Customer loyalty is paramount in the age of artificial intelligence, advanced technology that lowers attention spans and expectations of immediate satisfaction. Bartosz Zochowski, head of loyalty and CRM at Decathlon Poland, is about to share his organization's story with the CX Network at All Access: Digital CX. Get a preview of what he will tell the audience:
CX Network: Why make the mobile app the central hub for loyalty communications, and how do you get organizational buy-in for this approach?
The mobile app is the closest channel to the customer today — not just physically (since the phone is always within reach) but also emotionally and functionally. At Decathlon, we see that app users are more engaged, return more often, and are more likely to take advantage of loyalty program benefits.
Making the app the central hub for loyalty communications offers several key advantages:
Real-time personalization – we can dynamically deliver content tailored to the user’s activity, such as workshop recommendations, offers, or reminders about unclaimed points.
Integrated omnichannel experience – the app becomes the touchpoint for both online and offline actions (e.g., attaching receipts, redeeming benefits in-store, etc.).
Effective communication – push notifications, in-app messages, and access to loyalty history are much more effective than traditional email.
When it comes to gaining organizational buy-in, key factors include:
Data and evidence – we demonstrate how retention, conversion, and customer lifetime value increase among app users.
Cross-functional collaboration – we engage retail, marketing, IT, and e-commerce teams to show how the app supports their goals.
Iterative approach – we start with an MVP, test it, and develop solutions in collaboration with both users and store staff.
CX Network: What are the biggest challenges you face when integrating a new loyalty program into a mobile app — and how can you overcome them?
The biggest challenges are:
Data and experience consistency across channels – it’s essential that customers see the same information in the app, store, and on the website.
Legacy systems – often, we need to integrate the app with existing POS, CRM, ERP systems, which can be time-consuming and require solid data architecture.
Clarity of the loyalty offer – the app requires maximum simplicity. If the program is too complicated, customers won’t understand it.
How we overcome these challenges:
We design loyalty UX in collaboration with users — simplifying, testing, and iterating.
We maintain close collaboration with tech and product teams to ensure integrations are planned well in advance.
We use feature flags and A/B testing to roll out new features step by step and learn from data.
CX Network: How do you balance personalization in the app without overwhelming users with too much content or too many notifications?
This is a critical question because it’s easy to go overboard. Our approach is based on:
Intentional communication – every notification must have a clear goal and added value for the user (e.g., reminding them of an unused benefit, inviting them to a local event, introducing a new feature to test).
Understanding the user’s moment – not all content fits every customer or every moment in their life (e.g., we communicate very differently with new users versus loyal sports enthusiasts).
Settings and control – we allow users to manage notification preferences and show them how they can benefit from them.
Additionally, we monitor metrics such as:
- CTR of notifications,
- Number of notification deactivations,
- This gives us quick feedback when we’re “overdoing it.”
Join Zochowski at All Access: Digital CX to learn more about leveraging mobile apps to build omnichannel loyalty. Register for free now.
CX Network: How do you train employees to support an omnichannel loyalty strategy?
In our approach, omnichannel means consistency of experience, not just technology. Employees are a key link in this puzzle.
How we support them:
Operational and product training – we show how the app works, explain the loyalty program, and teach how to talk to customers about it.
Success stories and practical scenarios
Feedback loop with store teams – we regularly collect feedback from staff and incorporate it into loyalty feature design.
Digital ambassadors – in each store, we have individuals who are “local app and loyalty experts,” supporting other employees.