6 Real-life Fashion Loyalty Program Inspirations 

Loyalty programs are widespread in the fashion industry. In fact, it's one of the key fashion promotion strategies to the extent that most fashion brands have some sort of rewards system in place. 

If you are wondering what are the trends in fashion loyalty programs and how the biggest fashion retailers do their loyalty programs, this article is for you. I will show you 6 examples of fashion brands that have a loyalty program and analyze their loyalty landing pages, program rules and the emails they send to their loyalty program members. I hope this short lineup will help you with planning and designing your next loyalty program. Let’s jump straight to our examples of the top loyalty programs from fashion brands.

1. Abercrombie & Fitch myAbercrombie loyalty program 

Abercrombie & Fitch is an American lifestyle fashion retailer that focuses on casual wear. They offer a loyalty program called myAbercrombie. They advertise it straight on the main page on a banner and on a small pop-under. 

Here are some visuals they used on their loyalty landing page:

If you click on the CTA, a pop-up form appears that lets interested customers register for the program – quick and easy! Excellent fashion branding is not possible without coherent communication. And Abercrombie & Fitch successfully used the landing page to explain everything there is to know about the program's benefits and limits.

Loyalty program of Abercrombie & Fitch has two levels – basic and VIP. The basic club members get 10 points for each 1 EUR spent. They also get special member pricing, access to exclusive events and birthday gifts. To claim the VIP status, a member has to spend at least 600 EUR in a calendar year (for European clients). VIP loyalty program members earn points faster (15 points for each 1 EUR spent) and get invite-only experiences (not available in the basic loyalty program offer). Besides all that, both program levels offer special offers, for example all members get 10 EUR off shopping of 50 EUR minimal value. 

Tiered loyalty programs are extremely popular among fashion brands as they help to maintain long-term engagement. 

They also offer a mobile app that allows users to access their loyalty program details offline (in-store). 

After customers sign up, members are kept engaged through email messages. Steady engagement is especially important in the fashion industry where the competition is fierce. 

Here are a couple of examples of loyalty program emails they sent (as of June 2021): 

Welcome to the loyalty program email

They send an email with the subject line “You made the list” when the customer enters the loyalty program. They give the member 15% off their next purchase with a unique code, that can be redeemed both online and in-store. This discount cannot be combined with other site-wide offers.

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Follow-up email for the loyalty program members

Abercrombie & Fitch send the second email with the subject line “My Abercrombie is your Abercrombie” offering a $10 off shopping of over $50 value. The offer is available online and in-store, with the unique coupon code sent via email. 

Another email is sent once the loyalty program member purchases something and collects their first points. 

Post-purchase follow-up email for loyalty program members 

This email has the subject line “Be the point person.” It shows the member their point balance and mentions how to get rewarded. It also reminds them which rewards are waiting for them. 

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What I liked about myAbercrombie loyalty program: 

• This fashion brand clearly explained the benefits and rules of the program. 
• Tiered structure with two levels that motivate customers to spend more at the shop to get the higher status. 
• Barcodes provided together with the discount code that can be scanned in-store. 
• The design of the program that makes customers feel exclusive and special (golden hues and luxurious feel). 

2. Hollister loyalty program – Cali Club 

Hollister Co., often advertised as Hollister or HCo., is a retail fashion brand owned by Abercrombie & Fitch Co. Their products are available in-store and through the company's online store.

They offer a partnership (coalition) loyalty program with Gilly Hicks and Social Tourist (brands of Hollister) called Club Cali. They advertise it on their main website as a banner with a link that takes you to the sign-up form. 

The program’s joining perk is (valid once per customer) 10 EUR off any 40 EUR or higher purchase (in Europe) in any of the three brands stores: Hollister, Gilly Hicks or Social tourist. They also offer exclusive fashion promotions and deals, early access to products and birthday gifts or discounts to Cali Club members. 

The loyalty program rules: 

• Each 1 pound spent equals 100 points. (or each $1 spent 150 points, depending on the region and currency the multipliers are different).
• Each 12500 points equals a 5 pound gift card (Cali cash). 
• 1000 points can be earned by downloading the mobile app. 
  

This fashion brand invested in mobile-friendliness of their program. By offering a loyalty app, you can reach your customers on-the-go. As some customers may be reluctant to download the app, a small loyalty incentive can effectively make them change their mind. 

They send the following emails to their loyalty club members (as of June 2021):

Welcome email 

They send an email welcoming a new loyalty member with the subject line “Welcome to Club Cali, {{name}}!” They send information about the points balance, missing points until the next reward, possible ways to gain more points, existing rewards and their expiry date. To make their program even more attractive, they have attached a discount code to the email. 

