With bated breath, we waited — not just to hear the winners, but to see if the technology would work — and it did! The Loyalty Magazine Awards kicked off its first-ever digital awards ceremony to the delight of a global audience, tuning in from couches and home offices (but still dressed to the nines).
Representing the standard in loyalty platforms
We were happy to virtually stand up with several great loyalty providers and also to see our work in the loyalty sphere over the last several years recognized. With over 25% of our top-line revenue re-invested into our platform, our commitment to loyalty has never been stronger. So, to be nominated for both the Loyalty Re-Defined and Best Use of Technology—Customer Facing or Back-End categories was a great compliment to our teams, and the clients we provide loyalty solutions for.
The event kicked off on the platform Shindig, with a networking event to get started and an opening speech by Loyalty Magazine editor Annich McIntosh. After we were all “seated,” the event began, mixing in the awards announcements with the best quarantine Tik Tok videos and proud acceptance speeches.
Early on, we found out we were named the winner of the Best Use of Technology—Customer Facing or Back-End.
So excited to win Best Use of Technology – Customer Facing or Back End in the @LoyaltyMAwards! pic.twitter.com/zaLHUANljK
— Cheetah Digital by Marigold (@Cheetah_Digital) June 16, 2020
The judges selected Cheetah Digital by Marigold for the award saying, “This platform provides real-time engagement and is acquiring clients quite rapidly. Case studies demonstrated that the system was not generic, but was tailored to each retailer client. It is an impressive plug in of data.” Our intrepid Head of Loyalty EMEA Andy Kulina was ready to accept our award in style. It may have only been noon for those of us in the U.S., but fortunately for Andy, he was in the U.K. and ready to celebrate.
This honor, plus being named as one of a Leader in The Forrester Wave™: Loyalty Technology Platforms, Q2 2019, has made it an invigorating two years since we first added our loyalty platform, which is now an integral part of the Customer Engagement Suite.
We were happy to see several of our clients and favorite brands get nominated for categories, including:
- Vans nominated for Best Customer Experience, Best Loyalty Programme of the Year – Retail Best Use of Mobile & Social and winning Regional Loyalty Champion of the Year – The Americas
- Shell Oil Products U.S., nominated for Best Customer Experience; Shell China, nominated for Best New Loyalty Launch of the Year and winning for Best Loyalty Programme of the Year – Food Retail & Non-Food Retail; and Shell Go+ winning for Regional Loyalty Champions of the Year – Western Europe
- Vodafone, nominated for Best Loyalty Programme of the Year and winning for Best Use of CRM
- VOXI, nominated for Best Use of Mobile & Social and winning for Loyalty Re-Defined; with a high commendation for Best Use of Mobile & Social
- Nectar, nominated for Best Use of Customer Analytics/Data and Best Loyalty Programme Marketing Campaign of the Year
A big winner in Vans
Vans, partnered with Cheetah Digital by Marigold won Regional Loyalty Champion of the Year – The Americas for their recent campaign, Vans Builds Authentic Connections and Engages Fans with Personalized Experiences. From the judges, “The brand is a big element in this programme, and the brand and the loyalty programme feed off each other. There is personalization and innovation, in what is a tough sector.”
Vans has a strong brand identity, one that its customers also identify with deeply. That’s why a loyalty program seemed only logical; an extension of their brand that allowed those customers who were more than just shoppers to engage with the brand in a unique way. Thus, Vans Family was born, an interactive and intuitive loyalty program designed to recognize, reward, and celebrate fans for who they are and what they like to do.
Vans Family gets to know consumers by observing behaviors and offering tailored experiences, unique products and services, and personalized brand interactions. Since instating the program, Vans has grown its database to over 10M members and has seen a lift in spending of loyalty members vs. non-members. Even better, Vans has been able to create authentic connections with consumers who like Vans, deepening relationships with them, and creating new pathways to interact in relevant ways.
The loyalty winners: brands and customers
It’s wonderful to see the value of loyalty programs recognized at the Loyalty Magazine Awards and the creative ways providers are serving clients and customers alike. We know that loyalty is more than just transactional and that brands who invest in a loyalty program will see better outcomes than those who do not. According to our most recent report with Econsultancy, 34% of people are more likely to consider joining loyalty programs right now than in 2019. If you want to get your slice of those loyal customers, why not talk to our team about a loyalty program?
