In the world of luxury, loyalty is not earned with points or discounts.
It is built on unique experiences, personalised attention and a relationship of trust.
Luxury customers are looking for the exceptional, not the ordinary.
It is therefore essential to rethink loyalty programmes so that they reflect this quest for exclusivity.
Faced with an increasingly demanding and volatile customer base, luxury brands can no longer rely solely on their prestige.
It is becoming essential to rethink loyalty as a strategic lever in its own right.
Customer behaviour is changing.
With digitalisation, they expect seamless, personalised and memorable interactions.
In luxury, these expectations are even higher.
A well-designed loyalty program extends the customer experience beyond the purchase, strengthening the bond with the brand.
A loyalty program in luxury, like in other sectors, aims to:
In short, a well-designed loyalty program is a powerful lever for strengthening customer relationships while increasing profitability.
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Loyalty programs are strategic for your brand, and we can probably help. Check out our platform!
In luxury, loyalty cannot be bought with discounts. It is built through emotion, exclusivity and memorable experiences.
The goal? To enchant rather than reward.
Let's follow the example of Swarovski with its SCS program: annual membership, exclusive content, limited edition pieces, private events...
A true premium club, faithful to the codes of luxury.
Here are the 7 pillars to follow to design an inspiring loyalty program.
In the world of luxury, it's not just about retaining ‘regular customers’, but about cultivating a community of privileged members.
This sense of belonging comes from specific elements: powerful storytelling, a carefully crafted visual identity, a tone that is perfectly aligned with the brand's universe, and an evocative name.
Swarovski, for example, offers access to its ‘Crystal Society’ (SCS) through an annual membership fee.
In addition to a refined name, entry is not automatic; it must be earned and chosen, which reinforces the perceived value of membership.
The experience is enriched by various tailor-made VIP services, reinforcing the idea that you are not simply joining a loyalty program, but an exclusive circle.
The message is clear: ‘you are not just part of a program, you are entering a special circle’.
It's impossible to talk about loyalty, whether in luxury or not, without talking about personalisation.
And we're not just talking about using someone's first name in an email.
We're talking about emotional data: favourite styles, purchasing habits, key moments in the customer relationship.
The more you are able to pick up on these subtle signals, the more you can offer experiences that are truly tailored to your members.
This is where the right tools make all the difference.
Loyalty solutions, such as Loyoly, allow you to integrate your loyalty program with your preferred CRM (Klaviyo, Brevo or HubSpot).
The result?
You centralise all useful information (VIP status, points, rewards, etc.) and can then automate highly targeted journeys.
Imagine a customer who has just passed a certain points threshold and it's their birthday month.
You can send them an exclusive invitation to an event at their nearest store.
Yes, this level of personalisation is possible.
And no, it's not just for industry giants.
In the luxury sector, offering a discount is often... irrelevant.
What matters is the experience. The emotion. The privilege.
The best rewards aren't monetary, they're memorable.
An invitation to a private fashion show, a tour of the design studios, backstage access to an event, an ultra-limited edition item...
This is what excites your most committed customers.
Swarovski understands this well.
SCS members have access to exclusive after-sales services, private tours and exclusive events.
In short, the rarer the reward, the more valuable it is and the longer your customer will remember it.
VIP tiers, or loyalty levels, are a simple and incredibly effective lever. They allow you to reward loyalty over time by offering increasingly exclusive benefits.
Swarovski, once again, illustrates this very well: long-standing members receive special treatment.
Priority invitations, exclusive items, tailor-made newsletters...
But you can go even further.
Offer early access to private sales, reserve a slot in-store with a personal advisor, send a pre-order preview...
This is how you nurture a real sense of privilege.
A valued customer is a loyal customer who expresses their loyalty... by buying 🙂
We cannot stress enough that in the luxury sector, loyalty is all about emotions.
It is not an algorithm that creates attachment, it is attention.
This can take the form of a handwritten message, an unexpected gift or a personalised call to announce something new.
