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Loyalty Expert Brings 25 Years of Experience to Drive Strategic Growth and Strengthen Valuedynamx's US Presence

Valuedynamx is pleased to announce that MB Bell has joined the company as Senior Advisor, focusing on driving growth in the U.S. market. With nearly 25 years of experience in the pay-for-performance space, MB is set to play a key role in shaping Valuedynamx’s strategy and further expanding its presence in the U.S.

“I’m eager to join Valuedynamx at such an exciting time in the loyalty commerce space,” said Bell. “The market is ready for forward-thinking reward solutions that not only drive deeper engagement between loyalty programs and their members but also complement and foster long-term, meaningful relationships between brands and consumers. As someone who has personally earned over 500,000 rewards points, miles, and cashback just through everyday shopping, I have a true passion for loyalty commerce and a firsthand understanding of their power to create lasting value.”

Throughout her career, MB has developed a deep expertise in loyalty commerce, having held prominent roles across both affiliate and publisher networks. She managed loyalty publishers at BeFree and shaped merchandising and advertising strategies at Schoolpop and Upromise. Prior to joining Valuedynamx, MB served as VP of Partnerships at Cartera, where she oversaw strategic account management and led business development, compliance, and vendor management initiatives for major clients including American Airlines, United Airlines, and Chase.

“MB’s vast experience in loyalty and her strategic insight into the affiliate and client ecosystems make her a perfect fit for Valuedynamx as we continue to accelerate our growth in the U.S. market,” said Mark Jackson, Managing Director of Valuedynamx. “Her deep understanding of the loyalty space, combined with her proven track record, will help us drive innovative solutions and deepen relationships with key partners.”

Homely users can now earn "HomelyBricks” rewards to cover home purchase fees via everyday spending within Valuedynamx’s robust network of 5000+ retailers and brands 

Homely has today announced a key strategic partnership with Valuedynamx, to leverage their world-class rewards technology for Homely’s free-to-use home buying platform that helps members to become mortgage and home ready.

Homely offers tools, resources, and rewards to help aspirational homeowners set personalized plans and goals for buying a home. This includes enhancing credit scores by reporting rental payments and providing smart savings recommendations to build a deposit. Now, through its partnership with Valuedynamx, Homely users can earn HomelyBricks rewards via their everyday shopping that can be saved to cover the future fees associated with buying a home, including legal fees, insurance, utilities, furniture, and more.

Homely users can earn HomelyBricks through their everyday spending by joining the ‘Bricks Club’ via subscription as well as other initiatives. Bricks build up into ‘Home Buying Packs’ that include redemption options such as survey, insurance, energy bills or conveyancing. Family and friends can also earn HomelyBricks through affiliate offers on the Homely app to support loved ones on their home-buying journeys.

Valuedynamx provides Homely with the technology and scale to reach the majority of the UK market, whilst providing future infrastructure in international markets.

Homely CTO, Paul Birkin commented: “Valuedynamx provides Homely with a huge market reach and scalability for our HomelyBricks reward system. The partnership shows a serious dedication towards supporting people who aspire to become homeowners and those wishing to climb the property ladder, providing hope & positivity in market where things have become a lot tougher.”

Valuedynamx Managing Director, James Berry added: “Partnering with Homely allows Valuedynamx to help today’s consumers realize the most value from their everyday spend. With the affordability crisis faced by aspiring homebuyers, in the UK and across the world, we’re delighted to be a part of this unique offering by providing Homely users the option to save toward their future home purchases with customized rewards from the places they shop most.”

Interested home buyers can pre-sign up for Homely on homely.co.uk, with the platform expected to formally launch in mid-2024. Some lucky early sign-ups will have access to Homely’s private beta.

To further elevate the loyalty experience, Valuedynamx,  has partnered with Gilded, a leading fintech innovator specializing in physical gold. This collaboration unlocks a unique opportunity to earn Skywards Miles from purchases of the highest quality Swiss gold stored within the UAE via the Skywards Miles Mall platform, which is powered by Valuedynamx.

In a time of greater financial volatility and uncertainty, Gilded offers an innovative way to acquire an asset with timeless value. Gilded’s partnership with Valuedynamx takes this a step further by providing Emirates Skywards members with the benefits of physical gold ownership via the convenience of digital technology and with the added incentive of earning Miles that can be redeemed for future travel or retail. With efficient and secure purchasing from the comfort of the online store, customers can rest assured that the gold bars on the platform are sourced directly from Swiss refineries, meet the highest standards of 0.9999 fineness, are Sharia compliant, and meet both the Emirates Bullion Committee (GBC) and the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) gold bar specifications. The gold is also independently audited and stored in fully insured 'Brink's vaults in the UAE. Delivery is available for UAE residents. 

