Why customer centricity is everyone’s job at Kappahl

At Love Generation Stockholm 2025, Swedish fashion brand Kappahl shared how a 70-year-old retailer is redefining loyalty through an organization-wide shift toward customer understanding, relevance, and connection.

Founded in 1953 in Mölndal, Kappahl has long created clothes for real people and real life. Today, the brand spans over 340 stores across Northern Europe and has a growing online presence across Europe and Asia. Its purpose – to create a responsible world of fashion – guides everything, from materials and design to how it connects with customers.

A turning point in 2020

Like many retailers, Kappahl once relied on broad, one-way communication. Then the pandemic changed everything.

During the pandemic, Linda Rosendal, Global CRM Manager at Kappahl, explains that the company realized how valuable its member community truly was. Even when stores were closed, members continued to drive sales and engagement.

The realization led to a complete CRM reset. The team began by mapping where communication was happening in silos and bringing those channels together under one strategy.

They introduced new reporting routines and cross-functional meetings to make data visible across departments. With support from Voyado Engage, Kappahl could finally act on those insights in real time, replacing manual sends with automated journeys and more relevant segmentation.

A dedicated CRM team now drives the strategy day to day, but ownership extends far beyond them. From management to store staff, everyone is encouraged to think about the member, measure engagement, and contribute ideas for improving the experience.

“It’s not like this is the member department,” says Tobias Fredriksson, Product Owner CRM at Kappahl. “Everyone is working with the members.”

A company built around members

That mindset didn’t just change the marketing strategy; it changed the company as a whole. Loyalty became the thread running through everything Kappahl does.

Teams across e-commerce, paid media, marketing, and stores now collaborate around one shared focus: creating consistent, personal experiences for every customer.

That mindset comes to life through the Kappahl Club, which today counts millions of members across their markets. Two tiers – Silver and Gold – reward customers for both shopping and sustainable behavior, from textile returns to secondhand purchases.

And while Gold members represent a smaller portion of Kappahl’s database, their impact is outsized. This highly engaged segment now generates a major share of member sales – clear evidence that recognition and relevance translate directly into results.

When automation feels human

Kappahl’s CRM evolution hasn’t been about chasing new channels or technologies but about mastering the art of timing; knowing when to speak and when to listen. With better data and thoughtful automation, the brand now communicates in a way that feels less like marketing and more like a genuine dialogue with its customers.

The Gold birthday journey

Gold members receive a simple, well-timed birthday message: one main email and two reminders (email and SMS) offering 30% off one item.

• Open rate: 54%

• Conversion: 10% of recipients make a purchase

The response has been remarkable, with some members even calling in advance to check when their offer will arrive.

The denim journey

Triggered after a jeans purchase, this sequence nurtures the relationship long after checkout, offering care tips, repair advice, and sustainable style inspiration.

• Click-to-open rate: 8%
• Click-through rate: 3.2%

Six months later, a gentle reminder encourages another visit, showing how automation, done well, can extend loyalty far beyond the first sale. “We are in a digital world,” says Linda. “See what works, learn from the result, and then improve.”

The technology behind the culture

Managing millions of members across multiple markets demands structure and insight. That’s where technology plays its part, not as the driver of change, but as the enabler.

“When we implemented Voyado Engage, it really helped us act on insight and to make our communication more relevant and inspiring for our members,” says Linda.

Before Voyado, much of Kappahl’s CRM activity relied on manual work and disconnected tools. Each campaign required extra coordination, and measuring results across channels was slow. With Voyado, everything now happens in one environment (segmentation, automation, reporting), giving the team both control and agility.

The change isn’t just operational. It has everything to do with culture. Data and performance are now visible to everyone, not just the CRM team. That shared visibility means colleagues across e-commerce, marketing, and stores can contribute to the customer journey with ideas grounded in real insight.

Voyado helps Kappahl unify channels, automate at scale, and measure impact. All of which allows the team to focus more on creating the kind of relevant, inspiring communication that drives engagement.

Tailoring loyalty: lessons from Kappahl’s customer-first culture

Kappahl’s story offers practical guidance for any brand aiming to turn customer centricity from a strategy into a culture:

• Create relevance. Talk to customers when it matters, not just because you can.

• Make loyalty everyone’s business. The best results come when all teams share the same goal.

• Recognize your best members. Small gestures of appreciation can build enormous goodwill.

• Let data inspire creativity. Insight should spark ideas, not limit them.

• Keep testing and learning. Every message is an opportunity to improve.

Loyalty as a living relationship

Kappahl’s evolution shows that loyalty doesn’t come from more campaigns or deeper discounts. It grows from understanding, empathy, and the confidence to communicate like a human brand.

Customer centricity isn’t a department; it’s a culture that’s stitched into every part of Kappahl’s business. And as retail keeps changing, that culture is what ensures Kappahl’s connection with its customers stays strong, personal, and built to last.