The test bench for loyalty programs.
We tear down and score loyalty and retention programs on what matters to an operator: first-party data, margin and experience.
The Operator Score, 0 to 100. The score is public; the read is for members.
Lidl Plus
Lidl Plus captures a lot and personalizes little: a mass identifier serving coupon mechanics, not a profile.
Tesco Clubcard
Clubcard is the original data program — and it just turned thirty years of history into an ad network.
Marriott Bonvoy
Bonvoy sells currency: the margin isn't in the stay, it's in the points sold to the banks.
Québec by Design: Building Loyalty That's Law 25 and Bill 96 Compliant from Day One
In Québec, compliance isn't a layer you add after launch. It's an architecture decision — and making it early costs a fraction of making it late.
First-Party DataZero-Party Data: The Preference Nobody Volunteers, and How to Earn It
Behavioral signal is inferred. Declared preference is earned — which is exactly what makes it stronger, more durable, and more compliant.
RetentionStreaks, Status, Reciprocity: The Behavioral Mechanics That Actually Retain
Points buy a behavior. Streaks, status, and reciprocity manufacture a habit — and habit is the one thing your competitors can't outbid.
First-Party DataCoalition vs Proprietary: What Air Miles and Scene+ Teach Us
Air Miles didn't fail because coalition is a bad model. It failed because it lost control of the asset that mattered: the first-party relationship.
The ranking is the commodity. The read is the product.
The scores are public. The dimension-by-dimension reasoning, the money-and-data read and our recommendations are for members.