Why hands-off systems fall short — and what clubs need instead

There’s a growing promise in the market: set up your loyalty program once, and let the system take care of the rest. Copy written. Segments chosen. Messages sent on schedule. It sounds efficient. It sounds modern. But it misses the point.

Why hands-off systems fall short — and what clubs need instead

There’s a growing promise in the market: set up your loyalty program once, and let the system take care of the rest. Copy written. Segments chosen. Messages sent on schedule. It sounds efficient. It sounds modern. But it misses the point.

Loyalty in Australia is no longer a given—it’s on trial. Members expect more than points and tiered benefits; they demand trust, transparency and genuine connection. When status rules change without clear perks, when AI operates behind a curtain of mystery, and when the loyalty market swells past US $1.2 billion, the brands that thrive will be those that evolve from transactional to relational.

You don’t have to be an airline to know this: a data breach is more than a technical failure—it’s a jolt to customer confidence. When Qantas revealed on July 2, 2025, that 5.7 million customer records were exposed via a third-party call-centre hack, it wasn’t just names and emails on the line. It was the bedrock of loyalty: trust.

Pubs and Clubs are at a pivotal moment—and how we respond to rising community expectations will define loyalty in hospitality.

Suburban venues are thriving. Post‑COVID shifts to remote work have driven local patrons back, and smart operators are leaning hard into convenience, value and community. It’s not about multi‑night promos—it’s about owning Thursday nights with a dependable local vibe.

At the same time, live‑music programs like Dune Rats’ collaboration with Tooheys are reminding us that pubs are cultural incubators, not just drink stops. That $10K donation? It’s not transactional—it’s communal.

In an era where competition for attention is fierce and consumer expectations continue to evolve, email and SMS stand out as the most direct and effective channels for hospitality venues to engage with their members. By 2025, SMS achieves an open rate of approximately 98%, with the vast majority of messages read within minutes of receipt. Email, meanwhile, maintains a strong open rate of around 20% and offers the space to tell richer, more compelling stories. Together, these channels form a powerful narrative that guides members from awareness through to loyalty.

Hospitality marketing in Australia stands at an inflection point in 2025. Traditional print ads and generic email blasts are giving way to immersive, data-driven strategies that captivate members on multiple fronts. Your venue’s next campaign must weave together technology, storytelling, and sustainability to leave a lasting impression. This white paper explores five transformative trends shaping the industry, illustrated with examples and practical steps you can take now.

The Australian loyalty landscape has transformed over recent years, moving far beyond simple point accrual schemes into sophisticated engines that drive genuine member engagement. By 2025, more than 86% of Australians are enrolled in at least one loyalty program, reflecting both consumer appetite and market saturation. Operators in hospitality—particularly clubs and pubs—face the challenge of differentiating themselves in a crowded field where points alone no longer suffice.

Australian loyalty programs are getting bolder, and clubs can swipe a few pages from their playbooks. Here’s a quick hit of five standout campaigns from retail and hospitality—and how your club can riff on each to turn members into true insiders.

In 2025, electronic gaming machines continue to shape the landscape of hospitality in New South Wales and Queensland, generating billions in revenue while grappling with evolving regulatory and harm-minimisation challenges. Operators across clubs and pubs are responding to shifting player preferences, technology upgrades, and policy adjustments, aiming to balance profitability with responsible practice.

You’ve read the headlines: Qantas climbs the Skytrax list, Qantas and David Jones unite their rewards, and Myer revamps Myer One with AI‑powered personalisation. What do these bold moves mean for Clubs and pubs? One thing: loyalty now lives in interconnected ecosystems, not isolated promotions.

With the start of restrictions lifting mid-September for vaccinated people, it’s only a matter of time and planning before clubs will be opening their doors.

There is no doubt that the pandemic has resulted in a tech boom, the likes we have not seen for quite some time.

Member Engagement = Member Loyalty = Member Retention

Facebook has its place – But targeted email and SMS is King

Finally, a solution to assist your members and visitors who don’t have a QR compatible smart phone or smart phone at all!

You’ve gone through the onboarding process. It is the new staff members first day and the first thing we do with them is an induction.

In this world of digital revolution – is it finally time to say goodbye to post?

Just because our messages are all similar during lockdown, doesn’t mean we have to lose all our personalisation in our communications. It feels like we are all awash in a sea of sameness

I once heard a good gaming room is like a Monopoly board. You have your Mayfair and Park Lane (High Denom) and you will also have your Old Kent Road and Whitechapel Road (20 cent betters)