Dive Brief:
- DTC children’s apparel brand Hanna Andersson on Wednesday launched a loyalty program, according to details shared with Retail Dive.
- Hanna Rewards is the company’s first such program in its 40-year history. It provides new and existing customers with discounts, rewards points every time they shop, early and exclusive access to new product launches and sales, and free shipping.
- The program is free to use and participants earn 200 points for signing up. Customers receive 1 point for every $1 spent and earn a $10 reward with 125 points.
Dive Insight:
Starting a loyalty program during back-to-school and just before the holiday season represents a way for the brand to enhance its current customer experience and act as a motivator to attract new shoppers.
“Like with any loyalty program, customer retention is our top priority,” said Aimée Lapic, Hanna Andersson’s chief executive officer, in an email to Retail Dive. “We recognize consumers have choices on where they purchase their kids’ clothing and it’s up to us to make Hanna Andersson a can’t miss shopping experience. To that same point, our goal is to reward our customers. Offering a strong rewards program to them with early access to our newest product, among other benefits, is one way we can thank them for continuing to shop at Hanna.”
The brand has been busy this year, having launched in February a resale marketplace in partnership with retail technology company Archive. As of this month, its peer-to-peer resale program had 23,000 listings, per Lapic.
Also in February, the company introduced a new activewear line called Active by Hanna Andersson.
The brand experienced a number of C-suite changes in the last several years. Joelle Maher became CEO in May 2017, but left in 2019 and Michael Edwards stepped in. In 2021, Sally Pofcher was appointed CEO. A year later, Pofcher became a non-executive chair of the company’s board and Lapic was appointed to the CEO role.
The brand decided to close its brick-and-mortar locations permanently in 2020 and shifted focus entirely to selling online and by phone orders. “Our brand transitioned from brick-and-mortar to a digital-first retailer only a few years ago and making this transition was hugely successful for the business,” Lapic said. “Our new Hanna Rewards is specifically designed around our current DTC model.”
The company also has a retail relationship with Amazon, selling products under the Moon and Back by Hanna Andersson label.
Hanna Andersson’s loyalty program comes as other retailers refresh and launch programs of their own. Victoria’s Secret refreshed its loyalty program that offers rewards, member exclusives, digital community features and added benefits for cardholders. And Under Armour last month launched its first loyalty program.
