The North Face, one of the world's premier suppliers of authentic, innovative, and technically advanced outdoor apparel, equipment and footwear, has launched VIPeak – its new customer rewards loyalty program based on the TIBCO Loyalty Lab(R) Reward platform.
VIPeak is an exclusive membership program designed for loyal members to earn redeemable "PeakPoints" for every dollar spent and for participating in local activities such as the San Francisco Endurance Challenge, or on social media channels like Facebook.
The VIPeak program leverages the entire suite of TIBCO Loyalty Lab products and services. TIBCO's Loyalty Lab Professional Services Group conducted customer research and assisted in strategizing for the VIPeak program. The North Face then selected TIBCO's integrated SaaS platform, Loyalty Lab Reward -- which is designed to improve the customer experience and build deeper relationships with fans of the brand.
David Rosen, Head of Strategy, Analytics, and Consumer Insights for TIBCO Loyalty Lab, told Loyalty 360 that The North Face held a strong desire to capture a high level of identifiable customer data both online and in the stores.
“Compliance with California privacy laws moved them in the direction of building a rewards program that had an explicit ‘give to get’ to legally ask customers for their names and email addresses,” Rosen said. “But more importantly, it was to drive both profitable changes in purchase behavior balanced with even higher levels of commitment to The North Face brand.”
Rosen said VIPeak is a point accrual program where members receive points when they buy online and in branded The North Face stores. Additionally, there are numerous opportunities to earn additional points for participating in activities that are aligned to The North Face's brand (e.g. Running races, participating in in-store events).
Once a year, Rosen explained, members are invited to redeem their accumulated points in an experience-filled reward catalog that is totally aligned to The North Face's aspirational brand elements (e.g. trips, personal experiences with their sponsored athletes, tickets to events, lift tickets, etc.) If the member chooses not to pick from the catalog or does not have enough points, he or she will automatically be issued a reward certificate that can be used in store or online.
Aaron Carpenter, Vice President of Global Marketing at The North Face, told Loyalty 360 when developing VIPeak Rewards, company officials wanted to embody the brand and its commitment to helping people explore and push their personal limits.
“We have very active, passionate, and inspiring customers and we wanted our first loyalty program to not only reward them for doing what they love, but also engage more closely with them on a year-round basis and show them just how important they are to us,” Carpenter said. “Initial feedback has been positive and we’re excited to see how people participate in the program.”
VIPeak targets The North Face's retail and direct-to-customer channels -- not its wholesale partners.
Rosen, who said The North Face has never had a customer loyalty program before, said the program’s goals include:
Customer capture at POS and online.
Strong enrollment.
Increases in repeat purchase rates.
Responsiveness to communications and promotions.
Strengthening of brand elements.
VIPeak launched online in December 2012 and rolled out to retail in April 2013.