As the largest luxury retailer in the Middle East, the Chalhoub Group is a premium concept, representing some of the most exclusive brands in the world, so creating a compelling loyalty concept for them required new ideas and innovative thinking.
This short show summarises my interview with Nida Unas, Head of Group Loyalty at the Chalhoub Group, who told me about MUSE – the programme they developed to reward premium Chalhoub customers with luxury experiences.
1) Nida Unas – Head of Group Loyalty at Chalhoub Group
2) Lets Talk Loyalty #29: Rewarding Loyalty with Luxury Experiences.
PAULA: Welcome to Let’s Talk Loyalty, an industry podcast for loyalty marketing professionals.
PAULA: I’m your host, Paula Thomas.
PAULA: And if you work in loyalty marketing, join me every week to learn the latest ideas from loyalty specialists around the world.
PAULA: The Chalhoub Group is a leading luxury retailer operating across the Middle East region, and it launched its loyalty program called Muse in 2019.
PAULA: So in early 2020, I met Nida Unas, who leads this program, to find out exactly how she created a value proposition based on experiences in order to appeal to the profile and needs of luxury retail customers.
PAULA: Boasting over 700 stores and 12,000 employees, the interview was actually recorded just as the UAE announced the closure of shopping malls in order to combat the impact of COVID-19.
PAULA: So retail stores were under an entirely new type of pressure that none of us had ever seen before.
PAULA: Nida shared with me the goals of the Muse program, something the CEO of the Chalhoub Group, Patrick Chalhoub, was determined would surpass the usual points in transactional rewards, with a vision to build human connections and show brand loyalty to customers, using luxury experiences to appeal to members.
PAULA: As a still very new loyalty program, just seven months old at the time of recording, Muse already enjoyed over 100,000 members and was starting to already see consumer behavior changing in direct response to the experience-led value proposition.
PAULA: The Muse team had successfully convinced many of their luxury brand partners to support the program, including 35 international brands as well as other concepts created by the Chalhoub Group itself.
PAULA: As a result, from start to launch, the entire project was already two years underway, including the development of the value proposition to ensure value at every tier level, and consumer research to ensure these luxury experiences would be effective in differentiating the Chalhoub Group in this competitive luxury market.
PAULA: Nida was excited about the power of the data becoming available in order to help make customers feel valued, and she shared with me some of the benefits she created to remove the pain points before, during and after shopping, such as valet parking at malls, home delivery, complimentary alterations, concierge services, complimentary makeovers, styling sessions, luxury hand massage, as well as immersive experiences, and even some top prizes for luxury money can’t buy experiences.
PAULA: For example, front row passes at major international fashion shows.
PAULA: Of course, with the emergence of the COVID pandemic, the personal care experiences had to be suspended.
PAULA: But members were still being delighted to enjoy the launch of e-commerce benefits, such as complimentary home delivery and replenishment services, as well as extraordinary content and mentoring services, such as styling, to make the programme more meaningful at an individual level and help MUSE members achieve their potential in whatever way that was meaningful to them.
PAULA: Overall, this episode is a masterclass in innovative thinking and driving loyalty for luxury retail customers.
PAULA: And Nida emphasised some of the key success factors needed to truly build something that is compelling both commercially and for consumers.
PAULA: And making loyalty relevant across many markets, no matter how similar or how different they might seem to be.
PAULA: Having been shortlisted for the best new programme by the Loyalty Magazine Awards, I have no doubt that this family business, with its laser focus on delighting customers, boasts all the ingredients for loyalty success.
PAULA: So, if you’re interested in hearing how a leading luxury retailer is achieving success with its innovative loyalty programme, you can listen to the full interview.
PAULA: It’s episode 29 on letstalkloyalty.com.
PAULA: This show is sponsored by The Wise Marketeer, the world’s most popular source of loyalty marketing news, insights and research.
PAULA: The Wise Marketeer also offers loyalty marketing training through its Loyalty Academy, which has already certified over 170 executives in 20 countries as certified loyalty marketing professionals.
PAULA: For more information, check out thewisemarketeer.com and loyaltyacademy.org.
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