Liquid Barcodes

Resources

Surprising Scandinavia

Paula Thomas, Chief Content Officer, Liquid Barcodes

09/17/2019

A fascinating global study by two highly esteemed business universities (Cornell & INSEAD) measures “innovation” by country every year – and the results are truly staggering. While widely respected economies like the UK, USA and China appear in the top 20 “Most Innovative Countries in the World”, appearing in 5th, 3rd and 14th places respectively, this really should be expected given that these countries are drawing from a combined population of almost 1.8 billion people.

Scandinavia, by contrast, consists of three countries with a fraction of that population, just 21 million people between them. Yet these three countries achieved 2nd, 7th and 19th place in the same league table. This article explores some of the reasons for this perhaps surprising success and shines a spotlight on some of the incredible technology companies that have been created there, as well as highlighting some of our own favourite success stories of key clients of our own who are truly innovating with their convenience loyalty programmes.

Another amazing fact is that the city of Stockholm in Sweden, a city of less than one million people, has created more unicorns – (i.e. privately-owned companies valued at more than $1bn) per person than any other city on the planet, so it’s certainly time to celebrate how innovative and exciting this region is.

   Map of Scandinavia

Map of Scandinavia (in red – Norway, Denmark and Sweden) plus other Nordic Countries (in orange – Iceland, Faroe Islands and Finland) 

Famous Scandinavian Brands

While Scandinavia is well known as the home of some iconic global brands and personalities including Abba, Volvo, Ikea and even Carlsberg beer, it is less well known the birthplace of some of the world’s greatest technology and gaming companies. Some Scandinavian technology success stories that have achieved global scale include Skype, Spotify and King Digital Entertainment, the company that created “Candy Crush” – one of the most commercially successful digital games ever built utilising the freemium model.

This article discusses some of the reasons for Sweden’s dramatic success and concludes that the country (and by association the whole region) is “the perfect petri dish to test new tech ideas”, citing the impressive example of Facebook, who, when they created the ‘Like’ button, chose Sweden as the place to try it out first.

The factors credited with creating such a culture of innovation in Scandinavia include the support of one of the world’s most generous welfare programmes (which reduces risk for entrepreneurs), a culture of transparency and trust, as well as “a strong scientific tradition… supplemented by exceptional – and free – technical education.” What an amazing recipe for success.

Gaming Brands

Famous Swedish Technology / Gaming Brands

Some of Our Favourite Loyalty Projects

As a company, we are 100% focused on driving loyalty in convenience retail, and we believe our home in Scandinavia has given us the mindset and skills to create a platform that is truly innovative, used by the world’s leading convenience brands to create programmes that we can all be incredibly proud of.

Our industry is one of the last sectors of retail to embrace loyalty programmes – not because we haven’t wanted to, but simply because convenience customers need speed above all else. Traditional loyalty programmes required customers to fill in lengthy forms, produce their membership card (paper or plastic) at the time of payment and perhaps even browse merchandise catalogues for their rewards.

Digital loyalty platforms have truly revolutionised every industry – and we believe that ours offers unique capabilities for retailers to truly wow their customers. In an industry that is highly collaborative, we consistently study the best loyalty programmes in the world and ensure our roadmap of features is developed to compete with the very best in order to deliver above and beyond what customers expect. And while not every programme we write about on our website is built on our platform, we are excited to work with a whole portfolio of innovative clients both in Scandinavia and beyond. Here are some of their stories.

Payment Linked Loyalty

Reitan Group operates almost 2,500 convenience stores across seven countries and uses Liquid Barcodes as its loyalty marketing platform. The group wanted to completely eliminate delays at the point of sale – usually caused either by having to produce a loyalty card or even opening a member app. Instead, together we developed an exciting loyalty programme which simply tracks purchases from the payment card used, with no other steps required. The result is an exceptionally simple – and rewarding – experience for customers.

