LDExtras serves up personalized and experiential rewards

RICHMOND, British Columbia — London Drugs has delved into the customer rewards arena with the launch of its first-ever loyalty program.

Called LDExtras, the rewards program comes after a successful 15-month pilot on Vancouver Island, the western Canada drug chain said Wednesday.

Customers earn rewards, or “Extras,” by shopping and purchasing eligible products, called “Visits,” at a London Drugs store or on LondonDrugs.com, as well as by filling prescriptions at London Drugs, which besides offering full pharmacy services is a leading consumer electronics retailer in Canada.

The rewards range from special, personalized offers on products and services that customers routinely buy to entry into a monthly $2,500 shopping spree.

“Our customers will now reap rewards tailored to how they shop simply by shopping at London Drugs,” Clint Mahlman, chief operating officer and executive vice president at London Drugs, said in a statement. “We needed to be sure when launching a loyalty program that it would do two imperative things: be simple and not be onerous on our customers and also surprise and delight them each and every time they shop with us.”

Customers can sign up online at LDExtras.com or in a London Drugs store. Once customers are enrolled, the rewards begin accumulating by providing a phone number at checkout in stores or an email address when shopping online.

Shoppers signing up are entered for a chance to win a $2,500 monthly shopping spree and receive a $5 birthday gift voucher, extended 30-day returns and $3 off their next photo purchase for every $50 spent at London Drugs PhotoLab. They also get access to special rewards, offers and experiences for their favorite brands based on their purchases.

“Visits” track customers’ progress toward unlocking the “Extras.” LDExtras members earn Visits by spending $10 or more on eligible products at London Drugs and by taking advantage of Bonus Visit Events. They also get aBonus Visit each time they fill an eligible prescription.

Multiple Visits bring customers such Extras as two free computer virus checks and two free camera firmware upgrades for their first five Visits. And for their first 10 Visits, shoppers can get three coupons for up to $20 off their next Purchase Protection Plan purchase, a free consultation with a health coach and free gift wrapping.

In the pilot, one experiential reward involved cosmetics customers and their guests being flown to Vancouver for a VIP beauty event.

“LDExtras epitomizes our goal to help make our customers lives easier and, at the same time, have something fun and different and exciting in-store,” according to Mahlman. “LDExtras is just the beginning of the constant evolution of the new type of relationship we want to have with our customers and how we will engage with our customers into the future.”

Customers can track their LDExtras status via the London Drugs mobile app (iOS and Android versions), in-store at LDExtras kiosks and online at LDExtras.com.

Personalization and experiential rewards are linchpins of the program, London Drugs noted. For instance, an LDExtras member who regularly shops regularly for baby items at London Drugs can expect to receive reward coupons and special offerings for baby care items by email.

During the pilot, one experiential reward involved four cosmetics customers and their guests being flown from Victoria to Vancouver for a VIP London Drugs beauty event. They stayed overnight in a hotel, attended the event and returned home with $1,000 of exclusive beauty products slated to roll out to London Drugs stores. Also in the pilot, a reward for group of Vancouver Island LDExtras members enabled them to attend a B.C. Lions game, go behind the scenes and participate in an autograph signing.

London Drugs said there also are surprise rewards, such as Fuji camera purchasers receiving an accessory kit without knowing about it beforehand. The retailer added that more kinds of rewards and experiential offerings are upcoming as it learns about our customers through their participation in LDExtras.

“”I’ve challenged our team to go above and beyond when exploring ways we can make our customers’ lives easier and provide our customers with enjoyable and unique opportunities and experiences as a way for London Drugs to say thank you for shopping with us,” Mahlman stated. “LDExtras will give back to our customers in an exciting new way and, hopefully, have them coming back for more.”

Overall, London Drugs operates 78 stores in more than 35 major markets in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.