What: Retail executives from Selfridges, Lane Crawford, and Nykaa share diverse approaches to nurturing customer relationships through community-focused initiatives and innovative loyalty programs.

Why it is important: These examples show how retailers are reimagining customer engagement by balancing technological capabilities with authentic human connections to build lasting relationships.

At the World Retail Congress, retail leaders emphasised the critical role of community and loyalty in modern retail strategy. Selfridges COO Leonie Foster highlighted their innovative 'Selfridges Unlocked' loyalty scheme, which rewards both spending and experiential engagement through activities like restaurant visits, skate bowl usage, and event attendance. The program uniquely enables customers to achieve VSP (Very Selfridges Person) status without necessarily spending money. Lane Crawford's approach, explained by CEO Jennifer Woo, focuses on intimate store formats and strong personal relationships, exemplified by staff initiatives like delivering curated selections to time-pressed customers' homes. Nykaa, with $2 billion in sales and 14 million customers, demonstrates community-building at scale through events like 'Nykaaland', their beauty festival. By Rotation and Ida Sports further illustrate how community engagement extends beyond traditional retail to create meaningful connections with both customers and stakeholders. As Jennifer Woo emphasised, while data is valuable, direct customer engagement remains crucial for understanding and serving customers effectively.

IADS Notes: The evolution of retail community and loyalty strategies reflects fundamental industry transformation. According to Forbes' April 2025 coverage , department stores are successfully reinventing themselves through community-driven experiences and cultural programming, moving beyond traditional product-focused approaches. WWD's February 2025 analysis showed how Selfridges' innovative 'Unlocked' program rewards both purchases and experiential engagement through digital "keys," demonstrating the shift toward more sophisticated loyalty strategies. Inside Retail's April 2025 report revealed how retailers are learning from airlines' success in building both emotional and calculative commitment through strategic partnerships and psychological engagement. BCG's December 2024 coverage highlighted the urgency of this transformation, with over 35% of loyalty program members planning to cancel traditional points-based memberships. The contrasting approaches shared at the World Retail Congress, from Selfridges' experiential rewards to Lane Crawford's high-touch personal service and Nykaa's community-driven beauty festivals, illustrate how retailers are reimagining customer engagement through diverse but complementary strategies.

World Retail Congress: the power of community and loyalty for big names and small