What: An assessment of 12 suppliers based on 28 criterion to help decisions-makers.

Why it is important:  53% of B2C marketing decision-makers plan to increase their spend on loyalty technology in 2023.

Forrester has conducted a research based on 28 criterion, in order to assess the pros and cons of 12 loyalty technology providers: Annex Cloud, Bond Brand Loyalty, Capillary Technologies, Comarch, Epsilon, Kobie, Mastercard, Merkle, Oracle, Punchh, Salesforce, and Tenerity. The report shows how each provider measures up and helps B2C marketing professionals select the right one for their needs.

When it comes to the three top contenders being Epsilon, Capillary Technologies, and Kobie:

1. Epsilon: Owned by the Publicis Groupe, Epsilon's loyalty solution is a part of their PeopleCloud platform. They focus on creating long-lasting emotional connections between brands and customers. Their platform is praised for its data management and preference management capabilities. They aim to optimize their platform further by focusing on AI and machine learning.
2. Capillary Technologies: Their offerings include a commerce solution, a customer data platform (CDP), and a loyalty platform. Their Loyalty+ platform stands out due to its robust functionality and AI-powered capabilities. They have plans to make tactical enhancements focusing on industry readiness, usability, and marketing planning.
3. Kobie: With a focus on driving both short-term customer engagement and long-term brand devotion, Kobie's vision is centered around building loyalty across the customer lifecycle. They offer strong services support and are planning to introduce more reward options and CDP integrations. Their platform excels in program structure and loyalty measurement capabilities.

When it comes to the strong performers in the realm of loyalty solution technologies, including Comarch, Oracle CrowdTwist, Tenerity, Salesforce, and Bond:

1. Comarch: After launching their SaaS loyalty offering, Comarch has invested significantly in platform improvements and its go-to-market strategy. Their focus is on community engagement, and their platform is known for advanced member profile management and fraud prevention. However, they lack strong metrics to track emotional loyalty and member engagement.
2. Oracle CrowdTwist: Oracle's loyalty platform, CrowdTwist, aims at delivering revenue-generating brand experiences. It has solid capabilities for setting up and managing loyalty programs and is known for loyalty marketing coordination and fraud management. However, it lacks flexibility in modularity and has limited self-service capabilities for clients.
3. Tenerity: Formerly known as cxLoyalty, Tenerity offers a modular approach that allows brands to purchase only the components they need. Their platform is adaptable and modern, with capabilities to manage and measure loyalty promotions, although they lack strong fraud management capabilities.
4. Salesforce: Salesforce launched a loyalty platform in early 2021 and focuses on helping marketers acquire and build lasting relationships with customers. Their platform is noted for its strong privacy capabilities, but it lags behind in rewards and benefits management and emotional loyalty measurement.
5. Bond: Bond provides a loyalty platform and services for North American brands, with plans to expand into EMEA. Their platform offers loyalty program management and optimization capabilities. However, their technology lags in scalability, and their vision and roadmap lack focus on some important areas.

Finally, when it comes to the contenders, Mastercard, Merkle, Annex Cloud, and Punchh :

1. Mastercard: Having acquired SessionM in 2019, Mastercard has improved its merchant loyalty capabilities. It offers sound data management and program optimization capabilities, particularly for brands operating in multiple geographies. However, it lags in areas such as content management, marketing coordination, and emotional loyalty measurement.
2. Merkle: As part of the dentsu agency network, Merkle offers a wide range of industry and marketing experience to its clients. Its LoyaltyPlus program provides robust member profiles and data management capabilities. Merkle excels in privacy thought leadership and emotional loyalty measurement, but it lacks proactive notifications of potential fraud and would benefit from an integration with a marketing resource management vendor.
3. Annex Cloud: Annex Cloud offers a Loyalty Experience Platform that provides solid program management and measurement capabilities. However, it is in a state of flux, rebuilding its strategy and product vision after a change in leadership. Although they've made a strategic hire in privacy, their capabilities in this area remain primarily compliance-focused.
4. Punchh: Acquired by restaurant tech company PAR in 2021, Punchh focuses on loyalty offerings for restaurants and quick-service restaurants (QSRs). Their platform serves the promotion-focused needs of these establishments and has strong loyalty marketing capabilities. However, it lags in areas such as member data management and experiential rewards support.

Forrester’s assessment of the top 12 loyaty tech solutions providers