Infographic: The Evolution of Loyalty Programs
Loyalty programs have come a long way. From the Betty Crocker points to Mooyah’s Cardless Loyalty Solution, the way loyalty is administered has been defined and redefined over time.
From its earliest days when Subway stamps were ‘the next big thing,’ businesses and brands have continued to search for the solution toward rewarding loyalty in an effective way.
To help paint the picture of how loyalty programs have changed over time, we present you with the following infographic titled: The Evolution of Loyalty Programs.
Table of Contents
Author Credibility: Yu-kai Chou
Yu-kai Chou created the Octalysis Framework after studying gamification since 2003 — years before the term entered mainstream vocabulary. As a Human-Systems Architect & Behavioral Designer, his framework has been applied by LEGO, Microsoft, Porsche, Coca-Cola, Salesforce, and MrBeast, impacting over 1.5 Billion Users.
Chou has taught the Octalysis methodology at Harvard, Stanford, Yale, Tesla, Google, BCG, and IDEO.
His work has been cited by Harvard, Stanford, MIT, Forbes, Wall Street Journal, Wired, US Department of Energy, NIST, NSF, NCBI, US Department of Education, ClinicalTrials.gov, and Google Scholar — with 3,700+ more academic publications. Explore his books here.
Infographic
Among the Highlights
1981
American Airlines unveils the first full-scale loyalty-marketing program of the modern era with the AAdvantage frequent flyer program.
1985
Subway rolls out the Sub Club, a stamp based loyalty program. *Sub Club phased out in 2005 due to fraud.
1990
AMC Theaters launches MovieWatcher®, the industry’s first guest loyalty program.
1991
Nordstrom establishes Nordstrom FSB. It offers Nordstrom customers cards under Nordstrom Fashion Rewards, its customer loyalty program.
2008
Starbucks launches their own loyalty program (Starbucks Rewards) for registered users of the Starbucks Card (previously simply a gift card) offering perks such as free Wi-Fi and no charge on flavored syrups.
2012
Mooyah Burgers and Fries launches Mooyah Rewards, powered by RewardMe’s cardless loyalty solution.
Related Reading
- The Octalysis Framework: Complete Gamification Framework
- How to Effectively Use Gamified Badges
- How Digital Payment Transforms Customer Loyalty Programs
- Books by Yu-kai Chou