Good evening. My guest today is Barbara Fitał, Senior CRM Marketing Manager at Douglas Polska, who is responsible for the Douglas Card loyalty scheme. We’ll be discussing current trends in loyalty schemes and what interests customers most. I’d like to welcome Katarzyna Nawrocka for „Loyalty Schemes by Night”. Good evening.

Good evening, Kasia, good evening, everyone.

Barbara, we’re going to talk about the Douglas Card, the rules for joining our loyalty scheme, and how to use the card. I suspect that the market for chain perfumeries is very saturated with loyalty schemes, just like the market for petrol stations or hypermarkets, so let’s start by talking about the Douglas card. How do you use your card, and how do you sign up for the loyalty scheme?.

The Douglas Card has been available on the Polish market for several years now, and we do indeed have a long-standing tradition of brick-and-mortar stores and high-street perfumeries. Signing up is very straightforward. There are three ways to sign up: you can do so using a standard paper application form at a perfume shop, or if you prefer the digital option, you can sign up via our website douglas.pl or using the mobile app. The key principle of our programme is collecting points, and in return for these points you can receive very attractive discount vouchers to use when buying your favourite cosmetics. 

What matters is that, through our loyalty programme, we want to offer our customers, above all, a unique customer experience. Consequently, it is not just about offers, nor is it

It’s not just the special offers that define our programme. In fact, our programme is, above all, an opportunity to meet professional experts, stylists and people who are highly skilled in the art of make-up or are skincare experts, and who are able to share their

relationships with our customers. In addition, we celebrate occasions that are important to our customers, such as birthdays, and offer discounts to mark these occasions, which customers can use at their own discretion for their

favourite products and cosmetics. But that’s not all, because it’s very often the case that major promotions are specifically aimed at cardholders. For example, in July we ran a nearly two-week-long ‘Perfume Festival’ promotion, during which bestsellers from global brands were offered exclusively to customers in our loyalty programme.

Is this exclusively for customers who hold cards?

Yes.

You mentioned it, and I read in the terms and conditions on your website that it is possible to sign up for your loyalty scheme using a paper form or via the website. I wanted to ask you whether you check or keep any statistics on how often customers sign up using this paper form – which is becoming a bit of a relic – and how often they sign up

via the website? 

We live in a digital world, so it’s true that paper forms are now a somewhat outdated way of signing up for a loyalty scheme. Nevertheless, we want to offer

We offer our customers complete freedom of choice. We know that some of our customers – and a significant number of them – like to sign up at the perfume counter whilst shopping. Therefore, they have the option either to use the app – downloading it directly at the till and signing up to our programme that way – or to fill in a simple form, which is then digitised by us. Above all, we want our customers to choose the option that is simplest and most hassle-free for them, and one that doesn’t involve any additional requirements they have to fulfil. The aim is for them to register with us in a way that’s convenient for them.

I’ve been giving this a lot of thought, but I suspect the male members of our audience are wondering about it too. What does a loyalty scheme like this look like in terms of gender diversity? Because I suspect that in a chain of perfumeries – a perfumery like Douglas – it’s mainly women who take part in these programmes. But I could be wrong; perhaps men are just as keen to sign up for the programme, and then take advantage of all these discounts and choose from the rewards catalogue.

You’re not wrong, Kasia; it’s true that most of our customers are women. Nevertheless, men are very important to us and receive special treatment as part of our programme. Men absolutely need professional skincare and expert advice. They’re just as keen to make use of our range of fragrances, which is truly extensive, and that’s why I wouldn’t draw such a stark distinction between consumer behaviour based on gender. That said, men are more likely to buy our cosmetics as gifts – sometimes for themselves, and sometimes for their loved ones. 

I’d really like to say: ‘Gentlemen, you’re welcome to join us.’.

You’re most welcome to visit Douglas. It’s well worth a visit. 

We chatted a bit about the differences in participation in the loyalty scheme based on gender. And I’d really like to ask you something. What does Douglas do to stand out from the competition? How do you analyse the market, and what sets you apart? 

The Douglas Card is a card for customers who truly appreciate the world of beauty

and they want to make the most of it. What we want to offer our customers through the programme is, above all, a truly unique customer experience. We achieve this thanks to a wonderful brand that is very well-known in this market and much loved, but also thanks to the work of the people who strive every day to bring this experience to our customers, particularly in our perfumeries. There, our consultants are not only keen to share their knowledge, but are also focused on building good, positive and close relationships with their customers. That’s how they operate, but in addition, as I mentioned, we have a team of truly professional experts who, through their advice and excellent customer service, work together every day to create this unique,

a unique shopping experience.

