Loyalty Marketing

One may not immediately associate Kellogg with game apps, but the breakfast cereal brand is releasing a web-slinging game app to mark the upcoming The Amazing Spider-Man 2 movie.

Consumers can also enter a giveaway and a new Kellogg sweepstakes with Sony for a chance to win more than 1,000 prizes, including a free trip for two to New York.

"Spider-Man fans are gearing up for the film and we're casting a web of fun that everyone can enjoy," says Melissa Pawlowicz, senior director of integrated promotions at Kellogg.

Woonsocket, R.I. - CVS/pharmacy is launching a new service called Bill Pay at CVS/pharmacy in spring 2014 to help customers manage their monthly health insurance premiums. Members of participating health plans can bring their insurance bills to any CVS/pharmacy store in the U.S. to pay their premiums at no additional cost.

Back in October, I commemorated my six-month anniversary as technology editor of Chain Store Age with a column looking at how retail IT has been disrupted in recent years. Now that I have a full year under my belt, I thought it would be interesting to look at how customer expectations of retail IT have been disrupted in recent years (and don’t worry, there will be no 18-month anniversary piece). Three paradigm-shifting changes in how retailers must now engage with customers using technology stand out.

Every Man is an Island

Deerfield, Ill. -- The rapid adoption of Walgreens’ Balance Rewards loyalty program, with nearly 80 million members, has earned the chain a ranking among top business technology innovators in the U.S.

Walgreens is ranked No. 60 on the 2014 InformationWeek Elite 100.

MasterCard is in the process of acquiring Pinpoint Pty. Ltd., an Australian provider of loyalty and rewards services to financial institutions across the Asia Pacific region. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2014.

Pinpoint was founded in 1984. Headquartered in Sydney, it has a growing footprint across the region into markets such as China, Hong Kong, India, Taiwan and Japan. Its customer base includes financial institutions and merchants.

New York - L.L.Bean was ranked number one in online customer service in March 2013. According to monthly benchmark analysis from customer service analysis provider StellaService, LLBean.com showed strength in email and returns, besting all other retailers in those specific service areas.

Rob Price, SVP marketing and advertising and chief marketing officer for CVS/pharmacy, has left the company to take a new role, the retailer said in a statement sent to sister publication Drug Store News.    

“Rob led the retail marketing team during a period of tremendous growth and strong financial performance and brought numerous positive changes to the business. We thank Rob for his important contributions and wish him the best of luck in the next phase of his career,” the company stated.

Purchase, N.Y. – MasterCard has entered into an agreement to acquire Pinpoint Pty. Ltd., an Australian provider of loyalty and rewards services to financial institutions across the Asia Pacific region. This acquisition is expected to close in second quarter 2014.