• Shifting loyalty focus from discounts to personalized, exclusive experiences tied to customer preferences
• Using AI-driven real-time personalization and predictive analytics to deliver relevant rewards promptly
• Building community and engagement through gamification, social interaction, and referral incentives
• Integrating loyalty seamlessly across channels, tying offers and messaging to individual customer journeys

In today’s retail landscape, customer loyalty is built through meaningful experiences that keep customers coming back. In this fireside chat, Heather Bennett, President & Chief Customer Officer at Michaels, explores how the brand is evolving from a traditional arts & crafts retailer into an omnichannel destination for creativity and celebration. From rethinking loyalty to reimagining the in-store experience, Michaels is redesigning the customer journey to drive deeper engagement and long-term connection across every touchpoint.

• Refreshed its loyalty program to deliver meaningful value that drives repeat customers
• Expanded product assortments and new store-in-store concepts to drive traffic and cater to both new and existing audiences
• Unveiled a new modern and experiential store format that offers more reasons to visit, explore, and shop time and again