YEAR
2026
ROLE
Lead Designer
SERVICES
Research • UX/ UI • AI • Visual Design • Testing
The Challenge
With 70% of repeat shoppers already Rewards members, the existing experience rewarded short-term behaviour but failed to celebrate long-term loyalty, leaving the programme feeling operational rather than aspirational.
• Tier status was unstable
• Voucher conversion could reduce perceived progress
• Premium benefits were hidden behind friction
• Engagement mechanics were minimal
• The interface lacked hierarchy and brand expression
Business Goals
The strategy set out to transform Rewards into a scalable brand experience.
• Shifting tier logic to lifetime spend
• Reducing churn caused by point expiry
• Centralising the experience within a redesigned Rewards Hub
• Enabling personalisation through double points and favourite brands
• Introducing referral mechanics and milestone recognition
• Aligning the visual identity with the brand refresh
Hypothesis
Moving tier qualification to lifetime spend instead of annual points and redesigning the experience as a centralised hub, will reduce friction, increase perceived value, and drive longer-term engagement.
The Discovery & Research
Conducting workshops with CX, Digital Marketing, and Commercial teams to understand behavioural drop-off, retention sentiment, and promotional constraints.
Customer service feedback consistently highlighted frustration around expired points and lost tier status.
Behavioural data showed that voucher conversion often coincided with tier regression, which undermined perceived reward value.
The Narrative Journey
The rebuild reframed rewards around three principles:
Tier status through lifetime spend and loyalty.
Transforming the rewards hub into a destination rather than a data table.
Evolving from a balance tracker into an active loyalty ecosystem.
The Design
Simplifing hierarchy and amplifying status through design. Tier identities were elevated through gemstone-inspired badges to became status markers.
The interface introduced:
• Clear lifetime tier visibility
• Transparent rewards history
• Contextual promotional modules
• Simplified and engaging voucher conversion
• Milestone-based progression within the Diamond tier
This interaction was built through a hybrid workflow combining hand-drawn illustration with AI-assisted animation and AI-generated code.
The gemstone animation is synchronised to the voucher slider, creating a responsive moment where the visual reward builds as the value increases.
Engagement modules for limited-time offers, brand partnerships and personalised stories, to give tier members a reason to return beyond their next purchase.
A dedicated design system spanning colour tokens, components, iconography and typography ensures consistency as the programme scales across tiers.
Strategic Impact
The redesign established a scalable loyalty framework built around lifetime value, with clearer reward mechanics, and a more aspirational brand experience.
By restructuring tiers around cumulative spend and consolidating rewards into a centralised hub, the system reduced structural friction and created a clearer path from earning to engagement.
The new architecture positioned Rewards as an active loyalty ecosystem rather than a passive points tracker, supporting long-term retention and deeper customer participation.
Evolve
This project forms part of a broader loyalty transformation roadmap currently in phased development. Future phases would extend the rewards ecosystem through deeper personalisation and milestone-based engagement. Opportunities include digital achievements and badge systems to celebrate milestones, alongside tailored brand incentives driven by purchase behaviour.
For highly engaged members the programme could expand into ambassador-style referrals, moving the system further from transactional points to a dynamic loyalty platform that recognises participation and advocacy.
