How HEMA’s digital advent calendar built real customer loyalty

Points are not the problem. The logic underneath them is.

A points program rewards a transaction. It does not give someone a reason to actually prefer you. People collect the discount, not the brand. The moment a competitor offers a better deal, the loyalty goes with it.

Most of these programs were built for a different customer, in a different market, with a lot less competition for attention. Stamp cards and airline miles made sense when reach was cheap and options were few. Neither is true anymore.

External channels keep getting more expensive and harder to win. Which makes the case for real loyalty, the kind that does not depend on a discount, more urgent than it has been in years.

That means building on owned channels instead of renting attention on paid ones. It means using gamification not as a gimmick but as a way to turn a passive follower into someone who shows up on purpose. Every time someone plays, they associate that feeling with the brand. Not the discount. The brand.

Do that well and you are not just driving another transaction. You are building the kind of relevance that makes someone choose you again, without needing a reason tied to a euro sign.

This is exactly what we built with HEMA.

For the Christmas season, HEMA wanted to bring their campaign message, the most beautiful thing you can give is love, into something people could interact with every day. The answer was a 3D digital advent calendar, fully integrated into the HEMA app.

Every day in December, HEMA fans opened a new surprise. Small moments, built around characters like Takkie and Siepie, that kept the Christmas message present through the entire festive period.

What made it work was CRM and marketing moving together instead of side by side. Visual design, copy and incentives were aligned with the brand at every step, so each interaction became a small reminder of what the campaign stood for.

The result was stronger app engagement, additional installs, and a clear link to store visits. Not because people were chasing a discount, but because they had a reason to come back.

If your loyalty program still runs on the old stamp card logic, ask yourself what people are actually loyal to. The points, or you.

Building something people want to open every day is a different kind of work. It is also the kind that lasts longer than the next better deal.