Newsletters 

They also send out a newsletter to their loyalty club members informing them about new products, company news, etc. By keeping customers in the loop, the fashion brand ensures that members will stick for longer. Here is an example is this email with a subject line “We 💙 making👖” 

What is worth noting is that they include the information about points balance and unlockable rewards in every email sent to loyalty members to ensure that customers can easily track their progress. 

Promoting loyalty mobile app

They also send an email promoting their mobile app with the subject line “Too busy to shop?” To make the offer hard to resist, they give an extra 1000 points for downloading the app making it a hybrid, a not entirely transactional loyalty program.

Tips for new loyalty program members

Hollister sends tips for the new loyalty program members about how the program functions. As I mentioned before, coherent communication is crucial for fashion loyalty programs. Program benefits need to be clearly stated if you intend to get through the noise of the contemporary fashion industry.  

What I liked about this loyalty program: 

• Immediate reward when joining the program minimizing the negative impact of gratification delay.  
• The loyalty program is advertised straight on the main page making it hard to overlook. 
• There is a mobile app where the loyalty program is available.
• The loyalty scheme covers all Hollister sub-brands. 
• The loyalty program has a catchy name. First impressions are key in the fashion industry.
• All the emails contain information relevant to the loyalty club members. 
• The emails contain a reminder of existing loyalty rewards and available discounts. 
  

What Club Cali should work on:

• There is no clear list of the ways to earn points. The landing page mentions special deals but it does not mention how to earn points. In the emails there are plenty of ways mentioned like shopping, filling out the profile, downloading an app. It should be explained clearly on the landing page. 
• Lack of information on how to exchange the points. There is no explanation of the exchange rate from points to cash and the conditions of points redemption. 
• Special deals are given at random, there is no customer cockpit where the users can see what is available to them. 
• One of the brands, Social Tourist, is mentioned as a partner brand in this loyalty program but then in the conditions (on another page) it is mentioned that it is excluded from all promotions. It is not clear whether it is not participating in the loyalty program or is but partially and how. Creating confusion is always a big no. 
• There is a VIP level that is not even mentioned on the landing page. People love the feeling of being an insider so the exclusive tier should be clearly communicated. 

3. UGG Rewards

UGG is an American footwear company and a division of Deckers Brands. The UGG brand is best known for its "Classic" boots, sheepskin boots for both men and women in the style of Australian ugg boots.

They have a loyalty program called UGG Rewards. The program is easily reachable from their top website ribbon. It is also featured in their Quick Links menu in the footer. This is their landing page: 

UGG Rewards loyalty program rules: 

• Every 250 UGG points can be exchanged for a $20 coupon. 
• You get 25 points for enrolling in the program and 30 points for completing the profile.
• You get one point for every $1 spent.

UGG Rewards is an example of a hybrid program in the fashion industry, as members receive points that are not only earned by making purchases. A loyalty program with multiple ways to earn points has a higher chance of engaging more varied audiences and be more memorable. 

The program has three levels. Select level is open to everyone, up to $250 spent in a calendar year. Then the Premium and Elite levels can be entered if a customer spends more than $250 or $500 in a calendar year, respectively. The levels have different perks available. The gamified program structure helps to prevent high churn and keep members engaged long-term as they climb the loyalty levels. 

All the levels get points for becoming a member or filling out the profile, all of them earn 1 point for each $1 spent and have early access to promotions. The Premium level also offers exclusive events, birthday bonus, free expedited shipping and in-store bonus while the Elite level also offers free next-day shipping and elevated in-store bonus. 

The CTA on the landing page takes the user to a create account form that has an option to join the program straightaway. It is a clever way to get all new customers to join the loyalty program when creating the account. There is no clear way, however, to join the program if we already have an account and did not mark this option before but want to join now. 

Here is a couple of examples of emails they send to their loyalty program members: 

Welcome to the UGG Rewards loyalty program email 

They send welcome email to anyone who joined the UGG Rewards program. The subject line is “You're in!” It mentions all ways to get the UGG points including two ways that the landing page does not mention – writing a review (25 points) and adding to wishlist (25 points).

They also display the loyalty level and points balance in the regular newsletter. For example, they have sent this newsletter with the subject line “New arrivals.”

Newsletter

What I liked about this loyalty program: 

• An immediate reward for becoming a member. 
• Information about the loyalty program status in the newsletters. 
• Clear information on the landing page about how to exchange the points for rewards (250 points for a $20 coupon). 
• Easy-to-understand rules of the program. 
• The program is referenced in the top website ribbon and footer, making it easy to find. 
• The possibility to opt in to become a member right when creating the account. 
  

What UGG could work on:

• Similarly to Hollister loyalty program, not all ways of earning points are mentioned clearly on the landing page.  
• They do not show clearly how to join a rewards program if you already have an account, making this step harder for customers who may already be regulars and more willing to sign up. 

