At the NRF Big Show, we saw a clear shift towards a customer-centric approach, with retailers recognizing the need to communicate with customers in a meaningful and relevant way versus just focusing on transactional behavior. We’re seeing organizations focusing on creating emotional bonds with customers by getting to know them better, speaking to them in a more personalized way and creating experiences that further that bond. To enable this approach, more and more organizations are turning to loyalty programs. But these aren’t your typical loyalty programs—earn points and get discounts. These programs are about elevating experiences. They promise customers relevancy, easy connections, inclusive community and meaningful experiences. Many retailers today are actively building a community that fosters engagement as well as sharing of ideas and experiences.

To ensure success, retailers are investing in new technologies to ensure they’re able to deliver consistency across channels. We see them working to find solutions that enable them to deliver personalized experiences that meet and exceed customer expectations wherever and however they interact with the brand. 

We're seeing the use of tools like surveys done in a fun, engaging and progressive way to collect zero-party data. These interactive surveys ask customers about their likes and dislikes around activities, items, destinations and more. For example, The North Face collects information about outdoor activities customers enjoy. They take that further to learn where they like to do these activities and which locations are on their wish list. Then they use this information to create new experiences for their customers from product selections to group hikes at a desired location.