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Level up your loyalty: Learn from the Nike Rewards case study

The Nike Membership rewards scheme is an intriguing example of a contemporary take on the traditional rewards program. To better understand this program’s features and what Nike has offered. And what, according to some, how a successful loyalty program like? Now, let’s get going!

How does the Nike loyalty work?

Nike gives a present to its members

The Nike rewards program offers numerous advantages. Their program’s success extends beyond the appearance and feel of the website. Nike has created a rewards program with Nike Membership to benefit all athletes.

Not the same as other rewards programs that need a purchase before, the Nike loyalty program welcomes everyone to sign up as a member for free. There are 4 main values that Nike always follows as its mission: Exclusivity for members, the Nike Community, the Personality of each customer, and the Omnichannel experience to be closer to clients. According to devoted Nike consumers, the program’s greatest value is having access to member-only events, benefits, and experiences, which is the single biggest benefit of joining the program through the Nike app. 

Nike is the only brand offering these unique perks

A call for a customer to be a member

Nike sends a message: “It’s better as a member” to attract more customers and newcomers. All the unique features are on the Nike Membership website. Let’s see how Nike propagandizes the program and which strategies are used. 

Nike knows how to make loyal customers valuable and personalizes case-by-case for each client. Their members may take advantage of products and collections such as exclusive birthday celebration gifts with a special email – Nike voucher code and use it during the checkout process.  

Nike has both material and spiritual products

The Nike rewards program has been a huge success by recommending special perks for members. Such as the tickets to athletic events and sports activities which are celebrated privately. Additionally, they can purchase items from exclusive collections that are only accessible to Nike rewards members. They can also purchase things before those products are available to the general public.

Be healthier with Nike’s community

Nike creates a community for members which raises customer retention to the top. Nike offers many premium products (exclusive t-shirts, running shoes) as rewards for members who run with the Nike Run Club (NRC) and exercise with the training club, Nike Fitness (Nike Training Club – NTC). It also gives members a place to follow or discuss thoughts on topics that interest them and motivational pieces that keep them going. The NRC and NTC are where members know which communities they belong to, professional guidance on training and fitness.

Nike membership: Experience the engagement with the Omnichannel expert

Omnichannel shopping has become the new normal for almost all retailers. It is a great way to keep customers coming back is to make all of your actions easy to access and integrate so that points can be tracked and awards can be delivered on time. According to an IRI report (2018), transaction volumes through these programs climbed by more than 50% over the previous year, according to 71% of firms with such programs.

Needless to say, Nike is a mirror for Omnichannel Loyalty in every industry. The Nike Loyalty Scheme’s strong omnichannel approach constantly connects members’ mobile applications. Then, they could log into all apps and websites using the same login. The system is set up so that Nike may identify the loyalty of its customers using any method they choose, such as scanning a Virtual ID.

Decode Nike Club’s success

Everyone can join Nike, the experts are much welcome

Nike knows exactly its target audience

The first thing we should notice is Nike’s rewards program. Nike Rewards is a customer satisfaction program that offers highly targeted experience rewards. They have established a rewards program these athletes genuinely want to participate in. It meets their requirements and aligns with their interests by matching their prizes to their customers’ beliefs.

Hence, Nike helps members access exclusive events to connect and train alongside other Nike community members. These experiential membership benefits are a great way to get to know your customers well. The values of actual athletic performance drive Nike’s consumer base, and the advantages of the Nike program amply demonstrate this.

Consistency in branding

Nike Run Club’s followers on Instagram are 10 times higher than Adidas Runtastic’s

Every committed customer purchase is smoothly integrated into the program thanks to the effective branding campaign, creating a smooth loyalty journey. Nike’s marketing strategy is impressive since they contact clients via social media. Nike uses Instagram to push its running community, which expands its brand awareness and attracts people.

Maintaining customer engagement with a brand requires consistent branding. For example, on the Nike membership Instagram account, the images are mainly about members and showing their joys. Adidas’s account is more about its products, and it is like an advertising page. Customers adore Nike, so learning about the Nike Membership program felt familiar, which is the ideal blend for a fresh take on a well-known brand.

Digitalized experience and convenience

The Nike app serves as the loyalty program’s center; if not to say the apps are the best thing in this rewards program. Four apps are available to Nike members. The mobile-focused approach strategy helps customers feel more convenient and engaged with programs.

Members can monitor their activity, receive new notifications for upcoming potential offers and keep up with the latest collection. Moreover, customers who scan their app at Nike shops or events can receive their benefits.