A Higher Purpose 

The best loyalty programmes in the world combine both rational and emotional benefits in their consumer value proposition. A programme that we think has done this to a truly exceptional level is an award-winning Norwegian company called HOLD – a great concept that connects emotionally with customers in a way that very few brands can ever hope to. HOLD is an app originally targeted at University students, that measures when customers actually disconnect from their digital devices, and then rewards them with tangible, everyday rewards that are managed on our loyalty marketing platform. This programme has developed a solution to a problem that most people are only just recognising.

Award-Winning Innovation in Denmark 

7-Eleven in Denmark is another award-winning client, with the team recently winning the prestigious “NACS International Convenience Retailer of the Year Award.” Their entry focused on their successful transformation from a declining kiosk business to a thriving business frequented by 77% of the population and revolutionising Danish consumer’s access to healthy food options. Their management team has chosen Liquid Barcodes to power their loyalty app, their digital coupons, and their stamp cards, as well as creating engaging customer campaigns using our exciting range of games. This is a great loyalty case study, as our platform is powering the customer programme for the world’s best convenience retailer.

our clients

A selection of our clients in our home countries in Scandinavia.

In closing, it’s also important to understand that Scandinavia’s successes are not just in business – they are some of the world’s happiest people too! Norway, Denmark and Sweden achieved 2nd, 3rd and 9th places in the recent World Happiness Rankings, way ahead of the US and UK, who achieved 18th and 19th places respectively.

Scandinavian people and companies should take great pride in creating a culture of early adopters and digital natives who are leading the world, achieving the delicate balance of both commercial success and personal fulfilment.

While we have clients worldwide from Asia to the UK and the United States, we are certainly delighted to have had this opportunity to highlight where our company comes from and some of our local and regional success stories as we continue to expand globally.

About Us:

Liquid Barcodes is a leading global loyalty and digital marketing technology company specialised for the convenience store and foodservice industries. Our proprietary cloud-based technology platform allow retailers to create and manage their digital marketing campaigns with a proprietary process we call the “customer connection cycle’ to engage, promote and reward customers activities in real-time across digital and media channels.

How we do it:

We have developed the most advanced loyalty and digital marketing technology platform specifically for convenience store and foodservice retailers globally.

Retailers use our self-service dashboard to create and manage loyalty driven marketing campaigns that increase purchases with their existing customers, as well as effectively target and acquire new customers through partners or paid media channels.

One core component of live loyalty is gamification. We have gamified branding, loyalty and promotions. We believe this approach is essential in order to get customers’ attention and ultimately truly engage them with repeatable actions thereby winning their loyalty.

Check out some of our exciting/proven results here:

www.LiquidBarcodes.com

About Me:

Paula Thomas

Chief Content Officer, Liquid Barcodes and Independent Loyalty Consultant.

With over twenty-five years marketing experience, I specialise in loyalty marketing consulting, managing consumer loyalty propositions, strategy and operations. In addition to working with Liquid Barcodes, my clients have included Telefonica O2, Three Mobile, Electric Ireland, Allied Irish Bank and The Entertainer, as well as Avios – the global points currency for some of the world’s top airlines. I am also a judge for the Loyalty Magazine Awards. 

—————————————————————————————–


Blog post

5 Cs of Summer: Cold Coffee, Clean Cars & Convenience

Subscription programs are a great way to secure long-term customer loyalty and revenue. Whether you are providing a subscription for beverages or car washes, securing recurring monthly revenue is imperative to stay competitive.   Summer is around the corner and retail marketers are crafting sunny campaigns to increase customer traffic to the store. Help those […]

Blog post

Circle K Makes a Splash With Car Wash Subscription Program in Europe

Circle K has extended its highly successful car wash subscription program to Norway after successful implementations in the United States, Canada, Denmark, Sweden and Estonia. Circle K’s vast global network of car washes has digitally transformed operations with its revolutionary car wash subscription program. First launched in Denmark and the U.S. in 2020, the program […]

Blog post

Newly Redesigned Brezelkönig App Accepts Payments and Rewards Loyalty

Swiss foodservice chain Brezelkönig releases app update which offers customers the convenience of earning rewards and paying for products with the app in stores.  The recently-updated Brezelkönig app allows pretzel-loving customers to enjoy recognition and rewards for their loyalty. Additionally, the Brezelkönig app accepts payments to make the customer experience even more convenient.  Brezelkönig is […]

