Marks & Spencer Sparks loyalty scheme relaunches as a “Digital First loyalty scheme”

Marks and Spencer has announced its Sparks loyalty scheme will now be entirely digital and will be hosted through an updated M&S App from Thursday 9 July.

Current members can download their Sparks cards through the app straight to their mobile phone or have the account stored on their online shopping account.

Sparks’ 7 million members will now have access to instant rewards including a guarantee that one customer every week will get their shopping absolutely free. Members will no longer receive points on their cards.

Rewards also include giveaways worth thousands of pounds to spend in store, to smaller personalised ‘customer thank yous’ like free packs of Percy Pigs and Candles.

The new version of the Sparks scheme will also offer improved and more personalised offers to members the more they shop.

The schemes charity partners have also more than doubled to 35, giving Sparks holders the choice to donate to a charity of their choice every time they shop.

This major update is part of M&S’ wider “Never the Same Again Programme”, signalling a shift in focus to becoming a “digital first” retailer.

Chief Digital Officer Jeremy Pee said: “Sparks is a vital part of how we communicate with over seven million of our most engaged M&S shoppers, and we have designed this relaunch around them.”

“With a Digital First approach, it’s simpler and easier to use but also builds our relationship with customers through a more personalised experience. We’ve injected a new sense of excitement and value and made the features they love even better, while stripping out the points and tiers system they found confusing."

“It will instantly feel more rewarding, and customers can be confident that good things will happen every time they shop with us, from winning their M&S shopping basket for free on the spot, to a donation to the cause that matter most to them.”

This new revamp is also believed to be a part of the retailer's plan to bring together data from Sparks, M&S.com, M&S Bank and soon Ocado in order to unite personalisation and enhance its digital experience.

The company said it has “significantly invested in its behind-the-scenes capabilities in order to deliver a better overall experience for customers, with new expertise and leadership across critical areas such as Loyalty, Data Science and Digital Products”.