Apparel retailer Express launched a loyalty program titled Express NEXT, which will allow customers to earn points not only for what they buy, but also for engaging with the company through social media, said Jim Thompson, Director of CRM at Express.
Express worked with Brierley+Partners, a CRM company, to build the NEXT loyalty program.
“We are a brand that is meaningful to our customers just as they’re coming out of college,” Thompson said. “We know that some of those customers aren’t going to be the ones that spend $700 with us, but they are our most engaged customers.” Those who engage with the brand tend to buy more and have a longer relationship with the company.
“The more engaged a customer, the more often they come back,” said Jim Wright, SVP of Marketing at Express.
The program gives 50% more points to those with an Express credit card, Wright said. For example, a customer can earn $10 for every 2500 points earned if he or she is not a cardholder. If he or she is a cardholder, the customer earns $15 for every 2500 points earned.
The card offers lots of ways to earn points, too, said Barbara Coleman, director of corporate communications for Express. If customers retweet an Express tweet, they earn 5 points. If they review an item on Express.com, they get 10 points.
“When we built the program, we knew that a points-based system was very important,” Wright said, adding that it was what the consumer base said they wanted. “For us it was a points-based program, but they also wanted to engage. Tweeting with us was one way of engaging.”
At the core of the program was a desire to engage more with young consumers, Wright said, adding that it allows them to learn more about their consumers by collecting more data, including how they like to be spoken to (through email or social media) and how they react to brand interaction.
