omers have with the brand. Her vision for a loyalty program at The Iconic was clear: “It has to be something that’s really for the customer and about the customer … not something that you just do for the sake of it.” The Iconic views its Front Row loyalty program as a finishing touch after spending years earning the trust and affection of customers. But it’s not just the online retailer’s late entrance into the loyalty game that makes its program interesting – it’s the 50,000 customers who helped develop it. Inner circle An integral part of the loyalty launch was The Iconic’s Inner Circle, a customer feedback initiative that saw 30,000 customers sign up within weeks to help shape the future of the brand.  The Inner Circle provided an ongoing forum for feedback and co-creation, taking customer preferences from surveys and focus groups directly into the loyalty program’s design. From Robinson’s perspective, this level of response “is a huge testament to the love for this brand”. “Half the challenge when you’re in marketing is to get people to fall in love with a brand. And I’m grateful to work for a brand where there’s already so much love,” she continued. Customers were involved in everything from choosing the program’s name to deciding the structure of tiered rewards.  Another 20,000 participants outside the Inner Circle also contributed, ensuring the nuances of the loyalty structure were representative and truly customer-centric. Beyond points The Iconic Front Row is a tiered program, rewarding loyalty not just from this point forward, but historically.  Customers are automatically assigned to tiers based on their activity over the past 12 months, “rewarding our customers for the loyalty they’ve already shown,” shared Robinson. Members earn “icons” for every dollar spent, with top tiers collecting more. The higher up the customer’s status, as a Muse or a VIP,  the more icons they collect per dollar. “It enables us to deliver more value to our brand partners as well. It’s a way we can drive their business on our platform,” Robinson explained.  The program includes The Iconic’s usual birthday and anniversary rewards, while offering new touchpoints for brand celebration.  Members are kept constantly updated via a dashboard showing their tier, benefits and order history – all part of a creative collaboration between The Iconic’s internal team and external partner Dentsu. Future Roadmap The Iconic’s loyalty program is just getting started with over 100 projects slated for the future – all based on the Inner Circle customer feedback.  Robinson was particularly excited about planned in-person events, a direct response to customers’ desire for deeper community ties and brand activations.  “There’s that community element of loyalty, which is super important. We love doing real-life events,” she said, referencing an upcoming event in Sydney where The Veronicas are slated to play. But Front Row is looking to go beyond the glamorous side of the fashion industry, and encourage loyal customers to shop from its sustainable offerings, including repaired, reworked and pre-loved categories. “Our customers want to be rewarded and incentivised for shopping more consciously. That has been direct feedback,” Robinson shared.  The Iconic is also looking into how its Front Row loyalty program positively reduces return rates. Right now, The Iconic has an estimated return rate of 30 per cent. “If we can educate around environmental impacts and reward customers for staying within a return bracket, we can positively change behavior,” Robinson said. In fact, it was the 30,000-strong Inner Circle group who alerted The Iconic that customers were interested in being rewarded for positive return habits. In an industry marked by rapid change and fierce competition, The Iconic’s loyalty program is looking to set a new benchmark for listening, rewarding and building lasting retail relationships. “This is a really important junction point … driving growth, but also driving customer love and customer trust,” Robinson stated.