The Shoppers effect: more loyalty programs for Canadian retailers

Wallets around Toronto are about to get a lot more full—not of cash, sadly (save for a few HST cheques), but of reward cards, as retailers scramble to revamp programs to engender customer loyalty. Wal-Mart is launching a reward program tied to its new bank (one more step in taking over the world) and MasterCard-issued plastic. Analysts are predicting that the program will prove to be stiff competition for other retailers, like Shoppers, whose Optimum card is considered the gold standard of loyalty cards.