Liquid Barcodes Loyalty Podcast

This audio article introduces the exciting loyalty programme for sushi lovers in Norway. 

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 as we discuss key learnings on how "empowering generosity" can drive your programme's engagement. 

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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 Clooney, to its exclusive community "Le Club", and more recently, its adoption of a subscription model in key markets such as the UK as well as other insights from this multi billion dollar brand. 

Listen to this live loyalty article from Liquid Barcodes to hear how Nespresso is leveraging digital innovation to connect with its customers, and how it has continued to thrive in this intensely competitive industry. 

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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 proposition, as well as driving compelling benefits for the business. 

Listen to this live loyalty article to learn all about Racetrac's VIP loyalty program where customers "subscribe and save on fuel."

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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 to drive both margin and volume. 

The case study highlights the strategic insights that led to Circle K becoming one of the first car wash operators to adopt the subscription model in multiple markets, including products for individual consumers, corporate customers and families. 

Liquid Barcodes is proud to be supporting this exciting innovation in the car wash business, so listen to this episode of our Live Loyalty podcast to understand the challenges & insights from this case study that explains the power of subscription programs to create "extreme loyalty".  

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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. 

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. 

Voted the world's happiest country, Finland is a Nordic country famed for its beauty, architecture and an exceptional education system. 

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 launched its "Lidl Plus" loyalty programme in the UK, Germany and Ireland, it is now leveraging the power of instant gratification, gamification and personalised coupons to drive its growth and popularity. 

Boasting simplicity and speed to join, Lidl Plus looks like another great concept that's set for success. 

Listen to this episode of Liquid Barcodes Live Loyalty podcast to hear all about Lidl Plus and it's strategies for simplicity and success.  

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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, Walmart claims to offer unprecedented value and the "ultimate life hack" for US consumers. 

Listen to the article to understand the key differences between the two programmes and whether the $21 price difference will be enough to drive customers to Walmart Plus, given the extraordinary popularity of Amazon as the "first mover" in this intensely competitive business.  

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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 monthly visitors in China by January 2020, Luckin' Coffee's two-year meteoric rise was the result of aggressive marketing tactics. This audio article reviews some of the ideas that earned the firm the title of one of the world's top 50 most innovative companies before the accounting fraud was uncovered. 

We discuss its data-led approach and some concepts that would undoubtedly have continued to delight Chinese consumers and challenge the dominance of Starbucks in its key international market. 

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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 Organisation are leveraging the scale and simplicity of the platform to support their customers. 

We discusses examples of the platform being used for both grocery ordering and pharmacy supplies, with emerging markets in particular creating exciting concepts that leverage Whatsapp's extraordinary power. 

Simplicity and effective communication are both well documented drivers as a driver of customer loyalty, so in this article we discuss the extraordinary potential to leverage Whatsapp to support customer communication and connection and ultimately drive more loyalty.

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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 it's loyalty programme which boasts over 38 million members. 

Listen to today's episode of the "Live Loyalty Podcast" to learn how this subscription model has become so commercially compelling for both consumers and this fast-growing American retail brand. 

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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 experiences, through to personalised communications and rewards, we discuss their latest innovations and the extraordinary value created when customers shop with the brand through multiple channels. 

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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 needed to deliver a compelling subscription concept for customers. 

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 become the world leader once again. The company is already worth over $17 billion, and its listing proved to be one of the few highlights for retail investors in 2020. 

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. 

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 on its increasing focus on technology, such as the ability for customers to manage their own data, and simpler ordering options for US customers such as Siri shortcuts. 

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 potential for innovative business models such as subscription packages to allow unlimited car washing!   

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 particular focus on connecting with customers on social media channels, boasting over 1.3 million fans on Facebook.

This article discusses their approach to loyalty as well as other innovative ideas that make this brand truly one to inspire our industry. 

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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 to the heart of their true commitment and loyalty. 

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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 successfully recruited over 16 million members to its program - with a clear strategy focusing on convenience, comfort and connection. 

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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 Chinese retail coffee market.

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 new approach focused on driving purchases from Shell's full range of products and services in store, rather than simply fuel. 

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 rewards to customers including baked goods as well as hot drinks to differentiate their programme. 

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 offers, coupons and promotions. 

Leveraging its global brand, KFC China also adapted to local needs and embraced gamification as a way to engage with the country's 564 million gamers in a way that excites them, partnering with the most compelling content providers to create exclusive content for customers. 

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 their homes, a truly pioneering innovation promising the power and convenience of auto- replenishment for connected consumers who embrace the concept of an "intelligent home."

Listen to this episode of the "Live Loyalty" podcast to hear these exciting ideas from one of the industry's recognised pioneers in innovation. 

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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 seen from Burger King in the US market in recent years.

Listen to this week's episode of Liquid Barcodes Live Loyalty podcast to hear how Burger King USA is leveraging digital to drive its business in its home market. 

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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. 

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 "cup-scription" program.

Listen to this episode to learn how Cumberland Farms is becoming the brand that US consumers say they "always choose to use" - using simple, consistent and generous programs that truly matter to customers. 

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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. 

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 growth (as at December 2019), we are excited to watch the brand's evolution as it drives loyalty in every aspect of its 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 loyalty benefits and rewards to consumers across multiple spend categories, including an impressive partnership with Visa Ireland that offers customer double points when paying with that card. A true masterclass in loyalty partnerships.

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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 includes ideas and insights they could consider to optimise the programme given the competitive nature of UK high street retail and its ongoing losses despite its growth and connection with customers. 

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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 new user interface" - delivering unprecedented functionality, speed and simplicity. Listen to this article which describes why audio is an essential tool to consider and how other loyalty programs have experimented with it already.  

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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" programme to harness the power of partners across various consumer categories.  

With over 12 million members in the DD Perks programme, and over 13,000 Shell fuel stations throughout the country, this "Sip and Save" partnership is positioned as "fuelling US consumers" in the ways that matter the most! 

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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 idea to allow customers simply "pay at the table" without needing the attention of waiting staff. A hugely popular strategy that leverages operational innovation to drive customer loyalty.

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