The new ‘Rewards’ scheme from ASOS is more than just a regular loyalty scheme, encouraging consumers to actively engage with the brand in a non-transactional way.
ASOS, the online fashion retailer, has launched a new customer loyalty scheme that rewards customers not just for their purchases, but for their brand engagement as well. Their new ‘Rewards’ scheme will allow customers to earn voucher-like points from purchases made on their website, in the same vein as many other high-street and online retailers. However, Asos has gone one step further by offering points to customers who actively engage with the brand. For example, by posting a photo of themselves on Instagram wearing an ASOS outfit and using the hashtag #AsSeenOnMe, customers will earn points exactly as if they had bought a certain amount of clothing through the online store.
What makes this a potential masterstroke from ASOS is that it perfectly marries a transactional, promotional activity with emotion-based brand engagement. Rewarding loyal customers with discounts and freebies can be highly effective, but when these discounts are based purely off transactions, customers have no reason to show brand loyalty other than to save a few pennies. By encouraging customers to interact with the brand and products to earn their rewards, ASOS creates a connection that goes beyond the transaction. Consumers want to share their photos not just to save money, but also because they want their friends to see their outfits and want to see what other people have made of them.
These days, promotional activities need to do more than just give consumers more for less. A truly effective loyalty scheme or promotion should give consumers a reason to keep coming back that is based on emotional, as well as rational, drivers.