Kirkland's Launches New K Club Rewards Program
By Anna Rose Welch, Editorial & Community Director, Advancing RNA
New Rewards program is one of many recent digital enhancements the company has implemented to build customer loyalty.
Kirkland’s launched its new K Club Rewards Program on October 20th. The loyalty program offers customers exclusive discount opportunities and points on eligible purchases. With this launch, Kirkland’s has become one of the few home décor retailers that allow consumers to pay using methods other than their store credit card and still earn rewards. Some of the features of the program include 24/7 online account access, personalized style tips from Kirkland’s, and a $10 dollar reward for every 300 points earned.
Loyalty Program Appeals To In-Store And Online Shoppers
Another perk of the program is that it is completely digital. Customers no longer need to carry cards or paper certificates, which can easily be lost or forgotten. Membership customers need only provide a name, phone number, or email address at the register when making a purchase, and they will be able to receive points and cash in on rewards. Despite the fact that the majority of Kirkland’s business occurs in the 317 brick-and-mortar stores around the country, the company is also aware of the rising number of consumers turning to online channels to purchase goods. In order to appeal to its online customers, Kirkland’s loyalty program also offers consumers points for purchases they make online as well as in-store, helping build more of an omni-channel experience for the customer.
This program is an important step for the company to reach out to its consumer base. Kikland’s VP of Marketing, Mark Krebs, says the company’s goal is to “make this program customer-centric, simple, and fun.”
Emailing And Social Media Efforts Build Customer Loyalty
However, this is not the company’s first attempt to encourage customer engagement. During last year’s holiday season, the company launched a sweepstakes campaign which encouraged each customer to provide an email address and create a profile. In turn, each customer earned points that could lead to a $10,000 grand prize. This effort provided the company with email addresses, which they used to reach out to consumers to build loyalty.
Over the last several years, email and social media have become important tools in the company’s task of increasing customer loyalty. According to Jessica Charlton, social media developer for Kirkland’s, the company has a “whole email team” that ensures new customers who provide an email address immediately begin receiving communications from Kirkland’s. This guarantees that the Kirkland’s-customer relationship begins on strong footing and that the portals of communication are opened. Likewise, Charlton also says that the company “loves the two-way communication of social media. We’re traditionally brick-and-mortar and we’re used to communicating face-to-face. Social gives us that capability in the virtual world.”
All in all, through its various efforts, Kirkland’s has proven its dedication to improving a customer’s shopping experience. The release of the new K Club Rewards Program right before the holidays is in keeping with the timing of the company’s prior sweepstakes campaign. After all, when’s a better time to implement a new loyalty program than during the holiday shopping season when customers abound and are readily searching for places that will value and reward their business? As Charlton says of the previous efforts, “We knew the holiday would be a great time to contact our customers and get them into our communication funnel. We have a lot of customers who will only shop with us during the holiday season.” This move, then — which is already receiving positive feedback — could advance the company even further in its loyalty efforts, drawing in new and returning holiday customers, hopefully beyond this holiday season.