Ideas for leaders building growth across markets, partnerships and experiences.
Perspectives on the commercial questions that sit between a differentiated proposition and a scalable business, from partnership economics and international growth to loyalty, embedded travel and Experience Capital™.
The aim is not to repeat received wisdom. It is to make familiar problems more useful by describing what is really happening underneath them.
Travel and the retail media revolution
Retail media is booming, but some brands are maxing out their owned and operated assets, and ad fatigue is setting in. Travel is the next high-margin vertical to plug in. Discover how embedded travel can enhance your media revenues, drive conversion, and offer better brand alignment than traditional digital ads.
Affiliate fatigue: why cashback platforms and brands should own the travel booking journey
Learn how white-label travel solutions can boost margins beyond traditional affiliate cashback models. Discover how embedded travel can turn thin commissions into profitable, branded experiences
Travel rewards are the loyalty currency that matters
Explore how loyalty programmes across Europe are evolving in 2025. With travel preferences changing and traditional points schemes under pressure, discover how embedding travel can revitalise engagement and boost long-term loyalty.
Reimagining employee benefits with travel-as-a-service
Discover how employee benefits are evolving across Europe in 2025. With wellbeing and flexibility in focus, travel is emerging as a high-value, low-overhead perk that drives loyalty and retention.
Travel-as-a-Service: Why It Matters Now
Travel-as-a-Service is reshaping how businesses outside the travel space engage and monetise.
📌 Embed travel in your platform without building a travel company.
📌 Give customers or members experiences—not just discounts.
📌 Unlock new revenue, loyalty, and relevance.
Travel: the loyalty currency of the future?
• Consumer brands who offer premium products in relevant categories can help improve brand loyalty, with experiential travel being called out specifically by McKinsey & Company in their 2024 State of the Consumer report.
• Travel-as-a-service is starting to catch on. Integrating embedded travel into apps and reward systems drives deeper engagement, and commercial opportunity. 📱👩🏻💻
If you’re a business looking to get into the business of travel, we should talk! ☎️📧🙋🏻♀️
Why the mql is dead and you should focus on ‘mels’ instead
In today’s world of 𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢-𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧-𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠, focusing on Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs) isn’t cutting it anymore.
Enter the 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝 (𝐌𝐄𝐋) – a game changer for B2B marketing and sales.
Data is your brand's gold - leveraging your loyalty program to drive business growth and monetisation
Unlock the power of loyalty programs to drive business growth!
Ever wondered how to turn customer insights from your loyalty program into business growth & monetisation? Check out my latest blog post on how zero and first-party data from loyalty programs are transforming the retail industry and why retail media networks are here to stay!
Building Trust and Loyalty in the Age of Transparency: Strategies for Authentic Brand-Customer Relationships
I've been getting stuck back into Simon Sinek's Start With Why, and it got me thinking about the importance of authenticity, integrity and the need for transparency.
As someone who works with brands on building loyalty and customer engagement programs, it got me thinking about the importance of building authentic relationships with customers as a first step, and why trust has to be earned. Consumers are savvy these days, demanding genuine connection and the expectation that the brands they choose to engage with are 'real'.
Recognising the Power of Incentives and Rewards in Banking: A Paradigm Shift in Customer Engagement
Following the news of Chase Bank's launch of their retail media network, it got me thinking about how incentive and reward programs are the future for banks and financial institutions, and why they're such a value driver. So, I wrote an article about it. Enjoy!
Building a compelling loyalty program that drives behaviour beyond transactions...
By going beyond transactions and cultivating lasting relationships with your customers, your program can create a loyal customer base that champions your brand, reduces costs and improves profitability, and that's what it's all about!
About the author
Vicki Wickens is an international commercial leader, strategist and founder of Taking Shape. She writes about commercial growth, partnerships, loyalty, customer experience and the value created through experience.