With increasing competition and fight for customer attention, eCommerce brands are trying various strategies to increase engagement and scale their business.
One such strategy that’s particularly gaining momentum is membership programs. Brands across industries are designing innovative membership programs that go beyond products and transactions. These membership programs are designed to engage customers, build member communities, and offer unique experiences to members as benefits.
A brand that has designed an effective membership program, loved by customers, is Lululemon. In this blog, we breakdown the Lululemon membership strategy, what makes it stand out, why customers love it so much, and what are the lessons you can implement in your Shopify membership programs.
Read on!
What is the Lululemon membership program?
Lululemon is an athletics clothing and accessories brand that offers premium products for men and women. Lululemon has a free eCommerce membership model that provides access to various perks and experiences without requiring a purchase threshold or annual fee. The brand offers various types of perks that go beyond discounts, making it more attractive to its customers. The program is designed to build a community of members and to increase customer engagement.
Lululemon membership strategy breakdown
Lululemon is a popular brand of athleisure clothing and accessories for men and women. The brand has multiplied its popularity with an effective membership program. In this section, we breakdown the Lululemon membership strategy and extract key takeaways that you can implement in your Shopify membership strategy.
1. Easy and multiple sign-up options
When you make it easy for customers to sign-up, the conversion rates can increase. Lululemon has made the membership sign-up process easy. Besides, the brand provides multiple ways for customers to sign up.
Customers can sign up via the website, through the iOS app, or in store. And the process is simple. All that customers need to provide is their name and email address.
2. The membership is free to join
Customers can join the Lululemon membership program for free. Making eCommerce membership models free is one of the biggest factors that can lead to more sign-ups. However, this can also lead to bogus sign ups, hence, may require careful vetting.
Making memberships free has many benefits. For starters, it is an effective customer retention strategy, because when members do not have to pay a fee, they do not mind continuing their membership.
Also, with free membership models, you can reach a wider audience, collect customer data, and potential for future marketing. Free memberships also help build loyalty and increase customer retention, and encourage more frequent purchases.
3. Many benefits and perks
One of the biggest factors that attracts customers to join memberships is the special benefits or perks. When customers receive exclusive benefits, they feel special. Lululemon membership strategy includes multiple perks and benefits for customers, making it more attractive for customers to join the program.
Some of the perks include early access to product drops, exchange or credit on sale items, select Peloton classes, membership events, receipt-free returns, and free hemming, among others.
The brand also partners with other brands and offers perks in collaboration with those brands. This way, there’s always more – products and brands – for members to explore and try.
4. Easy access and navigation
To ensure a good experience for customers, brands must make navigation and access as easy as possible. That’s what Lululemon membership strategy prioritizes.
Once customers create a Lululemon membership account or sign into their account, they can access and navigate the membership benefits from their account. Whether they are on the website or on the membership app, they can easily access their membership information.
When you design your membership program strategy, ensure the UX, navigation and access are
5. Clear explanation of membership program on one page
For Lululemon, its membership program is not an afterthought. The brand prioritizes the membership program and hence, it has a dedicated page for it on the website.
The membership page has all the details of the program. From links to sign up for the membership to details about benefits to FAQs, and more.
Providing all important information in one place makes it easy for customers to find information and clear their doubts.
6. An FAQs section for the membership program
Lululemon membership strategy prioritizes clarity and transparency. The membership page has not one but two FAQs sections. One section answers the general questions about the program, while the other answers questions related to partner perks.
One of the key factors that helps customers feel comfortable and build trust in brands is when brands share clear information with customers. Among other ways brands share information is live chats and easy access to contact channels such as phone and WhatsApp.
7. Access to product drops
Lululemon membership strategy has many features that offer priority and exclusive access to members. For instance, members get exclusive and early access to new product releases and limited collections before they become available to the general public. This creates a sense of exclusivity and rewards members who want to stay ahead of trends in athletic apparel.
8. Experiences beyond products
Today, customers expect much more from special programs, such as memberships and Shopify loyalty programs. Merely products and transactional experiences do not cut it for brands or customers any more. Lululemon membership strategy provides this key takeaway for brands that want to stay ahead of their competitors.
Lululemon offers its members access to virtual fitness classes and wellness content. This digital integration highlights the brand’s commitment to building a community of members that believe in an active lifestyle. This is an effective lesson by building communities on Shopify stores.
The brand also offers hemming services to members in their stores. A benefit that enhances product customization and fit. This service addresses a common pain point for athletic wear consumers while demonstrating Lululemon’s attention to detail and commitment to customer satisfaction.
9. Digital integration and experience
Lululemon membership strategy is fully integrated with Lululemon’s mobile app and online platform, offering a seamless experience across digital and physical touchpoints. This omnichannel approach of the brand reflects its attention to customer preference and expectations.
Brands that want to stay ahead in the market and meet customer preferences must integrate digital features and automation. A prerequisite for this strategy is to use an efficient and smart Shopify membership app, such as Appstle Memberships.
Key takeaways from Lululemon membership strategy
- The membership program aligns with customer preference and needs for community, wellness, and experiences beyond products and transactions. Lululemon positions its membership program as one that is designed for its customers’ unique needs rather than a copy of any other membership program on the internet.
- Lululemon membership strategy has built a strong ecosystem comprising loyal customers, a community of members, partner brands, and more. The membership program offers products, services, and experiences, ensuring a strong customer retention strategy.
- The membership program prioritizes accessibility. By making the program free of cost, offering multiple ways to sign-up, and a simplified sign-up process, the brand maximizes member participation. Alongside, it also offers significant value, creating many opportunities for customer relationship development.
- Lululemon ensures transparent communication, something that can be seen throughout its membership page. Its dedicated membership page provides comprehensive information about the program, and the detailed FAQs sections answer common questions that remove doubts. Moreover, the brand clearly explains the benefits, demonstrating the value proposition.
How to get started with your Shopify membership program?
The Lululemon membership strategy breakdown shares important lessons and strategies that you can apply in your marketing plans.
From digital integration to customer-centricity to easy accessibility, there’s a lot that you must consider when designing a Shopify membership program.
However, you will also need a smart membership solutions partner that provides comprehensive features to ease your tasks. Appstle Memberships App is designed for Shopify and Shopify Plus stores.
Appstle Memberships offers an intuitive merchant UI that helps manage membership plans with ease. You can create tiered and customized member perks, such as discounted pricing, shipping benefits, accessibility features, and other marketing strategies with Appstle.
The app automates member billing, enables smart member tagging to associate relevant perks for different member segments, etc. The app has a comprehensive and customizable member portal with robust APIs and webhooks to make membership management easy for Shopify merchants.
Install Appstle Memberships App on your Shopify store today!
