Benchmark of Fashion & Retail loyalty programs

Our latest benchmark, the fruit of many hours of in-depth work, has revealed the key issues in terms of customer loyalty in the Fashion & Retail industry. After analyzing and synthesizing the strategies of major brands, it emerged they tend to adopt innovative approaches regarding their loyalty programs. From customer adapted reward systems to enhanced personalization, challenges to complete (based on gamification) to exclusives experiences : there are plenty of possibilities !

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DEVELOPING INNOVATIVE FUNCTIONALITIES TO STRENGTHEN CUSTOMER LOYALTY

As a customer, a qualitative shopping experience means more than just finding the right product and being satisfied with it. It also means benefiting from an adapted and personalized user experience (UX), both online and in-store (through size availability, geolocation of nearest stores, product recommendations...). On smartphones, brands’ apps are the perfect place to implement this type of functionality.

UNIQLO, for example, has developed its own app, enabling customers themselves to scan the barcode of an item and see which sizes are available in which stores, which other colors are available online... This innovative functionality creates a real advantage for customers who no longer have to find an available salesperson to help them. Their in-store experience is therefore easier and more fluid (thanks to an immediate response), which is very likely to strengthen their loyalty to UNIQLO.

Similarly, fashion brand ZARA now enables their app users to make their QR code scanned at the checkout. This new feature allows them to find their customer account in an flash (without having to spend long minutes giving out all their details again), and to centralize all their purchase history within a click. Once again, practicality and time saving are the watchwords of this innovative customer experience.

The development of such functionalities improves and upgrades customer experience on a daily basis, and thus contributes to increasing customer loyalty.

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STIMULATING CUSTOMERS WITH EXCLUSIVE OPPORTUNITIES

To strengthen customer engagement and loyalty, what a better way than offering them exclusive content, experiences and opportunities? This requires brands to innovate and renew the ways in which they engage their customers, not only on a recurring basis, but also on the long term. Moreover, one of the underlying challenges within an innovative loyalty program is to differentiate the brand from its competitors. In this respect, the exclusive opportunities imagined and set up by a brand help build customer loyalty, making them feel privileged.

A leading example is that of the French ready-to-wear brand JULES. With its loyalty program Le Club+, JULES offers its most loyal customers the opportunity to co-design the brand's future collections: a way of involving them while showing itself being attentive to their needs.

Thus, brands have everything to gain from such innovative strategies, which are still relatively uncommon in the retail and fashion sectors. Customers feel privileged and valued. They develop a feeling of proximity with the brand, which reinforces their fidelity.

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WHAT TO EXPECT FROM OUR BENCHMARK ?

Strategic program selection and clear evaluation criteria: Each program is analyzed on the basis of its originality and real impact on customer loyalty.

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Key factors analyzed:

- Rewards system: Use of promotions, gifts and personalized experiences to reinforce loyalty.

- Program progression: Higher levels activated by purchases or challenges to stimulate ongoing loyalty.

- Access conditions: Analysis of program accessibility, whether open to all or exclusive.

- Customer segmentation: Assessment of segmentation, whether fixed or adaptive, based on dynamic customer knowledge.

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Our benchmark includes detailed case studies, illustrating how leading fashion & retail brands have successfully implemented these strategies. You'll discover practical examples and valuable insights to enhance your own customer loyalty initiatives. For instance, discover how UNIQLO reinvents the utility of its mobile app with fully personalized interface and recommendations, making its users privileged!

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For an in-depth understanding and detailed recommendations on how to maximize customer engagement, download our full study.