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Loyalty programs

November

Woolworths boss Amanda Bardwell speaks at the ACCC hearing on Tuesday.

Woolworths suppliers put on ‘holiday’ for price pushback, ACCC hears

The competition regulator’s public hearings have been told some producers did not receive any orders from the supermarket if they refused to drop prices.

  • Carrie LaFrenz
Macquarie analysts said Woolworths and Coles may maintain incumbent positions but without a loyalty program with customer data and insights, it will not be easy or cheap.

Supermarkets face earnings crunch if loyalty schemes are dismantled

Macquarie warns of a drag on the performance of Coles and Woolworths if the competition watchdog disrupts their customer retention programs.

  • Carrie LaFrenz

June

Qantas Loyalty CEO Andrew Glance with TripADeal founders Richard Johnston and Norm Black in Byron Bay.

Qantas snaps up 100pc of TripADeal as travel package bookings boom

Qantas Loyalty said the deal – increasing the airline’s stake from 51 per cent – would help the division hit its ambitious earnings targets for 2030.

  • Ayesha de Kretser

April

An issue with the Qantas app caused the names and flight details of other passengers to appear.

Qantas says app now stable, still investigating malfunction

The Flying Kangaroo is investigating a system malfunction that gives passengers access to other Qantas customers’ data.

  • Ayesha de Kretser

April

The Chanticleer podcast features James Thomson and Anthony Macdonald.

US inflation lessons; Guzman y Gomez’s believers; Qantas’ points shakeup

This week, James and Anthony consider what the US inflation print means for US president Joe Biden, compare the turnover of a Guzman y Gomez store to its competitors, and discuss changes to Qantas’ loyalty program.

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Qantas CEO Vanessa Hudson.

Qantas’ ‘world’s best’ loyalty scheme battles points hoarders

The airline’s frequent flyers are great at accumulating points – they always have been. But Qantas has to help them get better at spending the points to shore up its loyalty proposition.

  • Anthony Macdonald

March

Incoming Myer executive chairwoman Olivia Wirth was previously head of loyalty at Qantas.

How loyalty saved Myer from the retail graveyard

In 2019 Myer’s loyalty scheme was terminal. Five years later, it is central to driving sales at the recharged department store.

  • Carrie LaFrenz
Qantas chief executive Vanessa Hudson has committed to overhauling the company’s loyalty program.

Qantas closes in on biggest frequent flyer revamp yet

Under the changes being discussed internally, customers would be able to exchange one point for 1¢ on almost any flight across the network, sources said.

  • Ayesha de Kretser

February

Airlines prioritise upgrades according to status, so platinum frequent flyers usually snap these up before other flyers.

Four ways to work your frequent flyer and airline loyalty points harder

The more you fly, the more you need to care about selecting the right program.

  • Ayesha de Kretser

January

Andrew Glance will succeed Olivia Wirth as Qantas Loyalty CEO at the end of February.

Qantas names Olivia Wirth’s successor to run Frequent Flyer

Qantas promoted another “lifer” to run its lucrative frequent flyer business when Olivia Wirth departs the airline at the end of February.

  • Ayesha de Kretser

December 2023

Pat Cummins last year at a cricket Test at the Gabba in Brisbane. Australia v the West Indies in January will be one of the events to be sold first to Qantas Loyalty customers.

What the Qantas-Ticketek deal means for frequent flyers

The deal, which will allow events to be booked using frequent flyer points, comes as Silver Lake considers its options for the business.

  • Sam Buckingham-Jones

October 2023

Customer loyalty is being tested as the cost of living soars, forcing retailers to invest heavily in loyalty programs.

Rewards schemes race to beat new privacy laws

Changes to privacy laws could fundamentally change the way retailers collect and use customer data gleaned from loyalty programs.

  • Sue Mitchell

September 2023

Woolworths chief executive Brad Banducci says the company’s media business is adding meaningful margin.

Woolies’ $500m media cash cow at risk in privacy crackdown

The supermarket giants are growing their high-margin media businesses, banking more than $600m a year so far. But a privacy law review is putting that at risk.

  • Carrie LaFrenz and Sam Buckingham-Jones
Qantas cancelled Neil Pharoah’s flight and gave him a refund instead of a replacement, which cost him double on another airline.

This Qantas Platinum flyer is choosing Virgin after 39 years

Neil Pharaoh is a loyal Qantas customer, but terrible service and frequent cancellations have left him considering a status switch with Virgin.

  • Campbell Kwan

August 2023

Price setters: Qantas airfares on its American route rose far more than fuel costs.

Micro-pricing a big puzzle in inflation’s persistence

The real world of price setting doesn’t look much like the supply and demand schedules of Economics 101.

  • Stephen Grenville
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March 2023

How airlines rely on your loyalty to make money

Analysts say loyalty could even play a role in pushing the share price of Qantas from the $6.59 it was trading at on Friday morning to about $10.

  • Lucas Baird

The best way to collect and spend frequent flyer points

London’s calling. Here’s how to get there on points.

  • Lucy Dean and Campbell Kwan

February 2023

James Lin, Nathan Hur, Sam Li and Kane Lu who are co-founders of technology start-up Plaza

Young guns ditch Morgan Stanley, Microsoft, Canva and Atlassian

After ditching seemingly plum jobs four friends have attracted venture capital funding to build their own start-up.

  • Tess Bennett

January 2023

Dan Murphy’s managing director Agi Pfeiffer-Smith wants to make personalised offers to loyalty club members in real time.

Real-time promotions a game-changer for retailers

Retailers are exploring ways to “digitise” in-store sales so they can create one-on-one communication with shoppers and make personalised offers in real time.

  • Sue Mitchell

December 2022

Wesfarmers loyalty scheme OnePass and Disney+ have reached a new partnership deal.

Move over Amazon Prime, here comes Wesfarmers-Disney

The giants in retailing and streaming have come together in the OnePass loyalty program’s first outside partnership.

  • Carrie LaFrenz

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/topic/loyalty-programs-hoh