As a customer, I’d like to add that, as far as I’m concerned, what sets you apart is that whilst advice on what to buy is one thing, advice on choosing colours when creating a make-up look that suits you – to match your eye and hair colour – is something very valuable. 

Definitely yes, and that’s also what our events are for – although they’re a bit less frequent now during the pandemic. Nevertheless, we operate on a very broad scale so that, as part of these events, we can invite our customers to these highly personalised make-up lessons or sessions on how to look after their skin. During the pandemic, we’ve also expanded this activity online. As a result, together with the brands we work with on a daily basis, we’re also organising events through which customers can safely, in this

Why not take a look at our range now?. 

I’d like us to pause for a moment – unfortunately, in this Covid reality, because that’s still the world we’re living in. And I wanted to ask you whether you’ve noticed a decline in interest in the Douglas loyalty scheme as a result of us having to deal with such a serious problem.

The last few months – or, in fact, the last year and a half – have indeed been a difficult time for all consumers, particularly due to the lockdowns and especially because the range of products available in our physical stores, which are very important to our customers, was unavailable at certain times of the year. Nevertheless, we are doing our utmost to compensate for this through our online offering. As such, we are actively developing our website, including registration processes and all the offers that are

related to the loyalty scheme. Despite the pandemic, we’re doing very well when it comes to serving our customers through the loyalty scheme. And now, fortunately, it seems as though the whole world is emerging from this pandemic reality. I think that our range of products and services, available online, via the mobile app and in our high-street branches, will certainly be

satisfactory for our customers. 

Barbara, I wanted to ask you about the differences between your clients who have VIP status and those who don’t. The differences in their behaviour.

We treat all our customers exceptionally well, but of course, within our customer base, there are also customers who buy from us much more frequently and in much greater quantities, and for these customers we have a VIP status. The key element – and the key benefit – for these customers is the permanent discount we offer them. As I mentioned, the main difference with these customers is simply that they shop with us more often and spend more on the cosmetics they like. We also provide them with a personalised service in the form of special events, which are organised and to which these customers are invited; or, once a year during the Christmas period, we prepare a special parcel containing samples of very luxury brands, just for them.

You often mention the events you organise for your customers – and, by extension, for participants in your loyalty programmes. I wanted to ask whether taking part in such an event is one of the rewards we can choose from the rewards catalogue as part of your loyalty programme?

It is more of an invitation that we, as a company, extend to specific customer groups, depending on the preferences of a given group or segment. However, as such, there is no choice for the customer within the loyalty programme. It is more like a reward that we wish to offer our customers as an added bonus.

in certain situations.

There are two types of card in your scheme: the plastic one and the virtual one. And, in fact, when we collect points on each of these cards, the points aren’t combined. When you collect points on the plastic card, they are stored on the plastic card, and the same applies to the virtual card. Do you plan to standardise this?

The plastic card marks the start of the loyalty scheme, and there are still customers who simply won’t do without it. And that’s likely to remain the case. I think it will stay that way, which is why, for these customers, the plastic card remains an option within our scheme. For customers who no longer wish to carry an extra piece of plastic in their wallet and prefer to use the mobile app or make purchases via a virtual card – which they actually receive on our website upon registration. All these options are absolutely equivalent; that is to say, if a plastic card is linked to an email address on the website, then the numbers of the plastic and virtual cards are, in fact,

It’s as if it means a single account. Consequently, we have no plans to completely phase out plastic cards and rely solely on virtual ones. Of course, we are keen to see our digital solutions become as widespread as possible, and so we will always encourage our customers to download our app and use the simple barcode, which is very easy to scan both in perfume shops and, once logged in, is readily available on our website. Nevertheless, for customers who need this medium – let’s say in plastic form – we actually switched to cardboard cards last year, primarily to be more in line with the eco-friendly trend. We want to ensure that these customers can continue to use them as well.

You’ve mentioned something very important, and I’m convinced it’s worth emphasising.

Douglas Perfumery has an app. 

Absolutely.

To take advantage of loyalty schemes.

Absolutely. The app can be used both for online shopping and to access the loyalty scheme. Any customer who provides their details when registering on the app,

If you enter your email address, you’ll have access to the full range of products available on our douglas.pl website, and you’ll also be able to take advantage of special offers available exclusively on the app, so I’d strongly encourage you to make the most of it and explore its features. 

A short and to-the-point question: How does ‘My Douglas’ differ from the Douglas card?

‘My Douglas’ is the name of our online account. Consequently, any customer who decides to provide us with their email address and set up an account by registering on douglas.pl is given a ‘My Douglas’ account. The Douglas card is, of course, available as part of this account. Since last August, every customer who registers on our website

is automatically enrolled in our loyalty scheme.

So that’s it, it all ties in. 

