Loyalty programmes stories

Blackhawk Network has unveiled a Digital Wallet API that lets brands pool gift cards, refunds, loyalty rewards and promo credit into one spendable balance.

American Express adds AI agent safeguards and purchase protection as it opens a developer kit for software-led buying.

LoyaltyLion brings back its Loyalty Connect virtual series, with more than 20 speakers set to unpack retention tactics as acquisition costs climb.

Ecommerce in 2026: AI shoppers, social sales and returns pressure push retailers to rethink data, compliance and cross-border growth.

Paytronix report finds restaurant loyalty schemes must win repeat visits within 90 days, as active rates split sharply across nine concepts.

Edinburgh-based Stampede launches SNAPguard to help hotels, bars and restaurants fix guest Wi‑Fi, capture data and link access to marketing.

AI shoppers put delivery terms ahead of recommendations, as Ingrid survey finds clear fulfilment info can sway or sink purchases.

Retailers warned that mobile checkout typos, duplicate profiles and recycled numbers are draining sales unless data is checked in real time.

Custom Travel Solutions opens RouteStack, giving AI assistants live hotel inventory and a direct path to bookings as it eyes wider travel categories.

Klaviyo has launched Composer, an AI tool that drafts data-driven marketing campaigns from plain-language prompts, now in private beta.

Circles partners with Airwallex to plug embedded banking into CirclesX, letting telcos launch financial services across more than 70 markets.

Sparkfly and PlayOn team up to tie retail offers and attribution to millions of US high school sports fans across ticketing and streaming.

Teradata upgrades Enterprise Vector Store with multimodal AI and agents to unify unstructured search and workflow orchestration at scale.

UK shoppers are embracing AI shopping agents for better deals and ease, but rising data privacy fears risk slowing wider adoption.

Four female founders are redefining loyalty, using VIP tiers and experiences to build data-rich communities and drive soaring revenues.

Wickes has launched Wickes Connected Retail Media with Epsilon, blending store and digital data to target home improvement shoppers.

Google and Klaviyo are deepening ties to power AI “agentic commerce”, linking ads, search and RCS messaging to real-time customer data.

BPC has been named a technology leader in QKS Group's 2025 SPARK Matrix for merchant payment platforms, recognising SmartVista's breadth.

UK restaurants plan fresh tech investment for 2026, betting most heavily on online ordering and delivery ahead of AI and smart kitchens.

UK health and wellbeing spend is smoothing into year-round habits, with fewer shoppers spending more and January gym spikes fading.