Retail giant Hudson’s Bay has relaunched its Hudson’s Bay Rewards, with a new app that brings together the best of customer loyalty programs in a new, fun and valuable Rewards experience.
In a news release on Tuesday, the company said the Hudson’s Bay Rewards app delivers exclusive offers personalized to members based on preferences and shopping habits, in-app ‘Quests’ that take members on a journey for higher returns, access to special events, and other perks.
Members earn rewards points by shopping in store or online at Hudson’s Bay and Zellers, as well as by using their Hudson’s Bay Mastercard anywhere Mastercard is accepted.
“Hudson’s Bay was one of the first to introduce a Rewards program in Canada, and since then we have seen tremendous change in how people are shopping, how they are prioritizing their purchases, and what they are looking for in a loyalty program” said Kevin Parry, VP Credit and Loyalty at Hudson’s Bay.
“We wanted to level up our rewards game – giving our customers an exceptional experience that essentially lets them earn more points faster, to redeem for the things they need and want for themselves and their families, and have some fun while doing it.”
Lisa Hutcheson, a retail strategist and consultant and Managing Partner of the J.C. Williams Group, said we have been seeing more revamps of rewards programs over the past year such as Canadian Tire, Air Miles with BMO and ScotiaBank Scene.
“We also just witnessed Royal Bank trying to expand its Avion program with a link to Taylor Swift tickets, and making it open to non RBC clients,” she said. “As Canadians weather the current economic challenges, rewards programs are a way to boost sales and traffic with targeted offers. Moreover, rewards programs provide rich data about when and how its customers spend – something HBC, and other retailers, needs right now.
“The program rewards seem quite low – unless the customer moves up to the top tier. At both of the lower tiers, they are getting less than one per cent discount – may be better rewards through a credit card. And interesting, it is lower than Nordstrom’s program.
“I believe they only have six million current members – nowhere near the PC Optimum program. The revamp/relaunch is a way to gain more members. The in-app quests element is an interesting component using gamification that targets a younger demographic.”
George Minakakis, CEO, Inception Retail Group, and author of The New Bricks & Mortar: Future Proofing Retail, said old rewards and loyalty programs were basic point collections and were not very interactive with consumers.
“Rewards programs today are a very different Marketing and intelligent animal spirit. They need to be interactive and engaging. At its core, these programs must continue to build customer retention and loyalty. However, the opportunity for personalization caters to customer preferences and behaviours. In today’s AI data-driven world, this isn’t just a perk. It is an expectation. As we all know, data is king in any consumer-driven business model and by being able to use real-time data, HBC can more proactively respond to customers’ needs and wants with their live inventory and future planning,” he said.
“This is also an evolution into modern technological connection with customers and shopping trends for HBC. Creating what could be a seamless shopping experience from online to offline. HBC also needed to reach far more sophisticated consumers who are digitally intelligent themselves. The introduction of an in-app ‘Quests’ is a smart first move to a growing field where AI personal assistants are in development; this is one way to respond to those impending threats.
“There is also an economic context to this for both HBC and consumers; with inflation and higher interest rates, a robust rewards program can incentivize spending by offering genuine value through monetary savings and exclusive experiences beyond just products. The speed of marketing to keep the brand in front of mind with consumers is also of economic benefit to HBC.
“Ultimately, HBC has an opportunity here to elevate its brand and draw more customers back to its physical stores as well, provided they can be as engaging and compelling with this rewards program with the potential that technology has to offer. Done right, what an incredible opportunity to be able to communicate any time, tell your evolving brand story to customers and differentiate from competitors.”
HBC said shoppers can achieve different levels of membership through a 3-tiered program: Hudson’s Bay Rewards, Rewards Plus, and Rewards VIP. The more points earned, the higher the level for increased earn and redemption rates.
“New to the program is in-app quests, which are a series of linked milestones that, when all met, trigger a bonus. For example, a quest may be to build a head to toe outfit from Hudson’s Bay. The quest can be completed over an extended period of time, and progress can be tracked along the way. Once complete, a bonus is earned,” said the retailer.
“To redeem, points can be applied instantly to any purchase. Shoppers have access to thousands of national brands across beauty, home, apparel and accessories.”
I downloaded the new app @ Midnight last night. It works. It restored “Rewards History” but not with the same detail previously available.
I can’t believe retailers are still forcing customers to only use their app to scan for rewards, instead of allowing them to add it to their Apple/Android wallets with all their other cards.
The Hudson’s Bay Rewards app was removed from the Play Store some months ago. It appears that the app no longer works at all anymore. We are referred to the website, which doesn’t provide details for those youth enticing in-store quests