Just in time for the official launch of the holiday shopping season, True Religion is “rebooting” its loyalty program, which will now include a renamed tiered rewards structure and greater omnichannel capabilities. The program also has a new moniker.
“Formerly known as True Fam, the brand’s loyalty program has been rebranded as True Rewards and will kick off the Black Friday weekend with exclusive membership perks,” the retailer said. “This new program goes beyond simply offering discounts or promotions by offering members unique access to sports, music, and cultural experiences with True Religion collaborators and Team True content creators. It also offers an improved customer experience and is now integrated into the company’s in-store POS system.”
By leveraging customer data for more meaningful analytics, the denim and sportswear brand will be able to better serve their customers. “True Rewards allows us to gain deeper insights into our consumers’ shopping preferences to enable greater personalization and ultimately increase customer lifetime value,” said Michael Buckley, chief executive officer of True Religion. “This enhanced program rewards purchases both in-store and online to provide us with a more robust omnichannel view of our customers.”
To celebrate the launch of the new program, starting on Wednesday, the retailer’s True Rewards members will receive two-day early access to True Religion’s doorbusters sale plus 20 percent off on $150 or more of purchases. “Members will also receive double rewards points on select purchases throughout Black Friday weekend and from True Religion’s gift guides throughout the season, giving shoppers a chance to scale tiers more quickly,” the retailer said, adding that from Dec. 1 to 14, “members with top-tier ‘Icon’ status who spend $150 or more will be given an exclusive trucker hat gift with purchase.”
The renamed tiers offer shoppers greater flexibility, flat points across tiers, and earlier redemption milestones, the company said, noting that True Rewards’ entry tier, “Insider,” is free to join. “Shoppers are elevated to ‘Trendsetter’ status when they spend $200 per year, and then ‘Icon’ status with a spend of $500 per year,” True Religion said in a statement.
But there’s more. “A secret, fourth tier can be unlocked for the most loyal customers, which will give members the chance to win amazing experiences,” the company said, adding that the program also rewards shoppers with “non-transactional brand engagement,” such as referring their friends.
“We’ve learned that our customers are eager to receive unique perks, which is why True Rewards goes beyond offering promotional discounts,” said Kristen D’Arcy, chief marketing officer of True Religion, in a statement. “We also wanted to transcend the typical transactional reward points and thank our customers for referrals, reviews, and social media engagement. True Rewards gives our highest-spending customers unique perks tied to our brand activations, such as early access to collaborations, exclusive opportunities to attend music events, Team True meet and greets, and other ‘can’t buy’ experiences that live at the intersection of sports, music, and culture.”
When asked about the impetus behind rebooting the loyalty program, D’Arcy told WWD there were several reasons. “The new program allows us to gain deeper insights into our consumers’ preferences, primarily because the program gives us a single view of the customer, regardless of where he or she shops with us,” she said. “We also knew that it was imperative to put experiences at the forefront and go beyond simply offering promotional discounts to continue building long-term relationships with existing consumers and cultivating relationships with new ones.”
D’Arcy said the retailer also wanted “to transcend the typical transactional reward points and thank our customers for referrals, reviews, and social media engagement. True Rewards gives our highest-spending customers unique perks tied to our brand activations, such as early access to collaborations, exclusive opportunities to attend music events, Team True meet-and-greets, and other ‘can’t buy’ experiences that live, like the brand, at the intersection of sports, music and culture.”
True Religion has been a leader in offering more personalized experiences and creating more meaningful engagement with their customers. D’Arcy told WWD that greater personalization allows the brand to develop deeper relationships with their shoppers at every touch point in the customer journey. “Depending on where they are in the customer lifecycle, True Rewards will help us offer them more relevant brand content,” the CMO said. “We want to understand our consumers’ shopping preferences and how they are interacting with us in-store, online, and via social media platforms so that we can iterate on our processes to continue fueling [lifetime customer value].”