United Airlines Takes Equity Stake in Dfinitiv to Advance Commerce Media and Loyalty Program Priorities

United Airlines Takes Equity Stake in Dfinitiv to Advance Commerce Media and Loyalty Program Priorities

Introducing the First Commerce Experience Platform SmartCXP™

Dfinitiv SmartCXP™ integrates commerce media into customer journeys for loyalty programs, seamlessly combining brand and partner content together with ads. It delivers the right content at the right time, and most importantly with the right experience.

We call this a commerce experience.

Combining loyalty program insights, together with engagement signals, improves content relevance for users resulting in higher revenues.

Discover how a commerce experience platform can unlock significant new revenue streams for your loyalty program.

Loyalty Networks Are Discovering There’s Gold in their Ecosystems

Commerce media is evolving beyond traditional retail; with loyalty ecosystems poised to lead its next wave. Learn how a commerce experience platform unlocks this opportunity.

Be the first to learn how a Commerce Experience Platform can help drive revenue from your Loyalty Network by registering to receive our upcoming white paper below:

Solutions for Loyalty Ecosystems

Airlines

Financial Institutions

Travel & Hospitality

“We look for differentiated technologies, thoughtful user experience design, and strong management teams that can scale. We believe Dfinitiv checks every box - and the versatility of their platform across multiple industries, including loyalty programs like MileagePlus, financial services, connected media platforms like Kinective Media, and travel only enhances potential revenue streams.”

Andrew Chang, Head of United Airlines Ventures

This collaboration marks a significant milestone in our mission to revolutionize commerce experiences and drive new, sustainable growth across industries. Together, we’re poised to transform how businesses engage with customers and unlock new avenues for success.

The Next Boom in Ad Spending:

Beyond Retail to Airlines, Travel and Financial Services

 
Commerce Media Ad Spending for US nonretail commerce media (source)

“eMarketer’s finding that non‑retail verticals like financial services and travel are applying retail media strategies to monetize their first-party data ”

Source: "First-party data is reshaping the marketing landscape". eMarketer

Beyond Retail

Loyalty ecosystems have a competitive edge with first-party data, but are missing a commerce experience.

Airlines, financial institutions, and travel brands already have a competitive edge.

As Sarah Marzano, Principal Analyst at eMarketer, explains, "These companies can leverage many of the same advantages as retailers, with high purchase intent, frequent audiences, and granular purchase data. They also have unique opportunities, such as incorporating cross-merchant purchase behavior." Companies with access to this data are now actively exploring how to harness it within commerce media environments.

Without the right infrastructure, this value remains locked in disconnected apps, outdated rewards, and underutilized touchpoints.

Dfinitiv’s Commerce Experience Platform, SmartCXP™, unlocks this potential by transforming loyalty programs into fully monetizable commerce media networks. By seamlessly embedding offers, branded content, and partner promotions into the customer journey, SmartCXP™ drives new revenue without disrupting core experiences.

  • We created a new category: the Commerce Experience Platform, tailored to empower non-retailers.

    We are a mobile-first, composable platform enabling airlines, banks, and loyalty programs to launch and extend their own Commerce Media Networks.

    We bridge the gaps in fragmented customer experiences and monetize high-trust relationships and frequent digital engagement.

  • Most loyalty programs weren’t built for real commerce experiences. As BCG* points out, many non-retail brands will need to start from scratch to create integrated, merchant-funded commerce media that truly connects with customers - instead of relying on generic promotions that often miss the mark.

    What’s missing?
    ✅ A seamless experience layer that unifies offers, rewards, and shopping journeys.
    ✅ Deep integration across partners and content inside a commerce media network.
    ✅ The infrastructure to deliver personalized, contextual moments that inspire spending - not just collecting points.

    Without this foundation, loyalty ecosystems stay stuck with outdated apps and underused touchpoints. That’s the gap Dfinitiv’s SmartCXP™ was built to fill.

    *Source: BCG, Commerce Media Is Changing Customer Connection, 2025

  • Non-retail commerce media is booming - with projected ad spend soaring past $10 billion and a staggering 35.1% CAGR through 2026. By 2027, non-retail commerce media networks will rank just behind retail, becoming the next major force in advertising.

    The market is moving, and with retail media networks paving the way to showcase potential to scale, non-retailer commerce loyalty ecosystems can monetize the fastest.

  • Why choose SmartCXP™

    The game has changed - your customers are already on mobile.
    Legacy programs weren’t built for this shift. Building your own commerce media experience from scratch takes years - and your audience won’t wait.

    SmartCXP™ changes the equation:

    • A ready-to-deploy, mobile-first commerce experience stack

    • Rapid launch of your branded app or platform

    • Customer-first design that drives engagement and spend

    • Full-funnel, measurable attribution tied directly to revenue

    The payoff?

    • Higher engagement & conversion

    • New, incremental revenue streams

    • A scalable flywheel powered by loyal customers, rich first-party data, and premium advertiser demand

    Outpace competitors. Unlock revenue. Lead the market.

Why SmartCXP™ Works for You

SmartCXP™ - Seamless Integration, Timely Delivery, and Real-Time Insights to Drive Revenue

  • Integrate Across Partners & Brands

    Easily enable brands and partners to publish owned media content directly, integrate with affiliate networks and aggregators.

  • Orchestration & Delivery

    Deliver the right offer through the right channel at the perfect moment - whether it’s on your loyalty app, ATM, kiosk, or in-flight screen - ensuring each customer interaction feels timely and relevant.

  • Experience Layer

    Engage users with a captivating commerce experience. Imagine a traveler looking for dinner: instantly offer a map of nearby dining options, swipeable rewards, and shoppable videos, all within your branded app.

  • Analytics & Attribution

    Track every customer touchpoint - video views, swipes, redemptions, and purchases - to prove ROI and optimize campaigns based on real-time insights.

  • Partner Publishing

    Enable partners of all sizes to publish, promote, and personalize offers within your ecosystem, driving incremental revenue and enriching the content experience for your users.

Drive More Revenue From Your Loyalty Program

Your loyalty program holds a goldmine of untapped ad dollars. It's time to turn that engagement into premium, scalable commerce media - quickly. Activate your first-party data, unlock new revenue streams from non-endemic brand partners, and prove ROI across every owned channel.

Ad budgets are shifting toward ecosystems that can demonstrate reach, relevance, and results. If you're not capturing this demand...

Someone else will be.

Why Wait? Book a demo today to see the future of your loyalty program live.