Epsilon was named a leader in the July 2019 report “The Forrester Wave: Loyalty Service Providers, Q3 2019” and in “The Forrester Wave: Loyalty Technology Platforms, Q2 2019” for its Agility Loyalty solution.

Not only was Epsilon named a leader twice, it was also the only company that was named a leader in both evaluations.

Epsilon’s capabilities to build interactions with its customers is part of why Forrester recognized the interaction management company in two reports.

“Its full-service offering brings together traditional loyalty services like strategy and program design with omnichannel orchestration capabilities, analytics and data augmentation to make ‘every interaction count,’ regardless of whether or not a consumer is enrolled in the loyalty program,” Forrester said in a statement.

Epsilon helps brands know customers better

The Q3 2019 report was authored by Emily Collins, a principal analyst at Forrester.

“We believe these recognitions are a proof point of our unique ability to deliver business outcomes by helping brands know consumers better, anticipate their needs, and optimize personalized interactions across customer touchpoints,” Bryan Kennedy, the CEO of Epsilon-Conversant, said. “Epsilon was built around the belief that tech for tech’s sake doesn’t work. We believe that every brand experience should be personal and purposeful, and every customer wants to be recognized, respected, and protected.”

Almost all U.S.-based adults that go online belong to a loyalty program, according to a Forrester report, but only 44 percent of them think that these programs actually make them feel more loyal to a brand.

Also according to the research business, 62 percent of the surveyed companies are planning to increase their spending on loyalty in the next year by at least 5 percent.

“Marketers need strategic guidance to make the most of their programs and, more importantly, to contextualize the role of the program in a larger strategy for earning, recognizing, and maintaining customer loyalty regardless of whether that customer is a loyalty program member,” Forrester said in its report.

Forrester evaluated 14 loyalty service providers

Forrester noted that Epsilon’s loyalty services and well-rounded offerings make it preferable choice for businesses looking for a dependable partner who’s driven by data.

Epsilon was the biggest loyalty practice that Forrester evaluated, which has “thousands of employees focused on delivering loyalty services for enterprise firms,” according to Forrester.

Forrester Research said that its evaluation included a review of 13 other major loyalty service providers along with Epsilon.

The evaluation was based on 22 criterion and Epsilon received the highest scores possible in 13 of these factors, including the loyalty strategy services, loyalty program management services, data management services and privacy, and security criteria within the current offering category.

Epsilon was acquired earlier this year by Publicis Groupe, a French multinational advertising and public relations company, from Alliance Data Systems Corp., a Plano-based global provider of data-driven marketing and loyalty solutions. The deal, announced in April, closed earlier this month.