The apps are utilized to interact and communicate with customers. The members can carry the brand with them wherever they go and anytime they want due to the mobile experience. Mobile accessibility has become a must in digitalization, and the Nike apps illustrate that the Nike rewards program is always there when customers need it.

Where Nike rewards still needs improvement

Nike suggests many beneficial gifts and events and provides a convenient environment of an internal app for members. However, there is a lack of opportunities for members to return and get more perks than before. Also, what is too much has its flip side. Nike’s apps are really helpful, but they give members a feeling of “changing” from app to app. And it is annoying! 

“Don’t want to turn back”

The other rewards systems include re-engagement opportunities and strong retention. The majority of loyalty programs have created long-term relationships with customers for a long time. As a result, their primary goal is to maintain participation. Referral programs, like Lululemon, offer customers for each successful referral. Meanwhile, a points program, like Tim Hortons Rewards, racks up points for every purchase. A VIP program encourages customers to become and stay Sephora Insiders.

Nike offers incentives that are both wonderful and helpful for first-time buyers. The only issue arises when you enjoy the fantastic program benefits but have no more engagement or appeal to them to come again.  This is the reason why the Nike Membership program needs to improve its system. 

App consolidation

The Membership loyalty program is a club where customers can access exclusive benefits. Nike shoppers can join by signing up on their website or their four mobile apps: Nike Run Club, SNKRS, Nike Training Club, and the Nike app.

However, Nike divided into clubs with different apps, causing inconvenience: Nike has too many apps. Nowadays, customers love the lean process, and they do not like the changes. Everything needs to be done in a quick movement in an app. Many Nike apps make them have to move from app to app, which seems a waste of time. The more apps that need to be installed, the more memory is taken while they can do all the activities in only one app. 

User find it challenging to utilize all the offers of the program when there is an app for every single feature. Consumers put off by the number of apps may choose not to download any. Nike can improve its communication tools with clients by integrating all the apps into one, which may cause customer engagement with the brand.

Advice for the Owners: Learn and follow Nike’s successes

Empathizing is the best way to connect

Nike knows exactly who are the target audiences and has an extent of understanding about customer profiles. Nike’s main customer segment is about 15-40 years old, the age range is quite large, but the way Nike offers the benefits which are suitable for all ages. 

Following Nike, first, identify your main audiences, what they like, and what they usually do at their ages. You leverage different types of habits to create all your rewards for your customers. Remember, you build loyalty programs to push the relationship between your brand and the clients.

Integrating online and offline experience

Living in the age of technology and digitalization, a mobile approach is a necessary component, a competitive advantage for a business, especially for a startup. Customers can reach your business everywhere, every time, by smart devices, so they raise the engagement of a customer to your business. Via the devices, you can inform the offers to your customers, make them feel your business is always near clients, and you guys are close enough to share their purchasing habits.

Learn and avoid Nike rewards’ failures

Motivative Factors Affecting Customer Engagement

Although Nike offers amazing benefits with thousands of discounts and exclusive events. There are no chances for clients to re-engage with the company. Nothing in the brand’s design keeps them interested in the long run. This is the point you should avoid while running a loyalty program.

Motivating customers to return to your business is also important. If the once-purchase-customer is increased, but the repeat purchase stands still, running a loyalty program is ineffective at all. The purpose of a loyalty program is to retain existing customers and make them feel the program is so attractive to buy again. Consequently, the revenue is going up due to these old members.

Unified customer platforms to reduce confusion

Brand interaction is around mobile devices. This is because an increasing number of consumers are making purchases using their phones, tracking items while on the go, and spending money overall using the app. Because mobile integrates user engagement with mobile apps during in-store transactions, experts refer to mobile as the link between offline and online experiences.

However, too many apps in the system make customers give up instead of getting deep engagement with the program when it is complex to them. Moreover, creating an app is also expensive for a small business; as a store owner, you should be careful when spending a lot of money on a platform. There are many options to choose to run a loyalty business for your company.

Quick recap and secret to be successful with your loyalty program

Follow Nike Membership as a case study; the business owners learn some of the lessons of how to run a powerful app and use it to connect with customers.

If you seek a reputable unit to deploy an effective loyalty program like Nike on the Shopify platform, then BON Loyalty Rewards & Referrals should be your first choice. BON is a loyalty program builder on the Shopify platform that allows stores to turn one-time buyers into repeat purchasers. Try the 3-day free trial to enjoy the differences!

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