Success has come fast and furious for Stride Rite since it launched its Stride Rite Rewards program in November 2012.
The program eclipsed the 1 million-member mark in June 2013 and now has surpassed 2 million members.
Stephen Donnelly, Stride Rite Children’s Group SVP/GM of Direct-to-Consumer, told Loyalty360 that the program’s new Rewards Application was a “natural next enhancement” to the loyalty program.
“Our target consumer–the Millennial parent−embraces technology and spends significant time with their smartphones,” Donnelly said. We wanted our program to be easily accessible to her, where she is, on her time. The Rewards mobile application allows that. We believe the application will allow our rewards program to continue to thrive while being more accessible to the consumer.”
Previously, Stride Rite operated a general CRM program, which was primarily single-channel and batch and blast.
“In 2010, we consolidated our database to provide an omni-channel view of the customer,” Donnelly explained. “From there, we were able to test and learn into offers, content, segments, and triggered marketing programs. Our strong foundation in CRM allowed us to identify the need for a loyalty program. And when we asked our customers if they wanted a robust loyalty program, they responded affirmatively.”
In less than 18 months, Stride Rite eclipsed 2 million members in the program.
“The loyalty program has allowed us to better understand our consumer, not only from a transactional perspective, but also her shopping patterns, response to marketing programs, trend new product launches, identify white space in our assortment, and develop future growth strategies,” Donnelly said.
Donnelly said Stride Rite regularly creates and adjusts its content to see how customers react to content, while analyzing shopping patterns based on their interaction with the program.
“Knowing when a child will cross natural milestones, and having a program in place is integral for us as we try to get ahead of what they’ll be facing in the next stage of their child’s development,” he said. “We want to provide what they need in more of a targeted way. We want to make sure our customers are aware of where all of their opportunities are, and to be a resource for them in making their shopping experience easier and more enjoyable.”
Donnelly said Stride Rite has a unique advantage based on some great adult-origin brands–such as Sperry Top-Sider, Saucony, Keds, Merrell and Hush Puppies.
“There will always be challenges, and we know that we will need to always stay one step ahead of the curve in providing customers with a best-in-class loyalty program,” he said. “We never envision our rewards program as something that’s stagnant. It’s evolving and shifting as our customers shift. When there’s a necessary modification that needs to be made, we’ll do it, based on new technologies, as well as ongoing consumer feedback and expectations.”
Donnelly is surprised how quickly the program grew.
“It’s incredible how quickly mom and parents have embraced what we have built with Stride Rite Rewards,” he said. “We’re making moms happy each and every day, and clearly, that helps us deepen our engagement with mom, which is beneficial to our business. Today, because our moms are so engaged, we are seeing moms requesting information about Stride Rite Rewards in-store, rather than our store associates having to sell or solicit. This tells us the word-of-mouth among moms is very good, and that is very fulfilling as well.”
The rewards program provides the following benefits to Stride Rite Rewards members:
$10 reward for every $75 spent
Free shipping on www.striderite.com for purchases over $35
Invitations for members-only offers
Member updates and fit reminders
Welcome kit with a new member coupon
The latest enhancement to the program is the introduction of the new Stride Rite Rewards App. The app enables customers to better manage their accounts and leverage all the benefits of the program whether they are in-store or online.