4. DC Crew loyalty program 

DC Shoes is an American fashion company that specializes in footwear for action sports, including skateboarding, and snowboarding. The company also manufactures apparel, bags, accessories, hats, shirts, and posters.

They offer a loyalty program called DC Crew. They advertise it in three different places on their homepage, making the program impossible to miss. They mention the main perks of the loyalty program – free shipping and returns – right on the main page. There is no typical landing page. DC Crew offers a simple landing page with a joining form and little information about the program. 

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DC Crew fashion loyalty program conditions: 

• $15 coupon available every 200 points earned.
• Free shipping on all orders, no minimum order value. 
• Birthday offers, anniversary, early access to products and more additional benefits reserved to loyalty program members. 
• Each $1 spent equals 1 DC Star points that expire within 12 months. 
• 100 points are given upon subscribing. 
• If you accumulate 200 Points or more, but less than 400 Points, you will receive a reward of $15 off your next purchase of $25 or more. 
• If you accumulate 400 Points or more, but less than 600 Points, you will receive a reward of $30 off your next purchase of $50 or more. 
• If you accumulate 600 Points or more, but less than 800 Points, you will receive a reward of $45 off your next purchase of $75 or more. 
• If you accumulate 800 Points or more, but less than 1,000 Points, you will receive a reward of $60 off your next purchase of $100 or more. 
• If you accumulate 1,000 Points or more, you will receive a reward of $75 off your next purchase of $125 or more.
• Each reward is valid for 60 days from the date of issuance.
• Following the enrollment in DC Crew, customers receive a one-time 20% off first loyal purchase offer, valid for 30 days.
• Every loyalty club member receives a 25% off birthday offer once a year, valid 30 days.
• Following the enrollment in DC Crew, members receive a 25% off anniversary offer once a year on the 15th day of the month when they enrolled in DC Crew. 
  

They offer a customer cockpit that shows the available rewards.

Here an example of an email they send to their loyalty club members: 

Welcome email 

They welcome their new loyalty club members with an email with the subject line “Welcome to the Crew | Here’s 100 free DC Star Points”

What I liked about this loyalty program: 

• Minimum order value to use the rewards – while not preferred by the customers, it protects the budget of the company and helps to increase the basket value. 
• Anniversary offers that celebrate the relationship between the brand and the customer feel innovative and personalized.
• Simple subscription form. 
• Clear birthday offer (many brands mention birthday benefits without clarifying what is the reward value). 
• Free shipping and returns, as it is an immediate perk given to all loyalty club members, regardless of the amount of points collected and makes a great incentive to become a member. 
• Custom currency name making the program more memorable and on-brand. 
  

What DC Crew should improve:

• The landing page does not contain all conditions. Instead they have to be found in FAQ and in terms and conditions. It is difficult to find the information across three pages – two of them written in a very “legal” jargon. It would be better to place all the basic information on one landing page, together with the FAQ and only expand the information in the terms and conditions. For example, the information about the minimum order values, coupon increments and the coupon expiration date can only be found in the lengthy terms and conditions. 

5. NB Rewards

New Balance (NB) is an American sports footwear and fashion brand that was established in 1906. New Balance manufactures a range of shoes and apparel for athletes and non-athletes alike. The company also collaborates with celebrities to launch branded product lines.

They offer a loyalty program called NB Rewards – it's the company's way to share the best fashion promotions with their most loyal customers. They do not advertise their program on the homepage but they do link to it in the footer. 

This is the loyalty program landing page: 

This is what appears if you click on the CTA: 

When creating a customer account, you can opt in to become a myNB rewards member straightaway. 

NB Rewards loyalty program conditions: 

• Free standard shipping for loyalty club members.
• Discounted 2-day shipping.
• $5 off for every $100 spent (counted in points, can be redeemed after obtaining enough points to qualify for the $5 coupon).
• Possibility to upgrade the shipping for $10 when upon reaching 5,000 NB points.
• A birthday gift – $20 off $100, sent 7 days prior to birthday with promotion code. Offer valid online, and in participating stores on purchases of $100 or more. Cannot be combined with any other offers. Reward expires after 30 days.
• 10 NB points for every $1 you spend on newbalance.com and in participating stores.
• Points expire 12 months after being earned. 
  

The program has three tier levels – Bronze, Silver and Gold that depend on the number of points earned. The only difference between tiers is that Gold members (who have collected over 5000 points) can get a $10 2-day air shipping with no minimum order value. 

Here are a couple of examples of emails NB sends to their loyalty club members: 

Welcome email 

NB sends a welcome email once a customer enters the NB Rewards program. It has the subject line “Welcome to myNB Rewards, {{name}}” In this email, they remind the members about the rules of the program and highlight that the customer will receive a birthday gift. 

