News Briefs
- 10/16/2023
Amazon, Booking.com, Expedia Group, Glassdoor, Tripadvisor, and Trustpilot Launch First Global Coalition for Trusted Reviews
Today, Amazon, Booking.com, Expedia Group, Glassdoor, Tripadvisor, and Trustpilot announced they have teamed up to launch the global Coalition for Trusted Reviews, a cross-industry collaboration committed to protecting access to trustworthy consumer reviews worldwide. Together, members will define best practices for hosting online reviews and sharing methods of fake review detection, aiming to stop fake reviews at the source.
Companies met in October 2022 in San Francisco at the first ever Fake Reviews Conference, organized by Tripadvisor. Attendees heard from experts in government, academia, and the industry at large on common challenges and potential mitigation approaches related to the issue of fake reviews. This resulted in the establishment of a formal coalition to collaborate on public education and ongoing information sharing between members, in an effort to decrease review fraud.
The group has agreed to engage in several key areas to protect consumers and partners from fake reviews, working to help ensure the public is not misled by fraudulent content, including:
Industry Alignment. Developing common standards and definitions for use throughout the industry around what constitutes a fake review and other content moderation nomenclature and measurement.
Best Practice Sharing. Defining best practices for hosting online reviews and sharing information on updated content moderation process and methods of fake review detection.
Information Sharing. Sharing information relating to how fraudulent actors operate, such as companies selling fake reviews to businesses seeking to unfairly and improperly improve their reputations.
Advocacy. Engaging with academics and public policy leaders to promote the benefits to consumers of review content and support industry efforts to combat fake reviews from being published.
The coalition is dedicated to upholding the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and accountability. Through collaborative initiatives, they aim to set new standards for maintaining the authenticity of reviews, instilling confidence in consumers worldwide.
Coalition members will next meet in Brussels on December 5th and 6th the second conference, organized by Amazon.
Amazon
“Customer reviews are an important part of the shopping experience, and the goal of this coalition is to ensure every review reflects customers’ actual experiences,” said Dharmesh Mehta, Amazon’s vice president of Worldwide Selling Partner Services. “Amazon is aggressively fighting fake review brokers to protect our customers and selling partners, but these fraudsters are a global problem, impacting multiple industry sectors. Through greater collaboration and sharing across industries, including information on fraudsters’ tactics and how they operate, we can more effectively shut down fraudulent review activity, deter other bad actors from attempting to game our systems, and protect more consumers.”
Booking.com
“With more than 300 million verified reviews from real guests on our platform, we are actively invested in ensuring the ongoing credibility of our program, both for travelers and our partners,” said Spencer Mott, Chief Security Officer at Booking.com. “From machine learning fraud detection models to custom-made tooling for our teams of experienced moderators, we are continuously enhancing our efforts, including through collaborating with this coalition of like minded platforms. Together we can explore best practices and learn from each other, thereby increasing awareness across the industry to the benefit of an even wider array of consumers and businesses.”
Expedia Group
“Authentic reviews are crucial for travelers when booking accommodations, destinations, and experiences,” said CJ Allen, Vice President, Marketplace Experience & Trust, Expedia Group. We use technology not only to detect fraudulent postings but also to implement a human touch, further validating the honesty and transparency of reviews. Expedia Group takes pride in participating in this coalition to combat these fake actors, who pose a direct threat to our industry's most valuable asset: trust.”
Glassdoor
“Job seekers rely on the integrity and authenticity of anonymous reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to confidently make decisions about jobs and companies to work for,” said Cara Barry, Glassdoor Director of Content and Community. “Glassdoor’s moderation team is constantly evolving our multi-tier technological and human review processes to prevent fake reviews on our platform, but we recognize that we must continue to innovate with new approaches. We look forward to closer collaboration with our industry partners to create new frameworks to mitigate fake reviews and maintain trust in content on Glassdoor and elsewhere online.”
Tripadvisor
“The trust that consumers and partners have in our platforms and businesses is a top priority for the members of this coalition, all of whom agreed to join together to fight fake review content on the Internet. To further maintain the credibility and authenticity of reviews on our platforms, we aim to make it increasingly difficult for fraudulent actors who try to deceive our customers to operate online,” said Becky Foley, Vice President, Trust & Safety, Tripadvisor. “Combating these operators, particularly those attempting to sell fake reviews to companies looking to improve their online reputations, will be an immediate area of focus. These actors often operate outside of jurisdictions with a legal framework to shut down fraudulent activity, making robust cooperation even more important.”
