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If we’ve learned anything from the barrage of customer loyalty revamps, it’s that there comes a point in every modern brand’s life when it must expand its rewards program.
Today, Athleta announced AthletaWell, a digital community-driven platform for the company’s rewards members.
- AthletaWell will include user-generated content and forums—spanning topics from exercise to fertility to body positivity—as well as advice from wellness experts.
- Athleta is also partnering with Obé, a digital fitness platform, to offer members exclusive virtual workout classes.
“It was born from this understanding that women today don't really have a safe space to engage in certain topics or ask certain questions,” Athleta Chief Digital Officer Kim Waldmann told Retail Brew.
And, and, and: “There's a huge amount of value in building loyalty,” Waldmann told us, especially as Athleta aims to double sales to $2 billion by 2023.
- Loyalty customers spend twice as much with Athleta compared to non-loyalty members, and 50% of Athleta’s sales come from its loyalty program, according to Waldmann.
Rewards for all: Athleta’s pivot to digital content plays into its larger shift: becoming a lifestyle brand that fits into consumers’ lives, not just their closets. “We see it being a daily or weekly resource for [women] because it has such a broad scope,” Waldmann explained.
Whether that works out as well as Lululemon’s Mirror play...we’ll have to see.
- Though Waldmann pointed out that no expensive equipment buy-in is needed for AthletaWell.
+ 1: Last week, Gap Inc., Athleta’s parent company, announced it’s streamlining and enhancing its loyalty program. Beyond the points and perks, the move folds together all Gap Inc.’s brands and credit card members. Athleta’s move follows in step, but with an emphasis on community.—JG