In this episode of the CX Innovators podcast, Len Covello, CTO at Engage People, shares expert insights why no retailer today can get away without having a loyalty program and what a successful loyalty program should provide to shoppers.

Consumers are participating in 17.4 loyalty programs on average, and program members want more ways to earn rewards and more ways to redeem rewards and more than half, 76%, want transactional rewards such as discounts and cashback options, according to an Antavo report, Global Customer Loyalty Report 2025.

Yet despite growing consumer want and adoption there are year over year declines in overall satisfaction when it comes to loyalty programs.

In the podcast, produced by Networld Media Group and sponsored by Engage People, Covello maps out what a successful loyalty program requires and how Engage People, a loyalty provider, offers with its solution. Engage People was recently recognized at the 2025 Finovate Awards, where our Access Plus platform won the award for "Best Consumer-Facing Payments Solution.

In this episode of the CX Innovators podcast, Mark Frumkin, director of customer success at Modulate, shares expert insight on how online retailers can deploy AI tools to improve fraud detection, reduce harmful customer interactions and elevate both the agent and the customer experience.

The podcast is produced by Networld Media Group and sponsored by Modulate, which provides real-time conversational and voice intelligence technology for customer service and contact centers. Its solutions include ToxMod (real-time detection of harassment and abuse) and VoiceVault (fraud and identity verification through voice), which work in a safeguard agent role against abusive callers, protecting customers from scams and fraud, and ensuring compliance — all while reducing call times and friction in the customer experience.

Frumkin leads a team in partnering with customers in the gaming and retail delivery space, including Activision, Riot Games and Rockstar Games. He oversees Modulate's customer success strategy, ensuring smooth onboarding and ongoing successful outcomes for customers, helping them to detect and prevent abuse and fraud in their voice channels and phone lines. Before joining Modulate, Mark was a consultant at Deloitte, where he led projects to deliver cutting-edge technology solutions across various industries.

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Music plays a pivotal role in the retail customer experience as well as retailer's success.

As Ola Sars, CEO of Soundtrack Technologies, shares with Judy Mottl, editor of Retail Customer Experience, in this episode of the CX Innovators podcast, music has become a CX strategy that can drive customer loyalty as well as revenue.

Sars was a co-founder and COO of Beats Music, a subscription streaming service acquired by Apple in 2014 in a $3 billion dollar deal and which eventually transformed into Apple Music.

The Stockholm-based serial music tech entrepreneur is a 2024 Billboard International Power Player. Initially developed in a joint effort with Spotify, Soundtrack serves over 80,000 businesses across 74 countries with a music catalog of more than 100 million tracks available for commercial use.

Check out the Networld Media Group YouTube channel to catch up on past CX Innovators podcasts.

In this episode of the CX Innovators podcast Judy Mottl, editor of Retail Customer Experience, talks with Dr. Steven Stovall, Ph.D., associate professor of management at Southeast Missouri State University, on how the Gen Z consumer is impacting the retail customer experience strategy.

Stovall is former corporate executive who managed a global sales team overseeing $7.5 billion in annual revenue and has continued his entrepreneurial pursuits, starting a restaurant, an antique resale business and a hops farm. His unique combination of academic expertise and real-world business ownership makes him a compelling voice on how brands can effectively navigate changing consumer values.

In this episode of the CX Innovators podcast, Chris King, CEO of Monster Mini Golf; shares insight on how the indoor family entertainment brand fulfills its 'philosophy of fun' and why it's the center piece of the brand's customer experience strategy.

Monster Mini Golf is an indoor family entertainment brand with 30-plus franchise locations across the U.S. and Canada. The entertainment centers offer an 18-hole custom designed blacklight mini golf course, state-of-the-art arcade, party and event rooms with optional laser maze, laser tag, bowling and virtual reality experiences.

Subscribe to Networld Media Group's YouTube channel to keep up with the latest CX Innovators podcasts. You can also find all RetailCustomerExperience.com podcasts here as well.

In this episode of the CX Innovators podcast, Marios Savvides, founder, chairman and CTO at UltronAI, offers insight on how AI and computer vision can educe retail shrink, optimize operations and improve the customer experience

Savvides is a leader in AI computer vision, having spent decades working on AI models that solve complex identification challenges. His research in facial and object recognition has been used by the U.S. government and recognized by major global institutions. He is the founder and director of the Trustworthy AI Biometrics Center at Carnegie Mellon University and the Bossa Nova Robotics Professor of AI at Carnegie Mellon. He has authored and co-authored over 240 journal and conference publications and has an IP portfolio that includes over 70 filed patent applications with 50 issued patents.

Subscribe to Networld Media Group's YouTube channel to keep up with the latest CX Innovators podcasts. You can also find all RetailCustomerExperience.com podcasts here as well.

In this episode of the CX Innovators podcast, Nick Nickitas, general manager, local independent grocery, at Instacart, gives the scoop on Instacart's AI-powered Caper Cart innovation and all the wins the smart cart technology provides to shoppers, grocers, retailers and brands. Caper Carts are equipped with cameras, sensors and a built-in scale, which work together with an Edge AI system to automatically recognize items as they are placed in the cart. Once added, shoppers are able to watch their running cost total — similar to an online shopping cart. The carts feature an interactive screen that tracks spending, provides access to deals and offers product recommendations based on the customer's location in the store and the cart's contents. Integrated with loyalty programs, Caper Carts allow customers to access personalized promotions and rewards throughout their shopping.

In this episode of the CX Innovators podcast, Chris Gillen, CEO and co-owner of A Closer Look, shares insight with RetailCustomerExperience.com editor Judy Mottl on how brands can drive strong customer loyalty through great experiences rather than discounts and sales.

A Closer Look helps companies create the kind of connections with customers that last longer than a promotional offer. For more than 25 years, A Closer Look has worked with brands that want to truly understand their customer experience and fix the problems that hurt loyalty and profits. It does this by combining customer feedback with detailed analysis to help brands build stronger relationships with their customers. Subscribe to Networld Media Group's YouTube channel to keep up with the latest CX Innovators podcasts. You can also find all RetailCustomerExperience.com podcasts here as well.