Trustpilot
“Trust is at the heart of every decision consumers make to buy products and services, especially online. Reviews help to fuel confidence, which makes it imperative that consumers can rely on the reviews they read, and know that they are genuine and authentic, said Carolyn Jameson, Chief Trust and Consumer Officer at Trustpilot. “At Trustpilot we’re always innovating, searching for different avenues to take on fake review sellers and businesses who try to manipulate feedback written about them. Greater collaboration and sharing of ideas across the reviews industry, through the Coalition for Trusted Reviews will undoubtedly be a major boost in the global fight against fraud and deception as we work to combat those who seek to undermine trust online.”
- 9/14/2023
Domino's Updates Rewards Program
Domino's Pizza Inc. introduces its new and improved loyalty program.
Domino's Rewards offers loyalty members even more opportunities to earn and redeem points across its corporate and franchise store locations. Domino's enhanced rewards program allows customers to:
- Earn points for less
- Loyalty members will now earn 10 points on every order of $5 or more
- Redeem points for even more menu items – and earn free Domino's after just two orders
- Members can redeem a variety of points for more menu items:
- 20 points: A free dipping cup, a 16-piece order of Parmesan Bread Bites or a 20 oz. drink
- 40 points: An order of Bread Twists or Stuffed Cheesy Bread
- 60 points: A medium, two-topping pizza; pasta; Oven-Baked Sandwich; or a 3-piece order of Chocolate Lava Crunch Cakes
- Members can redeem a variety of points for more menu items:
- Earn more rewards
- Loyalty perks are now even better, as members will have exclusive access to member-only deals, special discounts and opportunities to earn bonus points!
"We are thrilled to give the brand's loyal customers additional ways to earn free Domino's items more often," said Mark Messing, Domino's vice president of digital experience and loyalty. "At a time when most brands are scaling back their loyalty programs and making it more difficult to earn and redeem points, Domino's is doing the opposite. We want to make it easier to reward our customers and give them more options so they can get rewarded faster."
Marketing a LTO
From now until Oct. 22, 2023, rewards members can take advantage of a limited time offer to redeem 20 points for a free order of Domino's new Pepperoni Stuffed Cheesy Bread, which is normally a 40-point redemption, in celebration of the product's recent launch.
- Earn points for less
- 10/4/2023
Chipotle Tests Digital Make Line
Chipotle Mexican Grill is testing an automated digital makeline in collaboration with Hyphen, a foodservice platform designed to help restaurant owners, operators, and budding chefs move their business forward by automating kitchen operations. Bowls and salads are created by an automated system that moves the entrées through the bottom makeline where ingredients for the order are dispensed automatically. In tandem, a Chipotle team member can leverage the top makeline to create burritos, tacos, quesadillas, and kid's meals for the same digital order.
How It Works
- Digital orders would be placed via the Chipotle app, Chipotle.com, or third-party platforms.
- If the order included a bowl or salad, those entrées would be routed to Hyphen's automated system. The bowl traverses along the bottom makeline and positions itself under the specified ingredient container. The intelligent dispensers dynamically portion each ingredient into the bowl. If the order included burritos, tacos, quesadillas, or kid's meals, a Chipotle team member would use the top of the same makeline to create those entrées.
- The completed bowl or salad would be raised from the bottom makeline and revealed at the end of the makeline through an opening in the countertop. A Chipotle team member would place a lid on the entrée and add any final items such as chips, side salsas, or guacamole to the order.
- Completed orders would be placed in their designated pick-up area: in-restaurant pickup shelves, walk-up window, or Chipotlane.
Employee & Guest Experience
Approximately 65% of all Chipotle digital orders are bowls or salads, so the cobotic digital makeline has the potential to free up more time for employees to service the front makeline and deliver exceptional hospitality, while simultaneously increasing capacity for digital orders during peak periods.The new digital makeline could also help enhance digital order accuracy, improving the guest experience.
"Chipotle's new digital makeline built by Hyphen embodies our commitment to leveraging robotics to unlock the human potential of our workforce, ensuring an elevated dining experience for our guests," said Curt Garner, Chief Customer and Technology Officer. "Our goal is to have the automated digital makeline be the centerpiece of all our restaurants' digital kitchens."
Chipotle's Investment in Hyphen
Chipotle invested in Hyphen as part of Cultivate Next, the company's $50 million venture fund that intends to make early-stage investments into strategically aligned companies that further its mission to Cultivate a Better World and help accelerate its aggressive growth plans. As a people-first company, Chipotle is seeking opportunities that will elevate the human experience for its teams as well as increase access and convenience for its guests. Investments may include innovations in farming and supply chain, advanced robotics, alternative proteins, and more.Through Cultivate Next, Chipotle also invested in Vebu, a product development company that works with food industry leaders to co-create intelligent automation and technology solutions. Earlier this year, Chipotle and Vebu unveiled the Autocado, an avocado processing cobotic prototype that cuts, cores, and peels avocados before they are hand mashed to create the restaurant's famous guacamole.
image courtesy of Chipotle
- 10/15/2023
Denny’s Hires Pankaj Patra as Chief Digital and Technology Officer
Denny’s Corporation announced the hiring of Pankaj Patra as Chief Digital and Technology Officer (CDTO), effective October 30. This is a newly created enterprise role that will include support for Denny’s and Keke’s. Patra will be responsible for accelerating the company’s capabilities across all specialties within the Digital, Technology and Information functions.
