In this second blog of our new series, we celebrate an icon of the British retail environment – John Lewis. For years John Lewis has been a stalwart of the retail scene; offering its customers quality over quantity and, of course, standing by its principle of ‘Never Knowingly Undersold’. Its loyalty programme - My John Lewis - offers a distinctly different approach to loyalty. Rather than leaning heavily on transactional rewards, the vision behind the programme seeks to offer experiential rewards based on how much customers shop with the brand to reinforce brand affinity, foster deeper customer relationships, and deliver value in ways that feel aligned with the retailer’s long-standing reputation for quality, service, and trust.
This blog explores how effective that strategy is in practice, and where there is still room to evolve.
Programme Overview and Strategic Intent
My John Lewis launched in 2013, replacing the previous loyalty propositions with a more unified and modern approach. It is not a traditional points-based loyalty programme. Instead, it is positioned as a membership scheme designed to reward engagement and enhance the overall shopping experience. Members receive personalised rewards, experiences and competitions, for example, anniversary rewards, invitations to exclusive in-store and online events and early access to shop new products on the app.
The strategic intent appears clear:
- Strengthen emotional loyalty (rather than purely incentivising transactions)
- Encourage repeat engagement (through experiences, services, and tailored offers)
- Reinforce the brand’s premium yet accessible positioning
From observation, the programme is less about ‘earn and burn’ mechanics and more about embedding customers deeper into the John Lewis ecosystem. The programme aims to make customers feel special and inclusive – offering immediate rewards such as free tea and cake or invitations to exclusive events. What is more, avoiding a discount-led model enables John Lewis to differentiate themselves in a crowded retail landscape without conflicting with its Never Knowingly Undersold price promise. This aligns well with a brand that has historically competed on trust, service, and quality rather than price alone.
Who the Programme Is For and what Level of Engagement has been Achieved?
The programme targets a broad but slightly premium-leaning audience aiming at existing and prospective customers who value service, guarantees, and curated offers.
It is not exclusively for high-frequency shoppers, nor is it restricted to premium tiers. Instead, it aims to be inclusive while still appealing to customers who appreciate added value beyond discounts.
The My John Lewis loyalty programme drives 55% of all John Lewis sales. In early 2025, John Lewis reported a 2% increase in customers shopping with their brand and saw growth in both their loyalty schemes: with My Waitrose up 7% to 4.6 million active members and My John Lewis up 11% to 3.7 million active members. The scheme hugely benefits customer engagement with 80% of John Lewis' 'best' customers being loyalty members. [Source: John Lewis Partnership, https://bit.ly/47vdOeD]
Stated Objectives
While not always explicitly communicated, the underlying objectives appear to be:
- Retention: Encouraging customers to return through ongoing engagement
- Frequency: Driving incremental visits via personalised offers and events
- Data Capture: Building richer customer profiles through membership
- Brand Advocacy: Reinforcing trust and emotional connection
Unlike purely transactional schemes, advocacy and brand affinity seem to carry equal weight alongside commercial goals.
From a customer perspective, the value proposition centres on:
- Personalised rewards and offers
- Access to exclusive events or previews
- Occasional surprise-and-delight benefits
However, the perceived value can feel inconsistent. For some customers, the benefits are meaningful and relevant; for others, the lack of a clear, tangible reward structure may reduce motivation to actively engage.
Reward Structure and Customer Value
The absence of a traditional points system is both a strength and a weakness. Whilst is avoids complexity and aligns with brand ethos (i.e. not overly promotional), it brings challenges such as a less tangible sense of progress or achievement and being trickyfor customers to quantify value
Customers increasingly expect clear, immediate benefits. Without this, perceived value depends heavily on the relevance of personalised offers, which also relies on high level customer engagement with the app and/or any postal offers received. It puts the onus on the shopper to avail themselves of loyalty benefits, rather than the retailer proactively discounting or applying points to a member.
My John Lewis certainly stands apart from its competitors by focusing on experience over discounts and brand-led engagement rather than gamified mechanics, however, competitors offering clear financial rewards or tiered benefits may feel more immediatelycompelling to shoppers, especially in a cost-conscious environment.
User Experience and Accessibility
In terms of the user experience and accessibility, sign-up and onboarding is straightforward and frictionless and well-integrated across online and in-store channels
The app is easy to use, and offers are accessible but not always prominent
In-store, membership works seamlessly across touchpoints and communication clear but sometimes lacks emphasis on value
Downsides to the UX of the programme include limited visibility of benefits at any given time and the lack of a “dashboard” showing progress or status.
However, personalisation and use of data is one of the programme’s strongest areas. My John Lewis increasingly uses personalised offers where purchase history is clearly being utilised, however, there is still room to deepen personalisation into more predictive and proactive experiences, rather than reactive offers.
Emotional Engagement and Brand Alignment
This is where My John Lewis excels.
The programme reflects the brand’s values of quality, trust, and service whilst avoiding feeling overly commercial or discount driven. It subtly reinforces a sense of belonging, enhancing brand affinity and evolving loyalty in an organic yet powerful way.
Strengths, Gaps, and Opportunities
What My John Lewis Does Well
- Strong alignment with brand identity
- Seamless omnichannel experience
- Growing capability in personalisation
- Simplicity and accessibility
Where My John Lewis Could Do Better
- Limited perceived value for less engaged users
- Lack of clear reward mechanics or progression
- Minimal differentiation for high-value customers
- Benefits can feel inconsistent
Opportunities for Evolution
- Enhance Visibility of Value - a clearer benefits “hub” or dashboard would help customers understand what they’re getting
- Incorporate Gamification Elements - without compromising brand tone, small progress indicators or milestones could drive engagement
- Explore Subscription Models - a premium tier offering guaranteed benefits (e.g. delivery, services, exclusives) could unlock additional value
- Expand Partnerships – expanding upon the existing collaborations (with brands such as Waterstones, Jamie Oliver and Caffè Nero) with other complementary brands could broaden appeal and utility
Final Thoughts
My John Lewis represents a thoughtful departure from traditional loyalty mechanics. It prioritises brand connection over transactional incentives, which is both its defining strength and its central challenge.
Modern customers increasingly expect clarity, immediacy, and tangible rewards, the future success of My John Lewis will depend on its ability to balance emotional loyalty with more explicit, visible value.
The foundation undoubtedly strong. The next step is making that value unmistakable.
What Next?
For input and advice on creating a similarly successful loyalty programme, visit the Stream Loyalty website to see what we offer and book a discovery meeting with one of our specialist loyalty team: https://streamloyalty.com/