"Through this exciting collaboration with Valuedynamx, we are able to deliver the timeless value of physical gold in a digital form to Emirates Skywards members, providing all the benefits of direct gold ownership without the challenges that often accompany physical gold acquisition, such as storage, authenticity, and security" said Ashraf Rizvi, CEO of Gilded.

“Unlike other investments, gold reliably holds its value, hedging against inflation. Partnering with Gilded aligns perfectly with Valuedynamx's mission to provide consumers with the best value from their loyalty programs, now including another option for loyalty members to invest in their family's future." said James Berry, Managing Director, Valuedynamx.

With Skywards Miles Mall's expanded spend offerings, Emirates Skywards members can spend Miles in real time for digital gift cards at more than 500 brands across five markets globally, including the United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Australia and India. Skywards Miles Mall provides Emirates Skywards members access to various popular local and globally recognized brands that cater to everyday lifestyle needs across fashion, fitness, technology, food, beverage, and now investments.

Our new global research reveals the value of joyful reward redemption in driving loyalty program value and highlights opportunities to enhance satisfaction in reward earning and redemption offerings. 

Our research highlights ripe opportunities for companies to enhance customer satisfaction and long-term engagement via loyalty programs. The study found that personalized, simplistic, gratifying, and frequent loyalty program reward earning and redemption opportunities strongly align with consumer expectations. These offerings also significantly increase greater satisfaction and more frequent customer interactions since they provide better perceived value for shoppers’ time and money.

“According to our research, forward-thinking brands must obsess over ensuring their loyalty program members derive equal, if not more, value than they invest,” said James Berry, Managing Director at Valuedynamx. “To optimize this value exchange, brands must understand their members on a deeper, more personal level to make them feel appreciated and cherished. This means providing ease of use, helpful recommendations, and most importantly, reward options that resonate and drive feelings of gratification. With satisfaction comes engagement—and an increase in the rate at which consumers earn and spend their rewards. This ongoing “earn and burn” cycle directly correlates with more frequent touchpoints that can drive increased revenue potential and loyalty program success for businesses.”

Our research: Power of Satisfaction , which surveyed more than 5,500 consumers enrolled in loyalty programs, uncovered the following key takeaways about what drives consumer satisfaction, engagement, and value in modern loyalty programs.

Simplicity and Satisfaction Drive Customer Loyalty and Engagement

There is a direct correlation between customer satisfaction and the rate at which loyalty program members engage in the program by redeeming/spending ("burning") and earning rewards ("earning"). Programs that exhibit a high spend rate often find that it equates to a higher earn rate and more satisfied members, likely thanks to more tailored reward and redemption options. In fact, consumers are willing to accept (and remain satisfied with) slightly lower monetary rewards if they are better personalized to their preferences for airlines, hotels, banks, and retailers.

With consumers juggling more apps, platforms, and digital services than ever, it should come as no surprise that the number one characteristic of a desirable and satisfying loyalty program is a simple redemption process. This simplicity extends to ease of use and cost-saving, with redemption options with the brand, savings, and easy-to-track balance and reward eligibility being the next most desirable program traits.

In general, the study found bountiful opportunities for brands to make customers feel their spending is worthwhile - leading to enhanced customer satisfaction in key areas such as redemption value, cost savings, and product offerings. Consumers surveyed often highlighted disappointment and dissatisfaction in reward value/discount savings, disproportionate savings relative to their spend, and dissatisfaction with limited selections of a brand’s product range.
 

Consumers Want Choices but Lack Options

There is a substantial opportunity for brands to enhance loyalty programs and satisfy their customers by expanding reward redemption options. This is evidenced by the fact that about two-thirds of loyalty program members are less than completely satisfied with the redemption options available to them. That same number of respondents actively seek to earn loyalty currency when rewards align with their individual preferences (such as the option to redeem for experiences and rewards from a variety of their favorite brands).

While the most popular types of loyalty currency are cashback and gift cards, the vast majority (90%) of program members want the flexibility to redeem loyalty points with multiple brands. Despite this overwhelming demand, many loyalty programs still limit redemption options to their own brand while fewer programs offer rewards and discounts across multiple brands. Further, nearly half of loyalty program members desire experiential reward options, but only 25% currently have access to them.

Brands looking to increase their “earn and burn” rate can turn to program characteristics most associated with complete satisfaction, such as the ability to redeem for memorable experiences, options to redeem with other brands, brand options that resonate with their interests, personalized reward options, and reward recommendations based on past purchases.

There is Strong Consumer Demand for Value and Personalized Rewards

Redemption events are not self-sufficient in driving future earning. Instead, the study found that loyalty program satisfaction is derived from a positive redemption event that creates joy when consumers feel the time and effort they have invested in a loyalty program has been sufficiently rewarded (called “redemption joy”). This joy can be nurtured when programs go above and beyond to create it—particularly through personalized rewards.

