5 Kickass Brand Loyalty Examples
This article dives into 5 examples of brands that have managed to build and launch successful loyalty programmes.
5 Kickass Brand Loyalty Examples
In today’s increasingly competitive market, the best way to ensure that your business can thrive is by building brand loyalty among your consumers. In doing so, you’ll be able to assure long-term sales and profitability down the line, while also turning those loyal customers into ambassadors for your brand — advertising your enterprise through positive word-of-mouth.
With all this in mind, what brands out there have managed to build and launch successful loyalty programmes, and what lessons can other aspiring brands learn from them? This article will break down five examples of effective brand loyalty programmes, as well as the key takeaways from each. Read on to learn more.
Starbucks
Starbucks is one of the most iconic brands in the world, and the coffee giant boasts an equally strong loyalty programme of its own. The Starbucks loyalty programme works via the Starbucks app, and employs machine learning and personalisation to track the favourite orders of customers, while also offering them access to seasonal discounts.
The programme also rewards repeat visits to chains through special perks, such as free drinks given on the customer’s birthday drink, and allowing them to collect stars to be redeemed for purchases at a later date.
The North Face
The North Face is considered a premium brand for hiking, camping, and outdoorsmanship — and its loyalty programme is aimed at retaining its devoted customer base. The North Face’s loyalty programme, the so-called XPLR Pass, incentivises repeat business by allowing its members to earn points by purchasing merchandise or attending special events. These points can be redeemed to buy new products, but can also be saved to unlock incredible travel experiences, such as a mountain climbing trip in Nepal.
The XPLR Pass also gives customers early access to limited-edition collections and as-yet-unreleased products, which grants the programme an extra layer of appeal through the concept of exclusivity.
The International Skating Union
Founded in 1892, the International Skating Union (ISU) is the international governing body for competitive ice skating disciplines, responsible for organising a number of international competitions around the globe. The ISU previously partnered with Future Platforms to build a new app that would completely refurbish its digital platforms. The goal was to better connect with its fanbase, attract new sponsors, and support the sport's further growth.To that end, Future Platforms redesigned the ISU’s platform to promote loyalty among fans and sponsors. Our research found that fans of the sport were looking for greater personalisation in terms of the content and experience they received. Future Platforms recommended that the ISU simplify user journeys and improve search, and it included real-time updates on stats, data, live results, biographies, and more. We also recommended that the ISU create an OTT video destination hosting free and subscription content and coverage of new events in real time to capture fan data and drive registrations to an OTT platform — further boosting fan retention. Thanks to this new digital ecosystem and loyalty programme, the brand can now better connect with its many fans.
Expedia
The travel technology company Expedia has also launched its own customer loyalty programme in a bid to attract repeat business from frequent flyers and consummate jetsetters. Expedia Rewards incentivises its members to stay loyal to the brand by offering them exclusive savings. Indeed, members save an average of $35 more for each booking they make after accruing points through purchases.
The programme itself is also tier-based, with rewards such as free upgrades, trips, and other perks offered to customers as they rise through the ranks by accruing more points. Thanks to this system, customers are conditioned to want to be loyal to the brand in an effort to attain the coveted Gold membership status, and unlock the tantalising rewards that come with it.
Virgin Active
The Virgin Active Global Member Experience is a health and wellbeing app designed to support customers with their health and wellbeing journey with an intuitive digital loyalty engine designed to incentivise fitness and retain users through special rewards.Future Platforms previously collaborated with Virgin Active to revamp this digital experience to increase retention and loyalty. With this in mind, Future Platforms created an app with new features to help members get the most out of their membership. The loyalty programme was designed to be structured around both short-term and long-term behaviour change, with rewards offered for repeated gym sessions.
As a result, data has since shown a major increase in users, with Week 4 retention jumping from 0.4% to 41%. Meanwhile, member engagement with rewards has increased since the app launch, with the reward redemption rate increasing from 20% to 45% week on week.
Future Platforms: Your Partner for Building Loyalty Programmes
As we’ve shown, loyalty programmes can be a highly effective tool for brands who choose to adopt them. However, their success is incumbent on the quality of the digital tools used to create and deliver them to consumers. Because of this, it’s important to lean on digital expertise if you want yours to be a smash hit.
This is where Future Platforms can help. Our highly experienced team of developers understand the key elements a digital product needs to ensure it helps build customer loyalty and increase revenue. So, if you’re interested and would like to know more, then contact our team today.