Dive Brief:
- True Religion is rebooting its loyalty program ahead of Black Friday, the apparel and accessory brand announced Monday. The company has changed the name of its loyalty program from True Fam to True Rewards.
- The program has four tiers. The entry level, Insider, is free to join; Trendsetter status is reached when $200 or more is spent annually; Icon status is reached when $500 is spent per year; and a secret fourth tier is for the company’s most loyal customers.
- In addition to discounts and promotions, the loyalty program will provide customers with access to music, sports and other cultural events with True Religion partners and Team True content creators. Shoppers can also earn rewards for brand referrals, social media follows, likes, shares and posting reviews.
Dive Insight:
True Religion is getting creative in its attempts to woo customers. Last month, the apparel brand featured Grammy Award-winning rapper Megan Thee Stallion in its holiday ad campaign. The company this year also launched its Team True content creator platform, where its lineup of actors, musicians, athletes and other noteworthy personalities will create content for the brand and engage with customers at various events.
With the True Rewards program, the company aims to give customers experiences that they couldn't otherwise access and provide perks beyond typical discounts, True Religion Chief Marketing Officer Kristen D’Arcy said.
Additionally, to learn more about its customers, the company has integrated its loyalty program into its in-store point-of-sale system, per the press release.
“True Rewards allows us to gain deeper insights into our consumers’ shopping preferences to enable greater personalization and ultimately increase customer lifetime value,” Michael Buckley, CEO of True Religion, said in a statement. “This enhanced program rewards purchases both in-store and online to provide us with a more robust omnichannel view of our customer.”
Alongside its customer experience enhancements, True Religion has also built out its physical store reach. Last year, the company announced its plans to open stores abroad in India, Indonesia, South Korea, South Africa, Qatar, Lebanon, China and the Philippines. Earlier this month, the company said it will open three new stores in Texas, Illinois and New York.
True Religion is part of a growing cohort of brands and retailers that are leaning into their loyalty programs to drive growth. While Wayfair and Foot Locker debuted new loyalty programs this year, Ulta Beauty and J.C. Penney have recently revamped their loyalty programs.
Research suggests that retailers’ focus on rewards programs could sway shoppers in their favor. Seven in 10 respondents to a Snappy survey released in July said loyalty programs are a critical factor in deciding which companies they patronize. The same proportion said they would sign up for a loyalty program before buying from the brand for the first time and three-quarters said they would spend more money as a loyalty member.
True Religion’s investments in its loyalty incentives follow its second bankruptcy in 2020. The company exited its Chapter 11 bankruptcy with a court-approved plan to reorganize under new ownership.