Patra comes to Denny’s from Brinker International, Inc., where he served as Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer, responsible for overseeing information technology and data security for the company and its restaurants brands. Patra brings 25 years of experience as an innovative enterprise technology architect, digital strategist and information technology leader.
“Denny’s is an iconic restaurant company that understands and values the connection between great people and smart technology. I am looking forward to working collaboratively across the company to identify opportunities for improvement and implement exciting, innovative, transformative solutions,” said Patra.
Patra earned his undergraduate degree from the National Institute of Technology, Rourkela and went on to attain his MBA from Southern Methodist University. He is a member of the Dallas chapter of the International Food and Beverage Technology Association.
Patra is based in Dallas. Michael Furlow, Denny’s Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer, will remain on staff through the end of the year to support the transition. For more information, please visit dennys.com.
- 10/17/2023
WorkJam Expands Partnership with Blue Yonder
WorkJam has expanded its long-term partnership with Blue Yonder, a provider of digital supply chain transformation and omni-channel commerce fulfillment. This expanded partnership will seamlessly bring together the best of Blue Yonder’s Workforce Management (WFM) solution and WorkJam’s digital frontline workplace to unlock value for joint customers.
Enterprise customers that use Blue Yonder’s WFM have long been able to access WorkJam’s Open Shift Marketplace, but now they will also be able to empower and fully orchestrate their frontline workforce with WorkJam’s integrated task management, two-way communications and frontline learning tools.
“We’ve worked successfully with Blue Yonder for more than five years and are thrilled to hit this new milestone to offer the best solution on the market,” “By extending the integration of our solutions, we expand Blue Yonder’s offering and provide better value for headquarters and their frontline teams around the world. Our complementary solutions ensure that enterprises across the retail, supply chain, manufacturing, distribution, and hospitality sectors can equip their frontline workers with tools and technology that improve productivity, engagement and retention,” said Rich Halbert, Chief Strategy Officer, WorkJam.
Blue Yonder is on a mission to reinvent and reenergize the workforce management industry through innovation through composable microservices. By extending their partnership, WorkJam and Blue Yonder are leveraging their platforms’ synergies and providing their growing enterprise customer base with best-in-class solutions across the four operational pillars of frontline work—scheduling, task management, communications, and training and learning. Such collaboration helps customers generate operational efficiencies and realize significant returns on their digital transformation investments.
- 10/17/2023
Makeready Partners with PTO Exchange
Makeready, a Dallas-based experience hospitality, restaurant and retail management group, announces a new benefits initiative in partnership with PTO Exchange, a company which enables employees to transfer unused PTO to different benefits. This year, Makeready became the first hospitality group to join forces with PTO Exchange, giving all Makeready employees the opportunity to transfer their unused paid time off to financial, wellness and philanthropic benefits.
“We are so pleased to be partnering with PTO Exchange to bring these unique benefits to our deserving employees,” said Christine Magrann, president and COO of Makeready. “We strive to create unique experiences for our guests while providing the best work environment for our rapidly growing team, and this partnership allows us to continue this work.”
- Retention: Give Employees Multiple Reasons to Stay
Makeready’s partnership with PTO Exchange offers employees benefits including travel, education, 401K contributions, HSA savings account and philanthropic donations, among others. Outside of this benefit, Makeready incorporates a variety of wellness initiatives including free counseling services and company-wide wellness programs including the upcoming April Stress Awareness Month, which provides employees the opportunity to participate in different ways to deal with stress. Makeready also offers a student loan repayment program and tuition assistance program to help with financial and intellectual wellness.
The partnership with PTO Exchange is a reflection of Makeready’s brand growth, with new properties on the horizon and streamlining processes in the form of a newly launched GDS system.
Headquartered in Dallas, Makeready was founded in 2015 and develops unique experiences that are an essential part of each community, cultivating deep, emotional connections across guests, teams and local brands. Since its conception, the hospitality company has grown its portfolio to more than nine hotels and 24 restaurants, bars and coffee shops, in discerning locations such as Charleston, Dallas, Denver, Nashville, Savannah, Cape Neddick, Phoenix, and Columbus, with more exciting developments on the horizon for 2024.