Shoppers Stop rebrands loyalty programme

bangalore: retail major shoppers stop has re-branded its loyalty programme, giving it a new look and name, in a bid to stand apart amid increasing competition. shoppers stop has the largest loyalty programme in india with a base of 2.1 lakh members and has identified it as a key driver of sales. it will now go in for tie-ups with major partner brands every quarter.a significant shift in the loyalty programme will be the onus on privileges offered than mere redemption of points, which are common across loyalty programmes of all chains. ajay kelkar, senior manager, marketing, shoppers stop, told the times of india the loyalty programme, called first citizens club (fcc), has been rechristened first citizen (fc) and the cards have been given a new look. gold card members will get privileges like home delivery of altered clothes and separate check-out counters. twenty per cent of billing counters will be for fc members. gold, silver and classic card holders can also access their accounts online on the company website and get an update on points earned. shoppers stop will also look at driving market research through its loyalty programme, which is the done thing in global retailing. tapping buying patterns from its huge member base, the store will then tell brand owners what customers want, which may translate into exclusive merchandise for shoppers stop. a recent example is research done for menswear brand zodiac. zodiac was told what specific features gold card members were looking for and these were later incorporated into its products for shoppers stop. the increased focus on first citizen is because of the encouraging growth levels seen in acquiring new members and the need for a key differentiator in the retail arena. between 8,000-10,000 customers enter the store''s loyalty programme every month of which close to 700 are in the gold category. while previously, 10-20 per cent of sales was accounted for by loyalty programme members, this share has jumped to 58 per cent.