Approximately 30% of respondents expressed a preference for rewards based on their past purchases and when asked to rank which loyalty program traits increased their redemption satisfaction, helpful recommendations for reward redemptions ranked highest, closely followed by the ability to redeem high-value rewards and being offered unique and interesting reward options.

Customers want rewards that reflect their individual tastes and past interactions with brands and introducing artificial intelligence (AI) to find the rewards that best resonate with customers’ interests will drive redemption joy. The research even found that about two-thirds of respondents that see clear value in engaging with loyalty programs would be willing to share personalized data to better inform personalization strategy. This data sharing is becoming a cornerstone of modern loyalty programs and provides brands with a deeper understanding of customer preferences and behaviors to create rewards and experiences that resonate on an individual level.

Consumers Use Loyalty Rewards at High Frequency for Different Purposes

As economic challenges persist, consumers are “earning and burning” rewards frequently; 83% of respondents reported redeeming loyalty currency at least once in the last three months and half reported redeeming in the last month. Supermarket, credit card, airline, and hotel loyalty programs rank among the top-preferred options, likely due to their versatility and ability to offset everyday spending. Supermarket programs boast some of the most active loyalty program members as 82% of respondents reported redeeming rewards on groceries, while airline and hotel programs appeal to loyalty members looking to earn and burn more often to save on high-value rewards such as free flights or luxury hotel stays.

From a regional perspective, supermarket loyalty programs are particularly popular in Europe and Australia, reflecting the routine nature of grocery shopping in these regions. In contrast, credit cards are used more frequently in the United States (43%) and Brazil (39%), where consumers might be leveraging their cards for a variety of purchases to accumulate cashback. Meanwhile, airline loyalty programs are most popular in China (40%) and Hong Kong (37%), where the focus is often on saving points for significant travel-related rewards.

“These research findings present a significant opportunity for loyalty programs to re-evaluate and enhance their offerings, particularly by integrating personalized and experiential rewards that resonate with consumer preferences,” added Berry. “It’s not enough just to drive reward redemption, as unsatisfying or uninspired rewards do not actively drive richer, more frequent engagements. Instead, complementary and personalized “earn and burn” behavior is more likely to create ongoing loyalty program satisfaction. By seizing the opportunities identified by this research, loyalty programs can better meet the needs of their members and drive greater long-term customer engagement.”

About the Valuedynamx Power of Satisfaction Research 2024

A global study of 5,500+ respondents belonging to a loyalty program with 1+ airline, bank, credit card, or hotel. Survey respondents were surveyed in January 2024 via PureSpectrum. 

Valuedynamx is celebrating the first anniversary of their global partnership with Expedia Group. The partnership expanded travel redemption offers for Valuedynamx’s loyalty program partners and their customers,enabling loyalty program partners across industries to engage their customers with flexible reward currency redemption via Expedia’s global network of lodging partners. In the last 12 months, Valuedynamx has experienced a 20% growth in bookings in this category through the enhancement of its Travel Redemption program, which now enables real-time redemption for travel bookings at Expedia’s more than 700,000 hotel and other accommodation properties worldwide. This expanded offering ensures that customers engaged in loyalty programs experience a new level of choice when it comes to reward redemption.

With consumers looking for ways to maximize their everyday spending, shopping through their reward programs remains a consistent strategy. Through the partnership with Expedia Group, Valuedynamx has expanded its travel redemption portfolio, offering better value and increased choice in alignment with the ongoing consumer demand for travel. Loyalty program customers can leverage their earned reward points for travel bookings with Expedia Group through Valuedynamx’s Travel Redemption program. Loyalty members can book lodging from Expedia Group’s extensive global supply and gain access to Expedia Group’s Member Only Deals – special rates offered by the company’s hotel partners to loyalty members - to tap into savings.

“We are thrilled to see such a significant increase in bookings as a result of the expansion of our travel redemption offerings through this exciting partnership with Expedia Group, a strategic move aimed at empowering our valued loyalty program partners,” said James Berry, Managing Director at Valuedynamx. “Addressing the growing demand for flexibility and choice in redeeming reward points, this enhancement perfectly aligns with our commitment to driving customer engagement among our loyalty program partners. By diversifying our travel redemption options, we not only help our partners to cater to customers’ desires but also streamline the redemption process for a faster and more accessible experience. This approach enables our customers to seamlessly utilize points for personalized travel rewards, fostering both customer satisfaction and revenue growth.”

“At Expedia Group, we’re always finding new and innovative ways to help our global network of B2B partners build loyalty with their customers,” said Carolina Cabero, vice president of Commercial Partnerships at Expedia Group. “The integration with Valuedynamx and our industry-leading Rapid API solution has enabled them to meet the increasing consumer demand for flexible reward redemption options. We are happy to have seen strong outcomes so far and look forward to our continued partnership.”