At Voyado's Love Generation event at Berns in Stockholm, we were thrilled to welcome a full house of retail and e-commerce professionals. The day was packed with networking, inspiration, and fresh ideas, leaving everyone energized and ready to tackle the next big challenges.
Retail Media: Unlocking new revenue streams
Felix Kruth, Chief Product Officer at Voyado, kicked off with a recap of what Voyado has been up to in the past year—over 100 new features launched! But the real focus was on what’s coming next. One of the most exciting developments is retail media. With e-commerce facing new obstacles, retail media is stepping in as a game-changer for revenue.
Retailers are now becoming advertising platforms, using first-party data to help brands create highly personalized ads. In a tough economy, this is a major opportunity to boost profitability. Retailers who nail their retail media strategy aren’t just adding revenue—they’re also creating valuable partnerships with brands that want to reach the right customers.
AI: From hype to practical applications
AI has officially moved past the “next big thing” phase. It’s now solving everyday challenges that retailers face. Felix pointed out that while the initial AI hype was exciting, we’ve entered a new era where AI’s true value lies in tackling specific pain points in the customer journey.
The message is clear—AI is no longer just a buzzword. It’s about creating better customer experiences, improving product recommendations, and making life easier for teams by taking care of repetitive tasks. Retailers who are smart about AI will use it not only to automate but to gain insights that lead to smarter decisions and better results.
AI wants to be your friend—perhaps a bit too much?
Arash Gilian, CEO at Viva and AI expert, took the conversation further. AI can be your greatest ally—but only if you know how to train it right. It’s easy to let AI handle basic tasks, but if you really want to get the most out of it, you have to push AI to do more than just the surface-level work. Teach it to provide feedback that challenges your strategies and force it to go beyond the easy answers.
Here’s what you need to do to make AI work for you:
AI will naturally try to be your “friend,” making things easier for you. But if you want to unlock its full potential, you have to make sure it’s also challenging your thinking. The retailers who thrive will be those who get AI to be both a helper and a challenger.
Winning with loyalty: It’s all about data
Data is the foundation for building customer loyalty, and Laufey Ludviksdottir, CRM and Loyalty Specialist at By Malene Birger, shared how they transformed their approach using Voyado. By gathering richer insights and focusing on their high-value customers—those who balance full-price and discount shopping—By Malene Birger was able to refine their CRM strategy and cut back on discount dependency.
A few years ago, they took a deep dive into their customer base to fully understand what drives their buyers. Data became the cornerstone of their strategy, and identifying the right KPIs helped unite the entire business around the same goals.
Their main KPI? Increasing the number of recurring, full-price customers. Their strategy was simple but powerful—focus on loyalty without relying on discounts. They used storytelling and seamless omnichannel experiences to build long-term customer relationships. Abandoned cart emails and personalized recommendations have been key to keeping their customers coming back.
In the first year of working with Voyado, they saw a remarkable 44% increase in full-price customers and a 21% rise in average receipt value, demonstrating the effectiveness of their loyalty-driven approach.
Building trust in the evolving consumer landscape
Lina Hasic, CMO at Parfym.se, gave us a peek into how the company shook up the perfume market with competitive pricing—but soon realized they needed to shift their focus to customer loyalty and trust for long-term success.
To future-proof their business, Parfym.se completely revamped its strategy. They reworked their tech stack, putting data-driven decisions at the forefront, and moved away from manual processes to create a more scalable and resilient operation.
Building trust became the top priority. By becoming an authorized reseller, they assured customers of product authenticity, while leveraging customer reviews and user-generated content to boost credibility.
They also launched a fresh new visual identity and brand platform that shifted focus from discounts to storytelling and emotional connections. This approach has allowed them to create campaigns that not only resonate with their audience but also build deeper customer relationships.
How to keep loyal customers through change and challenges
Fredrik Persson, Chief Digital Officer at Stadium, shared how they’ve managed to keep customers loyal in a constantly changing retail landscape. With 70% of all purchases made by members, Stadium’s loyalty programs have become the backbone of their business.
Fredrik explained that Stadium—and the entire retail industry—has faced some major challenges over the past few years, which have had huge impacts on business operations and consumer behavior.
To name a few:
Fredrik stressed that company culture has been key to Stadium’s resilience. Their relationship-driven approach is all about fostering strong connections with employees, knowing that happy, motivated staff deliver the best customer experiences. At Stadium, employee satisfaction directly correlates with their s-NPS (Store Net Promoter Score)—proving that engaged employees are crucial for maintaining customer loyalty through any challenge.
Looking ahead
The biggest takeaway? It’s all about data, technology, and building real relationships. Whether you’re using AI, loyalty programs, or retail media, the brands that succeed will be the ones that can harness these tools to drive revenue and long-term customer loyalty.
To wrap up the event, the 2024 Voyado Awards winners were announced! A huge round of applause for H&M, KICKS, and POWER A/S for their impressive achievements and innovative work in retail.
Category: Best Customer Experience
Winner: H&M
H&M offers great customer experience across all platforms—whether you’re browsing on the app, desktop, or tablet. Their fast and user-friendly navigation displaying related and similar products ensures effortless shopping, while context-based recommendations and intent-driven searches make the experience highly relevant and personalized. H&M fosters a strong community through comprehensive reviews, enhancing the customer experience and encouraging thoughtful, informed purchases which minimizes returns and supports sustainability.
The nominees were:
Category: Best Loyalty Program
Winner: KICKS
KICKS has created a standout loyalty program that is both clear and rewarding. Through their focus on personalization, KICKS connects online and in-store experiences seamlessly. Their well-structured program tiers, exceptional digital communication, and consistent offers across all channels provide a truly valuable experience for their members.
The nominees were:
Category: Success Story of the Year
Winner: POWER A/S
POWER A/S has excelled in using personalized experiences to boost engagement and revenue. By introducing targeted flows such as expiring reward reminders, back-in-stock notifications, and price drop triggers, they generated over 300,000 DKK from reactivating inactive members. Their member club grew from 400,000 to over 950,000 members, with a 15% conversion rate from personalized reminders, showcasing their strategic approach to enhancing customer satisfaction.
The nominees were:
Congratulations to H&M, KICKS, and POWER A/S for your outstanding achievements!
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