Loyalty Marketing

With back to-school season underway, many retailers are already offering deals and discounts to drive traffic to their online and brick-and-mortar stores. Staples is no different.

The retailer’s price-match program, launched a little more than a week ago, gives shoppers incentive by promising to match a competitor’s price — including prices on Amazon and any retailer with both online and brick-and-mortar stores — on any items sold in Staples stores or on Staples.com. Customers will then receive 10% off the difference.

Canton, Mass. - Dunkin' Donuts has signed a multi-unit store development agreement with new franchisees Wendover Donuts LLC to develop five restaurants in North and South Greensboro, North Carolina. The locations will incorporate traditional and combination unit development with sister brand, Baskin-Robbins, with the first store planned to open in 2015.

Office Depot is kicking off its latest back-to-school campaign — Gotta Get It! — which includes more than 1,000 items for $5 or less in stores and online. The company is also offering a new price-match policy to shoppers year-round to drive traffic to Office Depot and OfficeMax locations.

A lot of retailers hold contests, but few discover winners as worthy of recognition as the difference-makers who participated in specialty retailer Christopher & Banks inaugural Amazing Women contest.

The operator of 543 stores recently named the winners of its Amazing Women contest that was launched in April in conjunction with Mother’s Day. More than 1,700 nominations were received in the contest that sought to celebrate the women who raise, cheer on, care for and support future generations.

Salt Lake City – Overstock.com now offers free Club O loyalty program memberships to active police officers, full-time firefighters, paramedics and certified emergency medical technicians. Those who qualify for the program can enroll by visiting the first-responders sign-up section on Overstock.

First responders can have their identity verified through the ID.me digital authentication service and relayed to Overstock to receive their free Club O membership. Once individuals sign up, they enter a user name and password to receive benefits.

Overstock.com is offering free Club O loyalty program memberships to active police officers, full-time firefighters, paramedics and certified emergency medical technicians.

In conjunction with its new premium tween brand for girls called I Heart UGG, UGG Australia is planning to launch on July 14 a dedicated e-commerce site that will offer the entire product line called iheartugg.com. 

The line includes footwear, loungewear, accessories and handbags and will be available in the United States, Japan and China. The new brand, the company said, has been designed to not only tap into the tween market but also to foster enduring brand loyalty among customers. 

Toronto – Tim Hortons and Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) are launching the new CIBC Tim Hortons Double Double Visa Card, leveraging a two-button technology that allows cardholders to press the CIBC Visa button on the front of the card to pay for their purchases anywhere Visa is accepted. One percent of each dollar spent is converted instantly into Tim Cash rewards, and by touching the Tim Card button, cardholders can then redeem their Tim Cash loyalty points at Tim Hortons locations.