Reminder email 

After a couple of days, they send a reminder email reminding customers about the program rules. It has the subject line “How This Reward Thing Works”

Birthday email

This is an email with the birthday surprise NB sends with a catchy subject line “Don't Miss Your Birthday Surprise.”

What I liked about this loyalty program: 

• Easy calculation of the savings, $5 off every $100 spent.
• On-brand currency instantly makes the program more memorable. 
  

What NB Rewards should fix:

• Unnecessary tiers that are not mentioned anywhere apart from the FAQ and T&C and basically do not differ almost at all.
• There are some additional ways to earn points mentioned in the FAQ that are not specified anywhere, even in the FAQ. Mystery earning rules, anyone? 
• The landing page mentions a 30 day expiry date of the birthday rewards and the FAQ 90 days. It can lead to misunderstanding or even a lawsuit for misleading the customers. 

6. American Eagle & Aerie loyalty program 

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc., also known as American Eagle, is an American lifestyle, clothing, and fashion retailer. American Eagle Outfitters is also the parent company of Aerie, an intimate apparel and lifestyle retailer.

They offer a loyalty program called RealRewards. They advertise it in the website footer: 

This is the landing page of the program:

The form to subscribe to the loyalty program is part of the creating account form. It is optional to opt in.

The RealRewards loyalty program rules: 

• The program has three tiers (levels) where the level depends on the annual spend of the customer. Level 1 is for everyone, no minimum spend, Level 2 from $150 spent in a calendar year and Level 3 starts from $350 spent in a calendar year. 
• Double points for jeans purchases for everyone. 
• Special days (Aerie days) when for example there are double points, special discounts etc. only for the loyalty program members. 
• Exclusive sales and events only for the loyalty program members. 
• Happy Birthday coupon – 15% off for Level 1 members, 20% off for Level 2 members, 25% off for Level 3 members. 
• 10 points per $1 spent for Level 1 members, 15 points for Level 2 members and 20 points for Level 3 members. 
• Free shipping on orders above $50 for Level 1&2 and with no minimum order value for Level 3. 
• Free returns for Level 3 members.
• Each 1250 points can be exchanged for a $5 off coupon. 
• There are also more perks that can be obtained if you possess the RealRewards credit card like a 20% off if you use your credit card for the first time, upgrading immediately to Level 2, 2x points on everything, once a year 20% off coupon, free shipping and returns, exclusive sales and 5 points for each $1 spent using the Visa card. 
• The tier level is maintained for two calendar years. After this, it resets unless you meet the conditions again. 
  

Here are a couple of examples of emails American Eagle sends to RealRewards loyalty program members (as of December 2020):

Welcome email 

American Eagle sends a welcome email to the new joiners of the loyalty program with the subject line “👋 Welcome to Real Rewards, {{name}}!” They highlight the main program rules and the potential additional rewards for the credit card holders.

App promoting email 

American Eagle sends an email promoting their mobile app to the loyalty program members with the subject line “Download the app to track your rewards.” 

What I liked about this loyalty program: 

• Extensive explanation on the landing page on how to get the points, how to exchange them, and what are the rewards for each tier level. 
• Special points days and events which can make the program a little bit more interesting.
• Membership level is maintained for two years, so it is not automatically reverted to 1 on January 1st, this gives the members an opportunity to maintain their status the next year by making the same level of purchases. 
• There is a mobile app for it.  
  

What RealRewards could do better:

• To get $5 off you need 1250 points which means having to spend at least $125 dollars as a Level 1 member. This equals 4% savings. It is lower than what most other fashion brands offer. 
• The pointing system is very complicated with the double point days, jeans savings, 3 tiers and 2x for the credit card holders. It is overcomplicated and as a result less attractive. 

Summary 

These were just six examples of fashion brands that offer loyalty programs. Here are some trends you should take note of:

• Most fashion brands use a transactional point-based system where points are primarily collected through making purchases and rewards are usually discounts or free shipping (therefore are indirectly tied to making even more purchases).
• Most programs have a tiered structure where customers need to collect more points to unlock more attractive rewards. 
• Many programs offer special rewards, such as birthday gifts or anniversary discounts, which highlight the relationship between individual customer and brand.
• Many fashion brands advertise their program in the create account form, trying to catch as many members and as early as possible. 
  

Programs that I analyzed differ a lot from each other. There is no best way to do a loyalty program, even in such a specific niche as fashion brands. The key is testing, measuring, and optimizing your loyalty program. To do that, you need to have a flexible loyalty management system that allows you to try out different scenarios and add new features quickly. Voucherify is an API-based loyalty management software that allows you to create tiered, personalized, point-based loyalty programs. It gives you the flexibility to change the program settings quickly, without additional development required after the initial integration.