“We have two million active customers, and they’re looking for more than just discounts. They’re looking for community orientation,” Joanna Robinson, CMO of The Iconic, told Mediaweek.
After her presentation at the ADMA Global Forum on navigating Gen Y and Gen Z through the power of building predictions, Robinson revealed the online retailer’s plans to launch its own loyalty program.
While the program’s name has yet to be unveiled, Robinson said the move has “been a long time coming” for The Iconic.
“(Customers) want to be rewarded, surprised and delighted in new ways. They want to be recognised for their loyalty.”
Robinson said she wanted to create a system that shows its loyal customers they are valued and important with money can’t buy experiences, early entry to sales or charitable partnerships.
“We’re about to launch a pilot, and we’re inviting a number of our customers across our four different tiers. We are going to spend quite a bit of time unpacking what she wants, what motivates her, what benefits, and what she wants the loyalty program to look like.
“Our point of difference is we’re going to use our customers to design the ultimate loyalty program.”
“We generally find it’s 70/30 split”
Convenience, brand width and fast delivery are among the pillars of The Iconic, particularly with its women consumers.
Research from NielsenIQ earlier this year found that women control an estimated $31.8 trillion of worldwide spending. The study noted that this number will continue to grow over the next five years, with women worldwide predicted to control 75% of discretionary spending.
The data also found that when shopping online, women do thorough research through online comparisons, reviews and detailed product information before purchasing.
Robinson shared that while women continue to be a “very compelling target” for The Iconic, there has been a growing shift toward men who want to “buy for themselves and lean into what fashion means to them.”
“We have a pretty good proportion of men who buy items from our men’s and sports categories because we have a cross-section.
“We generally find it’s 70/30 split. There are some men addicted to The Iconic like we are, but then a lot of the male purchases come from women. She will buy for her partner or husband or her kid.”
Dentsu Creative for The Iconic
“I love briefing agencies with ‘let’s blow shit up'”
Earlier this year, The Iconic launched its new brand platform, ‘Got You Looking’, with Dentsu Creative that threads across paid media, cx, e-commerce and app touchpoints.
The creative has been crafted to draw attention, encouraging viewers to double-take the image.
Robinson said: “We’ve always had really good agency partners. It starts with good people. At the end of the day, you meet these people, get along, and think the same way.
“I love briefing agencies with ‘let’s blow shit up’, which I think they like about a client. I’ve been working in brands and categories where you have license to do that. Dentsu have been amazing.”
“We’re just about to roll out the next phase in the middle of September. It’ll be ‘Got You Looking’ as a brand platform, not just a campaign, and we’ll see further iterations.”
What’s next in store for The Iconic
In addition to the loyalty program, The Iconic is set to launch phase two of its campaign work with creative agency partner Dentsu Creative.
“We’re repurposing some of the beautiful creative because it has not worn out yet. But we did shoot some more.”
Robinson noted that the brand will be pushing its exclusive brands, such as AERE, Atmos&Here and Dazie. She said: “That means not only our private label brands but also the international brands you can only get at The Iconic.”
“So, you’ll see more disruptive, beautiful creative that’s about elevating our fashion credentials and introducing people to The Iconic and what it stands for, as well as to its categories,” she added.
Robinson also shared that changes to customer service are also on the cards for The Iconic.
“There was so much narrative today about customer service being the voice of the customer. So, how do we take some insights from customers talking to us daily on every channel, particularly the unhappy customers? Rather than ignoring them, how can you convert a customer who is unhappy about your brand or customer proposition?
“Then they’re the golden nuggets that you can lean into and target. We’re going to be doing a lot more around customer service and how we embed that and the insights behind that across the organisation, not just customer service being a bolt-on to the side of the business,” Robinson added.
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Top image: Joanna Robinson