These gestures don't cost much, but they make an impression. They tell a story.
Above all, they remind the customer that they really matter to you.
A good loyalty program must incorporate these emotional moments, even in a digital journey.
A symbolic date, a large order, an interaction in-store: these are all opportunities to create a genuine connection.
👉 To learn more, check out our article on emotional marketing.
Your loyalty program is not a separate entity.
It must be fully integrated into your brand identity.
The tone, visuals, digital experience... Everything must reflect your DNA.
Continuing with Swarovski, each page of the SCS program is designed as an extension of their main website.
Same palette, same tone, same refinement.
From the registration page to the loyalty dashboard, the user journey must reflect the same codes as your store or brand campaigns.
In short, the customer should never feel like they are ‘changing worlds’.
It is this level of consistency that reinforces the perception of quality and, therefore, brand loyalty.
Luxury is above all an in-store experience.
Nothing can replace human contact, the expertise of an advisor or the hushed atmosphere of a flagship store.
This is where emotions are created and where the brand's universe comes into its own.
However, digital technology has no place in the background.
A well-designed loyalty program should streamline the experience across channels, strengthening the link between online and offline.
The goal is to bring customers back to the store again and again by offering them additional, consistent points of contact.
In practical terms, this means connecting your loyalty program to your POS software so that customers can earn points on in-store purchases, complete digital tasks from home, or book an exclusive in-store experience via an online interface.
Every interaction should become an opportunity to build a relationship: an email inviting customers to discover a new collection in store, a reward available only in store, or a private event accessible upon digital registration.
👉 Take a look at our article on what omnichannel is and how to implement it.
By strengthening the connection between digital and physical, you enhance both the in-store experience and the role of advisors, while building a loyalty ecosystem where every interaction counts.
Luxury cultivates loyalty that goes far beyond simple rewards programs.
Some major brands, such as Louis Vuitton, prefer to focus on exceptional relationships, while others develop more structured loyalty strategies.
Part of the LVMH group, Givenchy Beauty offers Givenchy Beauty Society, an elegant and immersive loyalty program.
Members enjoy personalised samples, exclusive benefits and invitations to unique beauty experiences depending on their membership level.
All this takes place in a fluid digital environment that is faithful to the aesthetics and couture spirit of the Givenchy fashion house.
The goal is to give each customer a sense of privileged belonging and strengthen their emotional connection to the brand.
Chanel does not offer a traditional loyalty program, but cultivates ultra-exclusive and secret loyalty.
Through La Collection, its customers collect cards to access rewards.
Chanel focuses on service excellence, access to unique pieces and the boutique experience to reinforce the feeling of exclusivity without ever trivialising its customer relationship.
With its YSL Beauty Club, Yves Saint Laurent Beauté has adopted a more open but still selective approach.
Members receive a 15% discount all year round and access to exclusive rewards, including limited-edition products, invitations to events and previews of new launches.
At the same time, YSL Beauty maintains emotional engagement through powerful experiences in line with its bold and avant-garde universe.
Not everyone is a luxury hotel... but everyone can draw inspiration from their strategies to build a unique and personalised loyalty experience.
That's exactly what Loyoly does.
The platform helps you create tailor-made journeys, adapted to each customer's profile and purchasing habits.
The result: each member maintains a special relationship with your brand, without ever compromising your premium positioning.
Among the easily activatable scenarios:
With Loyoly, you strengthen engagement without ever resorting to traditional discounts.
The platform integrates natively with your e-commerce and CRM environment (Klaviyo, Brevo, HubSpot, etc.) to centralise your customer data and manage your loyalty actions seamlessly, from your website to your point of sale.
There's no compromise on image: the member experience is polished, the design is elegant and the benefits are designed to remain perfectly consistent with your brand's universe.
👉 To learn more, check out our article dedicated to loyalty programmes in fashion.
Loyoly is a loyalty and referral platform combined with UGCs, which helps to engage customers in 40+ ways to increase LTV and social proof, while reducing CAC.