Blog post

Sunshine Gasoline Introduces ACH-Only Mobile Payment for Fuel

Florida convenience retailer releases fuel payment app accepting only ACH payment, saving thousands in payment processing fees for the retailer. Sunshine Gasoline upgraded its Max Carwash App to Sunshine Brand featuring a special fuel pay program, powered by C-StorePay by Liquid Barcodes, which allows consumers to conveniently pay for fuel using the app. Customers simply […]

Blog post

2022: An Outstanding Year for Liquid Barcodes and Our Customers

In 2022, Liquid Barcodes witnessed a year of unprecedented growth with customers, products and team members. Every great business has an inspiring founding story and Liquid Barcodes’ 10-year journey is inspiring the future of loyalty. Beginning as a startup in Norway, the company opened its second office in the United States in early 2022 and […]

Blog post

What Is C-StorePay?

Liquid Barcodes’ proprietary C-StorePay makes paying for fuel, in-store merchandise, and subscription programs convenient for customers, reduces credit card fees for retailers, and integrates easily into existing loyalty programs Announced in October 2022, the revolutionary Liquid Barcodes C-StorePay product rose to the top of retailers’ 2022 wish lists at the NACS Show, even achieving a […]

Blog post

Polish Retail Leader Żabka Launches Coffee Subscription Program

Polish retail giant, Żabka introduces a monthly coffee subscription program across its vast store network. With its new coffee subscription program, Żabka Polska will certainly dominate the beverage category in Poland’s unique convenience market. In July 2022, Dr. Adam Manikowski, Managing Director of Żabka Polska, was featured on the popular Global Convenience Store Focus video […]

Blog post

Loyalty Apps Engage Customers

98% of loyalty app users love using a loyalty app and want more features from it. In September 2022, NACS published a report examining customer engagement with convenience loyalty programs. Unsurprisingly, customers feel most engaged, appreciated and valued by the stores to which they belong in a loyalty or membership program – nearly ¾ of […]

Blog post

Save Thousands in Credit Card Fees With ACH

Visa and Mastercard announced an increase in interchange fees earlier in the year and retailers are taking action and sending a message by migrating their customers to new solutions, including mobile app-based ACH payments, and in the process increasing profits by not only reducing credit card fees but also boosting loyalty via innovative app-based incentive […]

Blog post

Maxol Launches First-of-Its-Kind Loyalty App

Maxol, Ireland’s largest family-owned forecourt and convenience retailer, announced it has launched a new customer loyalty app with never-before-seen features in the Irish market. After more than a century serving Irish customers, Maxol’s 240+ stores and service stations are located throughout Ireland and have enjoyed global recognition for their best-in-class operations, store design and offers. […]

Blog post

Delivering Personalized Content With Machine Learning and Image Recognition

Build personalized customer connections, improve efficiency, and make intelligent, data-driven decisions using machine learning and image recognition.   It’s 7:15 in the morning and a customer – Amy – is on her way to work. She is on the hunt for coffee and breakfast and stops at a convenience store. She opens her store app […]

Blog post

Circle K’s Use of Beacon Technology to Activate Car Wash Subscription Program

Beacon Technology and Car Wash Subscription Programs Beacon technology used in tandem with a customer-facing car wash subscription program revolutionizes the customer experience by providing a quick, convenient experience. Innovation is the key to continued growth and ensuring a frictionless customer experience should be top of mind for any retailer. Circle K’s vast global network […]

Liquid Barcodes

Put a rocket under your loyalty program

With our loyalty platform, we help design and operate world-class, tailor-made subscription and reward programs that make sure your customers always come back.

Book a Demo →

We are trusted by global brands.

Convenience retailers all over the world have engaged and rewarded consumers with our tailor-made loyalty programs.

To our case studies →

Liquid Barcodes
Liquid Barcodes
Liquid Barcodes
Liquid Barcodes

Convenience retailers all over the world have engaged and rewarded consumers with our tailor-made loyalty programs.

To our case studies →

Liquid Barcodes
Liquid Barcodes
Liquid Barcodes
Liquid Barcodes