s ongoing plans to better serve its customers through several initiatives, including new lounges and suites, chauffer service, better pillows and blankets, and even partnering with celebrity chefs on new food items.

Send us Fan MailDavid VanWiggeren, CEO, DropTank, and Loyalty360's Mark Johnson discuss customer loyalty/CX trends and the changing industry landscape.Here are questions that Mark posed to David:• How do you define customer loyalty and what does customer loyalty mean to your organization?• What is the biggest challenge or opportunity you see in customer loyalty today?• What is one brand (or a few) that you think do an exceptional job of creating customer loyalty and why?• What is a brand (or a few) you are most loyal to and why?• How have you seen COVID impact your clients or brands in general – and what brands have you seen successfully pivot or reinvent themselves during this time?• COVID-19 has had a significant impact on brands’ marketing strategies this year. What are your clients asking of you right now and how has that changed from what they were asking of you at this time last year or earlier in 2020?• What is one piece of advice you would share with brands looking to improve their customer loyalty or experience strategies?• Look five years from now; how do you think loyalty programs, strategy, or customer experience will evolve?Loyalty360 is hosting speakers in a live stream format, featuring conversations on customer loyalty and experience news, trends, insights, and opportunities for marketers. During the live stream sessions, guests are welcome to tune in to the live broadcast on Loyalty360's YouTube channel, ask questions, and have them answered in real-time.Visit http://www.loyalty360.org