Aura, Alshaya Group’s customer loyalty programme that rewards members across 70+ global brands, was recently recognised at the 2024 International Loyalty Awards as the Best Loyalty Programme of the Year – Food Retail and Non-food retail category.
The International Loyalty Awards celebrates innovative approaches and effective strategies within the loyalty programme industry. This year, saw several global loyalty programmes compete across various categories. Among them, Aura a regional app-first loyalty programme emerged victorious, claiming an award.
Since its launch in 2022, Aura has garnered 8.2 million members in five countries including KSA, UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, and Bahrain with exceptional engagement of over 80% redemption rate. With a highly customer-centric approach, Aura has been designed to cater to diverse lifestyles and is recognised as one of the most downloaded loyalty apps in the Middle East region, with 1.75M downloads in 2023 alone.
“Winning Best Loyalty Programme of the Year for Aura at the International Loyalty Awards is a tremendous honour,” said John Hadden, CEO of Alshaya Group. “At Alshaya, we firmly believe that customer loyalty is the bedrock of any successful business. Aura embodies this principle by seamlessly integrating technology and personalisation to create an innovative programme that truly understands and caters to customer preferences.”
From fashion to beauty, home furnishings to dining, members collect points every time they spend. Points can be used for future purchases or to access experiences such as a personalised gourmet treat, a bespoke shopping experience or a pampering beauty treatment.
Aura members can earn and redeem points across their favourite brands, access a range of personalised shopping, dining, and lifestyle experiences, and receive priority notifications of promotions and sales events across a portfolio of popular brands that includes H&M, American Eagle, Mothercare, Victoria’s Secret, Shake Shack, P.F. Chang’s, The Cheesecake Factory, Bath & Body Works, Boots, M·A·C, The Body Shop, Pottery Barn, and West Elm. Customers in UAE can also redeem their Aura points at any Starbucks stores on all their Starbucks favourites.
“Our purpose is to transform everyday interactions into rewarding experiences, by acknowledging our customers unique behaviour and giving back to them for being a part of Aura. This award is a powerful validation of our unwavering commitment to our customers and delivering exceptional experiences to them,” said Alshaya Group’s Director of Loyalty Nida Unas, on the win.
Aura was also awarded the best new loyalty programme in GCC at the CX & Loyalty Awards MENA in 2023.