Marks & Spencer today unveiled its new Sparks members club, which rewards customers as they both shop and engage across channels.
The fashion-to-homewares retailer , ranked Elite in InternetRetailing’s IRUK research, has brought gamification to bear in the new club. Members earn ‘sparks’ when they shop or engage online or in store. They get 10 sparks for every purchase, 10 for every £1 spent, 25 sparks for a product review, and 50 for Shwopping. Those who reach 3,000 sparks unlock priority access, and those who get to 5,000 sparks get a 24-hour head start on the sale at M&S.com. At the top end, those with 14,000 sparks are invited to masterclasses and special events, while those with 17,000 sparks can be entered into draws to visit, for example, an M&S vineyard in South Africa, or to win Christmas Day on M&S. M&S also donates a penny to each customer’s chosen charity every time they buy.
The club has been developed in collaboration more than 600 customers. Some 100,000 members road tested the concept over a three-month live trial phase, carried out from late August in the Wales and West region both in store and online.
The members club is enabled by insights supplied through the 360° view customer analytics that were introduced with M&S’ new ecommerce platform last year. The retailer says that by taking ownership of its web platform it now has greater flexibility to respond quickly to emerging trends, and to evolve both its site and the Sparks offer.
Patrick Bousquet-Chavanne, executive director at M&S said the club was a “two-way relationship; members tell us what they enjoy, select their own tailored offers and are rewarded for sharing their views.”
He added: “Over 131 years, customers have built a unique sense of trust and ownership in the brand and a members club is the natural evolution. And now is the right time for M&S; thanks to our infrastructure investment and the breadth and depth of our product offer, we can deliver a club that sees us collaborate with our members to build a better M&S together.”
The Sparks club launches next week, though cards are available in-store from today and online customers are also being invited to take part.
