loyalty

PayPal Says It’s Full Speed Ahead on Mobile Payments After President Resigns

Tricia Duryee in Commerce on February 6 at 7:00 am PT

PayPal’s VP of Mobile David Marcus makes the case for why its mobile payments strategy will prevail in a market surrounded by incumbents.

PayPal asks you to enter your phone number and pin.

Here’s How PayPal Is Pitching Mobile Payments to Major Retailers (Slideshow)

Tricia Duryee in Commerce on February 6 at 6:30 am PT

Check out the photos from a recent visit to PayPal’s San Jose headquarters, where AllThingsD got an exclusive peek at the company’s brand-new “Shopping Showcase.”

The push notification talk you into stopping at nearby coffee bar.

News Byte

Social Loyalty Service Topguest Acquired by Loyalty Platform ezRez

Liz Gannes in Social on December 13, 2011 at 10:01 am PT

Topguest, which rewards users for sharing their location with services like Foursquare by giving them rewards program points from vendors like Virgin America and Hilton, has been bought by ezRez (warning: ugly Web site), which helps companies run loyalty programs. Both companies are headquartered in San Francisco and Topguest’s service will continue to operate. Topguest had an impressive set of business deals for a young start-up, but Foursquare, Klout and others now run their own social rewards programs.

Attention Shoppers: Coupons.com Grabs $30M in Funding From Greylock

Kara Swisher in Commerce on October 3, 2011 at 8:00 am PT

VCs search for a bargain in longtime digital promotions site.

Facebook’s Brand of Loyalty

Emily Steel, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal in Social on October 3, 2011 at 4:30 am PT

Companies have spent the past few years trying to amass Facebook fans for their products and services. Now they’re trying to figure out how to squeeze value out of them.

Another Mobile Payments Company Launches in Google’s Backyard

Tricia Duryee in Commerce on August 9, 2011 at 6:00 am PT

Pago Mobile is launching a mobile payments service today in Mountain View, Calif., that allows consumers to pay for their dry cleaning or slice of pizza using an app on their phone.

News Byte

ChoozOn Raises $3.2 Million to Help Make Shopping More Guilt-Free

Tricia Duryee in Commerce on August 2, 2011 at 12:01 am PT

ChoozOn has disclosed it has secured $3.2 million in a first round of funding to help consumers manage the barrage of discounts being offered through loyalty programs and daily deals. The round was led by Michael Orsak of Worldview Technology Partners and James Brown of AVG Ventures. The Bellevue, Wash.-based company originally unveiled its plans in April, and says it is launching by the end of September with more than 1,000 brands participating in the platform.

News Byte

Daily Deals Contender Buys Up Loyalty Card Provider

Tricia Duryee in Commerce on July 18, 2011 at 8:30 am PT

BuyWithMe, which has struggled against much larger rivals, like Groupon and LivingSocial, has been on an acquisition spree, picking up daily deals sites to enter new markets. This time it is acquiring Edhance, which will allow BuyWithMe’s merchants to create loyalty and rewards programs for customers. Merchants will be able to redeem vouchers automatically when subscribers swipe their card at the register, eliminating any print-outs. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Who Will Win at Mobile Payments? Google or Square?

Tricia Duryee in Commerce on May 26, 2011 at 7:04 pm PT

As it becomes clearer that we will be moving away from cash and increasingly toward some form of mobile payments, the big question is who will be the industry leaders. After Google and Square made their respective announcements this week, do either of them have a chance?

Do You Check Facebook or Email First Each Day?

Liz Gannes in Social on January 24, 2011 at 11:00 am PT

When you first roll out of bed and hop onto your laptop (or perhaps you grab your iPad or phone before you roll out of bed), what site or service do you load up first?