Yes, it is linked to the scheme and gives access to all the benefits associated with the loyalty programme. What is crucial – and also important – is that we offer complete flexibility if a customer from

If, for whatever reason, they do not wish to join the loyalty scheme, they are, of course, welcome to make purchases as a guest, i.e. without registering on our website.

But if you want to be a member of the loyalty scheme, when you shop via your My Douglas account, you’ll automatically earn points for those purchases.

Absolutely. That’s exactly right – it’s very simple. All you need to do is register, and then shop whilst logged in. From that point on, all the benefits associated with the Douglas card are available to that customer. 

Since we’re on the subject of earning points and shopping… Whether it’s via the My Douglas account or in-store at your perfumery, I wanted to ask you what your loyalty scheme looks like from the consumer’s perspective, because there are three types of loyalty schemes on the market, and yours is definitely a discount-based one, so let’s talk a bit about the discounts that consumers can get.

As I mentioned at the start, members of our loyalty programme primarily collect points; in return for these points, they receive discounts which they can use on their favourite cosmetics, according to their preferences. If they prefer to buy skincare products, these discounts are certainly suitable for that. The same applies to other categories such as make-up or perfumes. What’s important is that, in addition, customers who are active with us and have made a purchase within the last six months also receive a 20 per cent birthday discount, valid for three months after their birthday, allowing them to treat themselves to an extra gift by choosing from our range of brands. The key point is that discounts are practically an integral part of our offering. This means that whether on our website or in our perfume shop, you can always choose your favourite cosmetic at a very attractive price, and it’s also worth keeping an eye out for such special offers. As I mentioned, our customers also have the opportunity take part in unique events focusing on skincare or make-up, where the highly personalised approach of our experts enables them to learn more about self-care; and, most importantly, our customers decide for themselves how to spend this attractive discount.

Barbara, how do you measure the effectiveness and efficiency of your loyalty programme?.

In our programme, we measure a number of indicators that enable us to assess its performance. Starting, of course, with the number of customers we acquire, as reflected in the number of active customers. These are both volume-based and value-based indicators. We look very closely at how much a customer with a card spends compared to a customer who does not have one. We also pay attention to the proportion of our card-holding customers, both in terms of numbers and the value generated by Douglas. In addition, there are also metrics measured on an ongoing basis, such as qualitative indicators—for example, customers who have given marketing consent, as we can easily contact them—and performance indicators for our CRM communications. 

Before I ask you about your professional career, I wanted to ask if you might have any advice for loyalty scheme organisers. Bearing in mind that every case is different, perhaps there are some golden rules. 

I think that in every single type of business and in every sector, loyalty programmes operate according to their own rules. Nevertheless, there are a few areas that are particularly close to my heart. As someone who deals with this issue on a daily basis, the most important thing for me is that the loyalty programme and the company running it view the customer as an individual and pay attention to their preferences and needs, so that they can respond to those very needs. This involves tailoring the offer and the programme’s benefits to the preferences of the individual customer, but it is also important to me that a loyalty programme provides benefits in the form of solutions that simply make life easier. For example, a shopping process on the website that’s simplified as much as possible, excellent after-sales service, or additional benefits designed to make these customers’ lives easier. I firmly believe that these two areas – that is, improving customer convenience and tailoring the offer to their

Understanding these needs is the key to the success of a loyalty scheme.

And finally, although I did introduce you briefly in the introduction, I wanted to ask you about your professional career, because I know – though our viewers may not – that you previously worked on loyalty schemes as well, but on a more international scale.

I come from the telecoms sector, having started out as a marketer responsible for both communications and branding. One of the key projects that I consider a real success story was, for example, the rebranding of Pop, which was the market-leading brand at the time. Nevertheless, my career later took a natural turn towards customer base management, focusing on both generating value and building loyalty. And that was my time at Orange. I focused entirely on the issue of loyalty at Empik a few years ago, when I had the pleasure of managing the brand-new ‘Mój Empik’ programme. And it was a wonderful experience for me to get to know the retail market inside out 

as well as all the features and elements needed to build that loyalty. Now at Douglas, as well as having the opportunity to continue working in this area – which I find very interesting and engaging, namely building loyalty – I also have the undoubted pleasure of working in a wonderful industry – the highly attractive luxury goods sector – of gaining an insight into consumer behaviour, and, above all, of offering our customers the best solutions to help them find their way in the world of beauty at Douglas.

Barbara, I already know everything – I’ve asked you everything I wanted to find out. Of course, if our viewers have any further questions, I’d encourage them to leave them in the comments. I’d like to thank you very much for today’s conversation, and I hope to see you again.

Thank you too. See you later.

And I’d like to invite you all to the next episode.