Loyalty
Amazon announced on Tuesday that its agentic AI assistant Alexa+ has completed its rollout in the United States and is now free for all Prime members. Non-Prime members can pay $19.99 per month for the full version or use a limited free text-only version. Previously, Alexa+ attracted tens of millions of users during its early access phase and significantly boosted Prime membership sign-ups. This move follows Walmart's enhancement of its paid membership program, highlighting the competitive landscape in retail where membership benefits drive growth.
In its latest earnings call, Ulta Beauty stated that it successfully attracted cautious consumers through personalized services and experiential promotions. Loyalty program membership grew by 3% to 47 million, and comparable store sales increased by 3.8% year-over-year.
L.L. Bean, a century-old American retailer, officially launched its free loyalty program, L.L. Bean Rewards, on Tuesday, allowing members to accumulate points on purchases and redeem them for Bean Bucks, while also gaining voting rights to decide the direction of the company's charitable funds. The program also upgraded benefits for co-branded credit card holders.